I am in the process of replacing a corrupted SanDisk CF card with either the Ultra II or the Lexar Pro (512 mb). I have contacted B&H Photo and Calumet about these two cards, their card readers AND image recovery software that each offers I could not seem to get correct information from either of these two camera companies. Is there anyone out there who is knowledgeable about the SanDisk Ultra II's and the Lexar Pro models? One salesman at B&H told me that the San Disc is better in a Nikon digital camera and not in a Canon 10D (I currently own an Olympus E-10 and will upgrading to the Canon 10D) and that the image recovery softwre will recover lost images from Lexar AND SanDisk. Is their any truth to this? There has got to be someone out there in Digital Land twho can straighten out this confusion.
The image recovery software will work on any brand of CF card.
The 10D doesn't have the same kindof buffer as the Nikon cameras and might read/write a little slower; but you will want to check thoses specifications on a site such as robgalbraith.com
That is not a function of the card though; that is strictly a limitation of the camera.
Frankly I doubt that with the 10D there will be any need for a CF card any faster than 32 or 40x. Even in my 1Ds I see no significant difference above 32x.
Nicky is right that the recovery software works on all major brands of cards. The Lexar software version 2 has just been updated and I would use it. As you know the Lexar CF cards in the high end include the recovery software, but it is not that expensive any way.
Card writing speed (on the WA enabled cards, anyway) can depend on both card and camera. I wasn't aware that anyone but lexar supported WA on their cards so the quoted information seems to be reversed. (Lexar WA would be better for Nikon)
If you need the speed and the recovery software, wait for the Lexar Media 80x ( 12Mb/sec write speed ) where Sandisk Ultra II is only offering 9Mb write speed. It should be out by Mid-May.
I would buy the fastest card I could afford. Why? Because the cameras will be changing and advancing to take advantage of the faster cards, while you may be using the card in several different cameras. For instance, the 1D MkII supposedly blows away the 10D in write to CF speed...so a faster card would make a difference.
I'm not sure which is faster between the lexar and the sandisk. I think the sandisk ultras are somewhere around 40x, so they should be about the same speed. Check robgalbraith.com's CF database for some numbers.
Sandisk Ultra II cards are rated as 60x, which makes them faster than Lexar's 40x. In my experience, Lexar cards are somewhat less reliable than Sandisks. However, it's really a crapshoot, cause each card is prone to failure. If you treat them right, they'll treat you right.
Card speed depends on the hardware connection using it.
Much like CPU speed, it's a matter of preference too. If you've got buckets of cash, by all means, fill your bag with 60x cards. You won't see the limits of these cards in your camera, especially if you're using a Canon 10D. I buy Lexar and Sandisk, 25x or 40x. Download speeds from a card reader are slightly different, but I usually go get a cup of coffee and don't notice the few seconds difference.
Also, future cameras will probably have larger memory cards with faster speeds for cheaper prices. "Buy the fastest you can get now" doesn't work. If it did, we'd all be driving 1969 Shelby GT 500 KR Mustangs, and we'd never have bought anything since.
Buy what you need for today. Memory costs come down as technology becomes cheaper. 24/25x cards are very cheap, and on a Canon, are almost the same speed as a 40x.
If you want more info, go to www.robgalbraith.com Read the memory card tests for your specific camera body.
FAT16 and FAT32 are the file systems in use on most memory cards. Both filesystems were created and are still owned by Microsoft. I have never needed to, but I imagine that if you had no "recovery" software, Norton Utilities or any other undelete software would be able to recover files from the card. The recovery software would be your first choice though.
