Are all flash cards made the same?

[dx379]

Folks,

When I purchased my camera it came with a no-name 4gb memory card. I have been looking at replacing it with a name brand - but wasn't sure if there was any difference between one name to the next. Any advice? (For a D300)

Regards,
Jonny

 

[adaml]

Sandisk and Lexar are the biggest sellers in memory cards because in my experience they are the most reliable.

A memory card is the weakest link in the image capture chain. Don't lose your images because you took them on an unreliable memory card.

 

[fks]

hi jonny-

a good place to start is rob galbraith's database of memory cards, which focuses on read and write speeds for specific DSLR's. this is one of the main differences between the different cards and the reason why some cards cost more than others of the same capacity.

i don't know of a site that tests reliability, which is another concern when it comes to memory. i personally stick to lexar and sandisk because of their reputation and performance.

ricky

 

[dx379]

Sandisk and Lexar are the biggest sellers in memory cards because in my experience they are the most reliable.

A memory card is the weakest link in the image capture chain. Don't lose your images because you took them on an unreliable memory card.

hi jonny-

a good place to start is rob galbraith's database of memory cards, which focuses on read and write speeds for specific DSLR's. this is one of the main differences between the different cards and the reason why some cards cost more than others of the same capacity.

i don't know of a site that tests reliability, which is another concern when it comes to memory. i personally stick to lexar and sandisk because of their reputation and performance.

ricky

Thank you both very much. I will look into that.

Regards,
Jonny

 

[digitalzed]

I'm hesitant to stray away from the big two also. They have a deserved reputation for good products with lifetime warranties. Both companies also have recovery software that's sometimes free or at a decent price. And they're always offering rebates, you just need to look around. You may not need the fastest card, but stick with a good name that you can trust.

 

[Kqw1208]

Sandisk Extreme IV cards are what I use.

 

[Micky]

Just don't buy them off eBay...

Make sure you get genuine cards from a reputable dealer.
Faster is always better...

 

[Neige]

I have Sandisk, Lexar, Transcend, and A-Data in 2's, 4's, and 16's. The only difference I see between them, other than write speed to the computer, is price.

 

[rgordin]

The better Sandisk CF and SD disks now have substantial rebates. The proportionate amount of the rebate increases with the number of cards that you buy. See, for example, the prices at Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/Search-Results.tpl?page=searchresults&searchinfo=sandisk extreme If you download the rebate form, it will list the participating dealers. Be careful when you fill out the rebate form. Last time Sandisk did this, you had a choice of the rebate amount (which came in a Visa debit card) or a slightly higher credit that had to be used at the dealer.

Question - Is there really much advantage in the Extreme IV over the Extreme III ? There is quite a difference in price.

 

[topher04r1]

when it comes to cards you get what you pay for .... seriously...

 

[eng45ine]

I only use San Disk.

 

[lacomb-roach_press]

Here's a recent commentary about a photographer who had a compactflash card in the washing machine and it could have been there a LOOOOONG time.
http://digitalapplejuice.com/musings-on-washing-machines-and-compactflash-cards/#more-482
michael R

 

[ANDS]

While you do get what you pay for, like anything sometimes more isnt better. For the great majority of people a 20 dollar 4GIG Kingston 133X flash will more than suffice their needs. If you are genuinely shooting subjects that will tax the WRITE speed of your card, then for sure go for those premium cards (or if you want to "impress" clients, by all means sweeten them up by letting them know you ONLY use "high quality" 8GIG Extreme IV Sandisks). For those doing simple portrait work, or in this for the hobbyist side of things, really how FAST do you need the camera to dump a full buffer, and when have you ever actually filled the buffer? The D300 has a buffer of what 30 for RAW images (and increases as you dial down the quality). More than enough for the majority of users.

 

[fks]

i've washed a couple of CF cards, but they were out of the washer on the same day, not fourteen months later!

out of all the memory cards formats that i've used, the one that i consider the most robust is CF. i doubt that SD would survive in those same conditions.

ricky

Here's a recent commentary about a photographer who had a compactflash card in the washing machine and it could have been there a LOOOOONG time.
http://digitalapplejuice.com/musings-on-washing-machines-and-compactflash-cards/#more-482
michael R

 

[dx379]

Thank you everyone for your responses :smile:

Jonny

 

[xenonsupra]

CF cards are the one thing I will never cheap out on.

 

[fivegrand]

I buy the cheapest 100x (or faster) cards that I can find.

Interestingly enough, the brand is most often the brand name of the manufacturer that makes the cards for BOTH Sandisk and Lexar.

 

[Gregg Heckler]

I'm in the electronics assembly industry, and many of the card makers are my customers. I specialize in controlling static electricity (ESD). I can tell you, you get what you pay for which is why I use SanDisk. I've never had a problem after about 200,000 images. You paid thousands for your gear, why would you buy a cheap card? Like putting cheap tires on a Porsche.

 

[KeithR]

An article in Digital PhotoPro on digital media. More about what's in 'em than who makes 'em:
http://www.digitalphotopro.com/content/view/362/50/

 

[ANDS]

"Cheap" does not neccesarily mean low quality and "prone to splosions". Sandisk and Lexar have done quite a number on the marketing of their product. I bet given the resources, I could find just as many dissatisfied Sandisk users as Transcend or RiData.