"Transcend" compact flash, any good?

[PeteZ28]

Going to a NASCAR race in a couple weeks and looking to add a little more storage to the bag. Sandisk is offering some kick butt mail in rebates, but I just don't have the cash to lay out right now waiting for the mail in rebate to come back.

I'm looking for a 16g card, that should give me about 800 RAW images from my D300. Any horror stories to be told about Transcend memory?

Transcend 16 GB card is $59.95 with 21mb read/write speed, Sandisk is $169.95 before rebate for a card with similar performance.

Yeah, I know the drill about "get what you pay for" but I can't shell out the extra $90 right now for the Sandisk and wait for the rebate.

 

[natethomas]

Unfortunately, my only experience with Trancend is negative. I was attending my father's 50th college reunion, shot about 500 pictures with all of his old friends, a parade, multiple events, than an error message. I was unable to salvage any of the shots. I'm sure others have had good experiences, but since then I've been willing to pay more for Sandisk.

 

[gadgetguy11]

I use a Transcend jump drive for a digital frame. It has worked reliably every day for 1.5 years. However it is built in an oversize, clutsy housing and will not fit in some places. It looks "cheap" (the plastic), but performs well.

For CF cards, I only use SanDisk. Others are fine, this is my personal choice. B&H has an Extreme III 16GB in the $90 range after rebate. Considering your investment in photo gear, the high speed of Extreme III and proven reliability might make it worth considering. Even if you have to wait and buy it later. (Perhaps you could borrow a CF card for the upcoming shoot in that case? I own 3 Extreme III 16GB's and ordered 2 Extreme IV 16GB cards tonight. They are very reliable.

 

[PeteZ28]

I agree, they are good stuff. I have a Sandisk 1 gig card and an Extreme III 8gig card, and never had a problem with them. If they were "instant rebates" as they were a few months ago when I picked up the 8 gigger, this thread wouldn't exist. I just can't afford to drop that kind of dough on a memory card right now just to wait 8-10 weeks for my rebate.

Also, the rebates are Visa gift cards and as I understand it, there is something funky in how those cards round things up so you never actually get full face value anyway.

 

[gadgetguy11]

...

Also, the rebates are Visa gift cards and as I understand it, there is something funky in how those cards round things up so you never actually get full face value anyway.

I really dislike those gift cards, too!! I lost value on several before I learned to either go online or call the toll free number, get the exact $$ remaining. Then I go into a gas station and "prepay" that exact amount, and hand them the card. They cut you off when the card is spent to the penny. :wink:

 

[PeteZ28]

Yeah if I do order one of these cards, that's exactly what I'll do. Darn I wish gas was still $4/gallon, my company vehicle usually took $96 to fill! Now it's down to low $80's. Then there are those pumps that shut off at $75...

 

[hotrod4x5]

I have 3 or 4 1 gb and 5 2gb transcend cards. I use them at weddings, and have never had a problem. Knock on wood. LOL

 

[Ruff Draft]

I have a lot of them because we got a good deal on them at my last job, and I have had ZERO problems. I was all about SanDisk before I found these.

 

[nancyr]

Another good report for Transcend. Got a 4gb 120x on sale about 2 years ago; no troubles. Can't tell any difference in speed between it and SanDisk Ultra II or Lexar Pro 133x on my D200. FWIW.

 

[yendikeno]

Been using a couple of 4GB Transcend cards alongside my Sandisk Ultra II, and have had no problems with them.

 

[cleoent]

no problem with my transcend cards either!

 

[MParker]

No issues with Transcend CF cards but I had a big problem with a Transcend microdrive.

 

[truflip]

two 8GB SDHC's here.. faster than my Sandisk Extreme III's. shot 3600 pictures with then in one day and still running smooth. Use them to transfer files too with a Transcend SDHC card reader. no problems

 

[BourbonCowboy]

My first CF card was a 1G Transcend. I had a few corrupt files. The shots simply wouldn't load on my computer - although the would show on the camera. I sold it and went with the Extreme III cards and haven't had a problem since. Of course, this was just my lone experience, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[Neige]

I've got 3 Transcend 4GBs, been using them for almost 2 years. I also have Sandisk and Lexar and AData. No trouble with any of them.

 

[Kees de Bruin]

Using 3 4Gb 120x Transcend cards for about 2 years now and haven't got a problem with them. Also using (in case of dire need) 1Gb Sandisk Ultra II cards and 2Gb Kingston cards.

I have been looking for new cards too but according to Rob Galbraith's CF database the 133x cards are slower than my 120x cards and the 200x cards are costing about the same as the Sandisk Extreme III cards here. But reliability is more important than speed.

 

[hotrod4x5]

My first CF card was a 1G Transcend. I had a few corrupt files. The shots simply wouldn't load on my computer - although the would show on the camera. I sold it and went with the Extreme III cards and haven't had a problem since. Of course, this was just my lone experience, so take it for what it's worth.

I have had problems in the past, where I could see the photo on the camera, but not able to download it. I was able to use the USB cable connected to the camera and get the files.

 

[Dawgneck]

My first CF card was a 1G Transcend as well.

Not a single problem in 4 years, but it was pretty slow in the D200 and D300, compared to the Sandisk IIIs.

 

[Mattes]

Hi.

I'm using Trancend CFs for years, from 2 GB 133x to 8 GB 266x and never ever experienced any problems whatsoever.

I would buy them without any doubt, it's only a matter of price to me.

Regards,

Mattes

 

[Doug]

I stick with Sandisk now, exclusively. I further do not buy ebay cards period. I stick with major retail new.

Doesn't mean there aren't good performers elsewhere, but my personal experience with Sandisk has been 100% spot on. No errors have ever occured on my Sandisk cards, period, a record worth sticking with.