There were a couple of posts in the master thread about CF card pseeds for the 7D (like these: 1st post, 2nd post but I'm still confused. It seems some people are reporting that a 133x card works fine but others say you need UDMA-6. I'm looking to upgrade my CF cards for the 7D and I'd like to get the best performing cards withoutbreaking the bank (if possible) So I'd like to know from those that push the RAW burst rate & 1080P video what performance you're getting and from which cards?
Card speed is not that important for video, Reports of 5D2 users using basic Ultra2 speed cards and not having any problems.
As for stills use the fastest you are prepared to pay for now. Cards speeds will constantly increase thus making 'older tech' more affordable , so when the very expensive fast cards have come down in price then you can get a couple of them.
It only is an issue if you are going to constantly hit the buffer in close together bursts.
Haven't posted much here, but I had to address this recently. Your mileage may vary.
In short, card speed is relatively unimportant for video. However, burst RAW is a very different story. I purchased an 8GB SanDisk Extreme III (30MB/s) and an 8GB SanDisk Extreme 60MB/s. Clean formatted both cards and then shot high speed burst RAW only. Results below:
30MB/s card: I got 26 frames before the buffer was full. It took about 15 seconds before the buffer was clear and I could shoot again.
60MB/s card: I shot 27 frames before the buffer was full. It took less then 3 seconds to clear the buffer.
There was no differentiation in video from either card, however transfer to the PC was significantly faster from the faster card.
Tede,
Thanks for the comparison on clearing the buffer. Need to save up for the 60MB/s card. 15 seconds feels like a long time if you're shooting action but then again we don't really shoot 26 frames all at once.
Omar,
I shoot RAW using 8GB 30MB/s extreme IIIs on a 1D Mark III and 7D . I don't have actual stats but I can confirm that when you fill up the buffer, it does take 10-15 seconds before you can start shooting again.
^^^Thanks 'voltaire' & 'tede'...that's the exact info I was looking for! In order to maximize high burst speed RAW shooting, I will need 60MB/s cards. I was hoping the difference with the 30MB/s cards wasn't going to be that high but I see now that I will have to upgrade my CF cards too! Wow, this camera upgrade just keeps getting more & more expensive!
voltaire wrote:
Tede,
Thanks for the comparison on clearing the buffer. Need to save up for the 60MB/s card. 15 seconds feels like a long time if you're shooting action but then again we don't really shoot 26 frames all at once.
Omar,
I shoot RAW using 8GB 30MB/s extreme IIIs on a 1D Mark III and 7D . I don't have actual stats but I can confirm that when you fill up the buffer, it does take 10-15 seconds before you can start shooting again.
Unless both of those cams work differently to my 40D you should be able to shoot again almost instantly for a couple of shots as it will just top the buffer up again. Or are you shut out from any more shots until it clears the buffer?
As a side note if the 60mbs card can clear the entire raw buffer in 3 secs (impressive) then surely that points to an artificial limit on the raw buffer size becuase there must be space left in the buffer?
The Ultra II card has been updated to 30MB/s (200X), matching the old Extreme card. The 8GB model is $34.95 at your local Costco and will be $15 off with coupon after Turkey Day. The rebates are for clearing out the old models. I imagine the new Extreme has been updated to the spec of the Extreme III.
I've been using Ultra II cards on my 5D2 and 7D (the old Ultra II cards) and haven't had it max out, even when shooting video.
I have just ordered one of the new Extreme cards (new name) which are 60mb/s (400x) UDMA cards because I need more memory, not because there was anything wrong with the Ultra II cards. The new Extreme card is faster then the Extreme IV cards (Extreme IV are 45mb/s 300x cards) and I think they are being replaced with the Extreme, and a faster line of card called "Extreme Pro" (90mb/s) have also been introduced.
I will let you know how the new card goes when it arrives.
Here is the news article on the new range of Sandisk cards for those interested:
Ian.Dobinson wrote:
Its not the video thats the big memory speed user so even with the old Ultra 2's you are way over the memory speed needed.
I haven't really noticed, but then again, I don't really shoot in burst mode much, but when I do, I haven't really notice any real problems with clearing the buffer using the Ultra II cards. As someone else mentioned, the new Ultra II cards have a faster write speed, but I haven't used the new version of new Ultra II CF cards (I had a one in SD when I had my 500D though) and again, I didn't really notice having to wait to long once the buffer filled in continuous shooting mode.
Yeah I think you would only really notice the speed if you use alot of bursts close together. I noticed the speed increase for the newer ultra 2's after I bought my 8gig U2. Mines a 15mbs one . But then I'm only using a 40D so it probably doesn't make a difference.
Looking at the costs between same size 15mbs 30mbs & 60mbs cards (here in UK) the 15's are pretty dam cheap but there is not much between 30 & 60mbs cards (£10 diff on 16gig cards as far as I can see on amazon) so in that case 60mbs makes sense
I've used Sandisk Ultra II cards in my 7D while shooting sports with no problems whatsoever. Just because you CAN shoot a 26 shot burst doesn't mean you SHOULD. In practice I've never come close to a burst that fills up the buffer. My experience is that if something's moving fast enough for 8 fps shooting, the moment has passed or the composition is whacked after 4 seconds. I know that my results are much better when I time the moment and use small bursts.
I'm using 8Gb Extreme IV 45mb/s 300x cards. Haven't done any tests yet, nor pushed burst shooting to it's end. The thing I noticed, coming to 7D from MkIIn, is that the camera writes to the CF card, and clears the buffer, a lot faster than before. I used to have to look to see if the red light was off before reviewing my bursts. Now, the red light is always off and I can chimp right away. There's a big difference between the two cameras when using the same cards.
...Anyone else with any write speed issues when maxing out the buffer in high burst mode?
Wow, this camera upgrade just keeps getting more & more expensive!