p.1 #1 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
I have all of my cameras' Drive setting set to single shot. I usually shoot four or five single shots of a scene within a 3 or 4 seconds. I have been buying high-speed SD cards, but given the way I shoot, this seems like a waste of money. I almost never shoot at even the Lo Continuous Drive setting. No video.
What tech specifications of SD cards would be appropriate for the way I shoot?
p.1 #2 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
V30 would be fine. However, you're then hamstrung by the slowness when downloading photos from the card after shooting.
That's why the GFX 100ii having CFE-B is so appealing...even if you don't need the speed during shooting, having it for offloading many huge files is great.
p.1 #3 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
If you are only shooting single shot and 4-5 frames at a time, all your cards need to do is clear your internal buffer, and your buffer can likely hold hundreds of images.
From that perspective you can find a reputable brand with UHS-1 cards and you'll be fine. The one downside is they also download slower to your computer, I buy slightly faster cards just for that reason.
p.1 #4 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
I suppose meeting the tech manual minimums would be fine. For me it's kind of a one time cost. I reuse cards as they fill, transferring data off and then use it again. I find capacity more important (although I've not scrimped on quality brand/speed ratings). I want to be sure I get through what ever event, trip, shoot, etc., without needing to swap cards if I can.
Might depend on the camera and how many shots taken between download opportunities.
p.1 #5 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
Craig Gillette wrote:
I suppose meeting the tech manual minimums would be fine. For me it's kind of a one time cost. I reuse cards as they fill, transferring data off and then use it again. I find capacity more important (although I've not scrimped on quality brand/speed ratings). I want to be sure I get through what ever event, trip, shoot, etc., without needing to swap cards if I can.
Might depend on the camera and how many shots taken between download opportunities.
Yes, I usually buy 128GB cards even though I never fill them before downloading.
p.1 #6 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
RoamingScott wrote:
V30 would be fine. However, you're then hamstrung by the slowness when downloading photos from the card after shooting.
That's why the GFX 100ii having CFE-B is so appealing...even if you don't need the speed during shooting, having it for offloading many huge files is great.
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formula4speed wrote:
If you are only shooting single shot and 4-5 frames at a time, all your cards need to do is clear your internal buffer, and your buffer can likely hold hundreds of images.
From that perspective you can find a reputable brand with UHS-1 cards and you'll be fine. The one downside is they also download slower to your computer, I buy slightly faster cards just for that reason.
Yes, I hadn't thought about the download speed issue. I was thinking about buying a bunch of 32GB or 64GB cards with lower speed specs for convenience in separating different shooting situations and then also using them as safety backup storage. The slower download speed might be an issue. I have some older, slower cards now--I'll have to experiment a bit.
p.1 #7 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
I don’t worry about slow download speeds on my computer. I start the download and then do something else for a few minutes, like go on FM! 🙂
I’ve always used SanDisk Extreme Pro cards and they work great. I use two 512gb cards in tandem on my A7R5. I have the camera write to both cards so I have a complete copy of all images. I never worry about filling up the cards. The 512gb cards are $59 and the 256gb cards are $35.
p.1 #8 · Question about SD cards for Slow Shooting
The only other factor is the playback load speed when you're saving RAW files is slower by a few seconds than the faster V90 cards. If you don't chimp or burst, there's no issue to use the slower cards otherwise. Recently I've been testing the Nextorage cards, as they seem to be a good balance of price, speed, and reliability.
Yes, I hadn't thought about the download speed issue. I was thinking about buying a bunch of 32GB or 64GB cards with lower speed specs for convenience in separating different shooting situations and then also using them as safety backup storage. The slower download speed might be an issue. I have some older, slower cards now--I'll have to experiment a bit.
This might put you at cross purposes. Haven't card shopped recently but if as I remember, card prices generally go down per storage unit (price per megabyte or gigabyte) as capacity goes up. So two 16GB cards would cost more than one 32GB, 2 32GB more than one 64GB, etc. This might be a rather little difference so maybe absorbable. I believe there could be a point where a higher capacity could could cost more per storage unit, maybe manufacturing yield issues?
I'd still suggest having multiple copies on separate media/locations, etc., even if retaining the camera cards as a "single use" then archive file, too. It adds a level of storage complexity tracking/holding more cards as one of the sets of files compared to multiple events/groups, etc., on higher capacity forms.
