SD Card decisions
Feb 11, 2024 10:26:48 #
Hal Masover
Loc: Iowa and Florida
I'm preparing to take a 3 week international photography journey and might not take my laptop. I'm using a 45 mp camera. A reasonable estimate of how many photos I'll shoot on this trip would be something north of 2,000. My D850 uses an SD card and a CF Express B card. My decision is whether to buy a large capacity SD card, like 512, and just leave it in the camera, or several smaller cards that will be backed up by the CF Express card in case I lose any or all of them as I move through several countries? Are the large SD cards stable? Do these read as fast as smaller cards?
Feb 11, 2024 10:46:43 #
If it were me, I would buy 14 smaller SD cards and put in a new one, labeled by place and date, every other day. Good 32GB cards are about $10 each and would hold around 300 shots.
Feb 11, 2024 10:53:11 #
bsprague wrote:
If it were me, I would buy 14 smaller SD cards and put in a new one, labeled by place and date, every other day.
(I have 8-10, but my camera won't work with large cards.)
Feb 11, 2024 11:22:31 #
Hal Masover wrote:
I'm preparing to take a 3 week international photo... (show quote)
I agree with bsprague. If one card gets lost, or damaged, or something like that you’ll still have the other cards. If all your photos are on one card and something happens you lose everything.
Feb 11, 2024 12:17:13 #
delder
Loc: Maryland
Hal Masover wrote:
I'm preparing to take a 3 week international photo... (show quote)
I vote for Redundancy.
Feb 11, 2024 12:39:46 #
Hal Masover wrote:
I'm preparing to take a 3 week international photo... (show quote)
Speaking from personal experience when traveling without a laptop, I use both of the 2 slots in my camera - a Z9 (also a high megapixel). Slot #2 is used as a back-up. Basically what you plan to do. When the cards are full, one card goes to hubby to keep in his money belt & I keep the other in my money belt. Prior to hopping on the flight home, I always remove the last memory cards from the camera(s) and keep them (the cards -not the cameras) in the money belts.
For a trip such as yours, I'd take 64 or 128GB cards. I would not use larger cards even though if one went bad you'd still have the one in the other slot. A possible danger of using a large card & leaving it in the camera is the outside chance that your camera (with the memory cards inside) is stolen or otherwise lost. You might want to consider that possibility in deciding on the capacity of the memory cards.
Feb 11, 2024 13:32:59 #
Longshadow wrote:
(I have 8-10, but my camera won't work with large cards.)
(I have 8-10, but my camera won't work with large cards.)
Another weighty decision off the table.
Feb 11, 2024 13:33:53 #
Hal Masover
Loc: Iowa and Florida
Thank you all! I am following your advice and in addition to SD cards I already own, I got a deal for a package of 8 SanDisk 64gb cards with up to 200mb read speed at $8 each. So I'm all carded up now! :)
Feb 11, 2024 14:42:59 #
Hal Masover wrote:
Thank you all! I am following your advice and in addition to SD cards I already own, I got a deal for a package of 8 SanDisk 64gb cards with up to 200mb read speed at $8 each. So I'm all carded up now! :)
Now you can rest easy & enjoy your trip!
Feb 11, 2024 15:43:23 #
Hal Masover wrote:
I'm preparing to take a 3 week international photo... (show quote)
Years ago when film was to only ball game Camera club members would take prepaid mailers with them and mail EACH roll separately back home That way they didn't have to go through the Xray when arriving home and IF one roll got lost in the mail all was not lost.
Today I use 32gb cards only because the smaller ones are getting scarce, If it were me I would shoot a new set of cards each day, mail one home or to someone who checks their mail everyday and keep the other on my person at all times. How you identify the cards are up to you.
Feb 11, 2024 15:55:52 #
Err, you folks forget something that can be a lifesaver, not related to photography...
I have two microcards with two SD adapters in my luggage, separate bags. Their purpose it to keep an image of all my documentation in an encrypted folder. In thirty years of WW travels I had to use it once when I lost my passport.
I thought of having this backup on my camera cards but never went further than thinking about it. I did carry MP3 this way...
I know, I am wacky.
I have two microcards with two SD adapters in my luggage, separate bags. Their purpose it to keep an image of all my documentation in an encrypted folder. In thirty years of WW travels I had to use it once when I lost my passport.
I thought of having this backup on my camera cards but never went further than thinking about it. I did carry MP3 this way...
I know, I am wacky.
Feb 11, 2024 16:06:04 #
Whatever card you choose get one fast enough for the D850 write speed just in case you decide to use the high speed features or video. And backup every day to something that is not in the camera. And take extra cards. With small cards it is faster to copy to the laptop when using Nikon transfer since the program seems to sort through all photos until it gets to the new ones. Then back up to an external drive. Backing up to the CF Express card assumes that it is more robust than the sd cards. Write speed is as advertised on the cards. I have never had problems with 1200 mb/s write speed Sandisk. But they are not cheap. I notice B&H has 512 that write at 1400 mb/s on sale
Going back to retake lost photos is usually not an option.
Going back to retake lost photos is usually not an option.
Feb 11, 2024 16:26:21 #
Hal Masover wrote:
Thank you all! I am following your advice and in addition to SD cards I already own, I got a deal for a package of 8 SanDisk 64gb cards with up to 200mb read speed at $8 each. So I'm all carded up now! :)
Where did you get the 8 pack?
Feb 11, 2024 18:45:02 #
clint f.
Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa
Manglesphoto wrote:
Years ago when film was to only ball game Camera c... (show quote)
On a recent trip I was told to not mail anything I cared about getting. Not all mail is as competent as USPS. Mailed two postcards from Italy at the same time at the same box. One arrived in about two months the other seem to be stuck on the MTA. Apologies to the 1960s generally and the Kingston Trio specifically for the MTA reference. The boomers will get it.
Feb 11, 2024 20:01:18 #
DVZ
Loc: Littleton CO
Personally, I go big, I don't mess with changing and storing little cards. I'd write raw to cf and jpeg to sd. But that's just what I do. Actually I went on my first cruise recently took my Nikon D7500 which only has a single sd slot. I still went big and I'm not even a big risk taker. Do what you're comfortable with.
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