Fast cards with D300s

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Norm Shapiro
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p.1 #1 · Fast cards with D300s

I'd currently using Lexar 200x cf and 133x sdhc cards with my D300s bodies. I'd like to get a little faster cards-400x-but Nikon tells me this may damage my batteries. Is anyone using these, or faster cards withD300s bodies?

Jan 28, 2013 at 08:08 PM

davidnholtjr
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p.1 #2 · Fast cards with D300s

I use the older Sandisk Extream III 30mb/s cards and a Lexer 300x and these work great.

I'm not sure why a faster card could damage a battery. That sounds weird.

I think I read that the D300s top wright speed tops at 30-35mb/s any way, so anything fast is a waste.

Jan 28, 2013 at 10:00 PM

M635_Guy
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p.1 #3 · Fast cards with D300s

?? Nikon said WHAT??

I'm using the Lexar Professional 1000X CF and 400X SD cards. I'm pretty sure Lexar has put these cards on their support list, and I thought Nikon had as well.

davidnholtjr wrote:
I use the older Sandisk Extream III 30mb/s cards and a Lexer 300x and these work great.

I'm not sure why a faster card could damage a battery. That sounds weird.

I think I read that the D300s top wright speed tops at 30-35mb/s any way, so anything fast is a waste.

That is true in-camera, but it sure is nice how fast I can copy images off the cards. This is especially useful if I'm having to clear/format the cards and get 'em back in action. To take advantage of the speed of the 1000X, you need a USB 3.0 reader (and of course a computer with USB 3.0 support).

Jan 28, 2013 at 10:20 PM

Norm Shapiro
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p.1 #4 · Fast cards with D300s

M635-guy, are using D300s bodies? And does Lexar say they have tested the older cards with the D300s cameras?

Jan 28, 2013 at 10:25 PM

mrgetalife
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p.1 #5 · Fast cards with D300s

Seriously. Nikon would say using a Non-Nikon shoulder strap will void your warranty if they could.

Compact Flash. SD cards are slower.

The 1000X has a bit of an edge over 400X. But you'll only really notice it if the card is over half full and its scrambling for space to write.

Jan 29, 2013 at 03:25 AM

Rodolfo Paiz
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p.1 #6 · Fast cards with D300s

Norm Shapiro wrote:
I'd currently using Lexar 200x cf and 133x sdhc cards with my D300s bodies. I'd like to get a little faster cards-400x-but Nikon tells me this may damage my batteries. Is anyone using these, or faster cards withD300s bodies?

I'm with whoever said "Nikon said what?"

Don't worry about it. Faster cards will only benefit you by downloading images to your computer faster, and then only if you have the right card reader technology. They won't write faster in-camera 95% of the time. However, they will not break your camera. Silliest thing I've heard all day.

Jan 29, 2013 at 03:41 AM

asamimasa
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p.1 #7 · Fast cards with D300s

Not sure how much it differs, but I've only ever used 400x and faster cards with my D300.
Easily over 100 charge cycles and I'm still at '0' rating. I'd dismiss that claim immediately.

And as folks have been saying, faster cards won't make any difference until you get home and unload.

Jan 29, 2013 at 07:04 AM

M635_Guy
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p.1 #8 · Fast cards with D300s

Here's Nikon's "approved card" list. Hasn't been updated since 2009:
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16541/kw/Card%20support%20d300s/session/L3RpbWUvMTM1OTQ1ODUwNy9zaWQvMk5VUE52aGw%3D

Does list cards up to 300X, and has a footnote that says "All cards can be used, regardless of speed."

Also, a quick note on their support site about card speed, which pretty much reflects what is said here, and more importantly doesn't make any warning about impact to the battery...
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1271/kw/Card%20support%20d300s/session/L3RpbWUvMTM1OTQ1ODUwNy9zaWQvMk5VUE52aGw%3D

On the Lexar site, they make specific mention that their latest 1000X cards are compatible with the earlier CF standards: "Compatible with UDMA CF and CF devices" (and no warning about impact to the battery).

http://www.lexar.com/node/5163

I wrote a blog post about the card performance not too long ago (actually two, since I screwed up the first test

)
http://enthusiastphotographer.com/2012/09/08/cf_vs_sdhc/
http://enthusiastphotographer.com/2012/09/09/1000x_plus_usb3-0awesome/

Lastly, refer to Rob Galbraith's excellent article about the Lexar 1000X card, which implies that the UDMA support of the D300s (and I'd guess the D300 as well - it does support UDMA as well) are capable of handling the faster cards.
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11673-12268

I think you misunderstood him/her, or they misunderstood you.

Net: I wouldn't worry about it. Buy the fastest card that meets your budget and desire for quick pulls from the card. If you're a maxing the FPS and hitting the camera buffer (usually sports or birds-in-flight), then you might get a slight benefit since these cards will clear the buffer faster.

(apologies for the Moby Dick post - the coffee was strong this morning...)

Jan 29, 2013 at 11:49 AM

Rodolfo Paiz
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p.1 #9 · Fast cards with D300s

Good God, don't apologize... that's the most thorough and complete answer I've seen in years!

Jan 29, 2013 at 12:42 PM

M635_Guy
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p.1 #10 · Fast cards with D300s

Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
Good God, don't apologize... that's the most thorough and complete answer I've seen in years!

Jan 29, 2013 at 03:05 PM

runamuck
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p.1 #11 · Fast cards with D300s

I'm still chuckling about the damaged batteries remark from Nikon!

That is probably the worst answer I've ever heard from Nikon.

Jan 29, 2013 at 05:40 PM

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