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Is it CF or SD?

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bjrichus

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I'll ask and then run away from the explosion...

Nearly all recent consumer gear I see have SD card slots in them. Even some TV's have them...

So I ask, for entry level cameras, even for anything lower than the 'rumored' D7000 level why are there always people grumbling about the use of SD slots?

"Because I have a draw full of CF cards in the studio..."

Did you not read my opening statement? I said **CONSUMER** gear, not gear intended for professional use!

SD cards are relatively cheap and just about always available everywhere (in the US anyway), in so many places (like CVS, Walmart, etc), but CF cards ... well, not so much or often not at all and certainly not the capacity, price, or brand you may prefer! Remember I said this is about **CONSUMER** gear, not gear intended for professional use or as an emergency purchase while out on a shoot with a crew of half a dozen somewhere for a magazine...

Posted 1 year ago #
msmoto

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Me, grumble....not a chance.... I have such limited knowledge, I did not know there was a difference until recently. Just could not figure out why one card did not fit into another slot.....mmmm..... And, at one venue, i shoot, then load an SD card and stick it into the TV outside so others can view the photos while I am out at trackside shooting more. So, I guess I am happy to just know the difference now.

Or, is there a download speed problem? I do know the D90 has problems shooting more than about four or five images on 4FPS, then chokes for a second, restarts. Is this an SD card problem?

Let the explosion begin!

Posted 1 year ago #
spraynpray

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msmoto said:
Me, grumble....not a chance.... I have such limited knowledge, I did not know there was a difference until recently. Just could not figure out why one card did not fit into another slot.....mmmm..... And, at one venue, i shoot, then load an SD card and stick it into the TV outside so others can view the photos while I am out at trackside shooting more. So, I guess I am happy to just know the difference now.

Or, is there a download speed problem? I do know the D90 has problems shooting more than about four or five images on 4FPS, then chokes for a second, restarts. Is this an SD card problem?

Let the explosion begin!

No problem at around 10 raws with my D90.... card speed?

Posted 1 year ago #
SkintBrit

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Don't CF cards have "propper" computer chips in them and therefore have increased speed AND reliability over SD? Does any data exist comparing the reliability of CF and SD?

Posted 1 year ago #
kyoshinikon

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Reliable CF? HA! I've had several cf's fail on me out in the field...(a few in my D200, one in a Borrowed D700, another in a maymia, and 2 in canon dslr's) . Ive never had a SD fail. (These are pro sandisk cards I use)

CF's are faster, lack any weak spots (minus the pins in the camera, and often are higher capacity.

I find tho that SD's are less likely to corrupt (if ever), are less likely to be inserted wrong, and often practically as fast as many CF's(for the cameras that use them)...

Posted 1 year ago #
PB PM

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I've never had a problem with a CF or SD cards (other than one that was bad from the factory), and I've been shooting digital for 7 years. I've had everything from cheap no-name brands to high end cards from Lexar and Sandisk, yet I've never had a card corrupt or fail in the field, maybe I'm lucky, but it is a fact.

I don't see one card being better than the other, but I find CF cards to be tougher and generally faster. I prefer to have a camera use CF cards simply because I have more of them. If I was shooting a D7000 and only had SD cards I would prefer them.

Posted 1 year ago #
dormant

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I've never had a problem with either either.

I prefer CF purely because of their size: I lose SD cards. I feel that CF cards are a bit more robust, but have no evidence to back that up.

Also, SD cards have that annoying write-protect switch that is a hangover from floppy disks.

Posted 1 year ago #
TaoTeJared

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I have never heard people "grumble" about having to use SD cards or even make a mention of it. I have heard the opposite when people upgrade their camera gear to higher end stuff not understanding the bennifit of CF cards. I do not like seeing a SD instead of the XQD card in the D800. The speed bennifit would have been much better to have then not to.

I have used both in industrial settings where they both were exposed to abuse that a photographer couldn't even imagine. CF cards are faster and more robust to conditions but if you are wiling to spend the money, SD cards can match them.

A major problem with SD vs CF cards is that the "specs" are not universal so performance of a class 10 SD is not the same as a class 10 CF - and the minimums to achieve those classes were not well thought out towards future devices. Class 10 I believe just has to achieve 10mb/s write speed but some exceed 100mb/s (or something close to that -someone can go look it up.)

An applied incorrect assumption that all are made equal may lead to disappointing results that people may hold onto. Maybe that is where some grumbling individuals come from. Or maybe they just want to use USB key fobs as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
adamz

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we the increasing price difference between CF and SD cards and comparable speeds I honestly prefer SD over CF due to it's size and robustness. I had some "water" accidents with SD, when I forgot to take it out of pocket and the pants went to washing machine, and the card is still functioning. Not to mention no bended pins anymore.

Posted 1 year ago #
SkintBrit

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dormant said:
I prefer CF purely because of their size: I lose SD cards.

That's an interesting point. I also find CF cards nicer to insert and remove because there is more to hold on to. This can be a deal breaker in cold weather conditions, especially when wearing gloves. @ TaoTeJared said " Or maybe they just want to use USB key fobs as well." Shush! Don't let Nikon hear you say that or they'll be trying to sell us a £500 32GB memory stick to attach to our new cameras. ;-)

Posted 1 year ago #
msmoto

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@SkintBrit... NIKON must have heard something....the new QXD Sony cards 16 GB come at about $130 USD, then $45 for the reader. And the 32 GB card is about $230 USD. I guess the speed is what we are paying for now. As to size... the QXD is similar to an SD card, a little thicker. Whether they can be washed or not...well, hopefully I will not find out. At least with the new camera (D4) they put in a QXD card on the early shipment. I wonder if these are in all the D4 bodies they are shipping. My knowledge base is so thin, I cannot tell one card from another except for what I read here on NRF.

Oh shucks... I just reviewed the topic and realized this may not be the place for the QXD card discussion....sorry....

Posted 1 year ago #
TaoTeJared

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Msmoto we can always count on your ADD :)

I see cards like batteries, you need them, they come in different sizes and shapes, you don't get to choose which ones to use and inevitably you never have the correct one you need.

I'm just happy consumer stuff finely moved past the "only internal memory" and gave us the capability to add memory. Just wish apple would have done that - then again the companies who did, those products barely exist anymore.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anaxagoras

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TaoTeJared
+1

bjrichus said:

"Because I have a draw full of CF cards in the studio..."

Professional or consumer, that would be a pretty pathetic argument for them to use.

Reading this thread made me check my 'drawer full of old cards'.

I found an old 128MB CF card. I did some maths. The card won't fit in my D7000, of course, but I reckon if it did it would hold THREE images (I always save RAW+JPG).

So if the lighting was iffy and I exposure-bracketed the shot... Yes, I'd need a new card for each image!

For as long as I can remember, if I buy a new camera I immediately buy two other things - a spare battery and a couple of new memory cards - the highest capacity, highest speed that I can get for a reasonable price.

And in my experience cards either fail 'out-of-the-box' or pretty soon thereafter (though i will bow to the greater experience of the professionals).

Posted 1 year ago #

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Is it CF or SD?

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