charlienow wrote:
I just bought a used Nikon D500…Now I need to purchase an XQD Card…do these cards ever go on sale and/or where is the best place to purchase them
Thanks
Chuck
As others have said, the solution is to buy CF Express Type B cards instead. They're less expensive, faster, made by a lot more manufacturers, available in a wider variety of sizes, as well as in combination "kits" (such as multi-card packs or cards with readers).
B&H lists three brands of XQD cards: Sony, Delkin and Nikon. Neither Delkin or Nikon make them, so they are probably relabeled Sony cards.
B&H lists twelve brands of CF Express Type B cards. Probably some of those are relabeled too, but probably there are at least eight or ten different manufacturers. Competition makes for lower prices.
For example, 64GB XQD are selling for $130 and have a 400 MB/sec write speed. Top-of-the-line 64GB CF Express cards are selling for $100 and have an 800 to 1000 MB/sec write speed.
There also is greater choice of sizes with CFE cards: B&H lists fifteen sizes from 64GB to 4TB, but only four sizes of XQD from 32GB to 240GB.
And, as noted, if you plan to use them you need to be sure to update your camera's firmware for CF Express cards to work properly (the physical socket is the same).
You also may need or want a different card reader to download images. The write speed of CF Express is also faster: up to 1500 to 1750 MB/sec, compared to 440MB/sec with XQD. So long as the rest of your computer is up to the task, you should see faster image downloads with CFE, too. Lexar is currently offering several sizes of CFE cards in a kit with a reader for the same price most are charging for the card alone. For example a Lexar 64GB CFE card with a reader is $99.
EDIT: I don't recommend cabling your camera to your computer to download images. That's unnecessary extra wear and tear on the camera itself, some risk to the USB socket, plus a lot of extra time on the electronic components. A camera is much more expensive to repair or replace than a card reader. Also, the camera needs to remain powered on during the download. It is possible if the battery runs down and it powers off that the data gets corrupted and images are lost. Get and use a card reader. Much better in the long run.