SD/SDHC Memory Cards

[NYC3001]

My new DSLR takes SD/SDHC memory cards. I see they come in sizes ranging from 1GB up to 32GB. However, 2, 4, and 8 GB seem to be the most common capacities and are reasonably priced. I am curious as to who manufactures the best quality cards? How does Transcend stack up against the competition? I am thinking that I would want cards that are fast enough for my Canon that can snap continuous pictures, but not overload the buffer while shooting fast-moving trains passing by.

Sincerely,

Ron

[keeper1616]

In my experience, you get what you pay for in Secure Digital cards (or Secure Digital High Capacity). I've never heard of Trancend, but I've had good luck with SanDisk and Kingston. You probably will not run into any buffer problems with still cameras, but if you're planning on taking videos with your DSLR (some of the newer ones can), then the speed of the SD card matters.

[MEC407]

Some of the brands I've used, all with no problems, are:

Kingston
SanDisk
Patriot Memory
Lexar

SDHC cards tend to be a little bit slower than SD cards (something to do with the different type of file system required for the higher capacities), but I don't think the difference is enough to cause performance problems.

SanDisk Ultra II and Extreme III are known for having some of the best performance and reliability on the market today. Just make sure you buy from a reputable retailer; there are cheap look-alike knock-offs floating around that appear identical to the real thing but are junk.

[Chessie GM50]

My advisement is if you want to shoot JPEG, get 2GB. If you're like me, and use your SLR (in my case, a Nikon d60) to shoot raw, I purchase 4GB SDHC cards. I wouldn't purchase anything higher, though, because a larger card encourages you to put more pictures on it, before a transfer. And I've had REALLY good cards crap out on me before, so don't buy the largest one you can find. Also, I purchase class 6 cards. C6 is the HIGHEST class of SD/SDHC card out there, with C2 being the lowest. So just beware...

[MEC407]

I wouldn't purchase anything higher, though, because a larger card encourages you to put more pictures on it, before a transfer. And I've had REALLY good cards crap out on me before, so don't buy the largest one you can find.

Agreed. I've been fortunate and have never had a card die on me, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I'd rather lose 1GB of images than 4 or 8 GBs, wouldn't you?

If you're going on a trip or a really big shooting spree and you honestly need that much storage space, the best thing to do is to bring several smaller cards rather than one huge card.

[Fan Railer]

my 16 gb sandisk takes a reasonable 136 minutes of video and hasn't failed me yet! and i got it cheap ($40)
but even then, i had to double it up with my 8 GB backup for the Railfest 2009: Steamtown Scranton: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=64900
pretty much filled up both cards.

also have a 4, a 2 and a 1 GB.

[Ken W2KB]

I use a K10 Pentax raw format and 8G cards. I typically have the laptop with me on trips and will back up the car at the hotel that evening. So far never had a card fail.

[TREnecNYP]

I believe there are only actually 3 or 4 companies that manufacture memory media, the rest simply being re-branded. I'd say just go for the lowest price.

- A

[mattl]

Do make sure you go for the highest speed.

I have a couple of 32gb cards and they are not at the price or speed yet where I could recommend them.

4gb Kingston and 8gb Sandisk cards are readily available and affordable.

Also consider the 'Super Talent' range -- this is a disk in the SD card size/shape but without the rarely-if-ever used copy protection that all SD cards have. The lack of this feature makes the cards cheaper to make, as the manufacturer doesn't have to pay the licensing fees to the DRM companies.

[MEC407]

I've been using a Transcend 8GB SDHC card (class 6) for the past several months and it works great, even when shooting HD video. They now have a Class 10 version that is even faster: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... _Card.html

Also available in 16GB and 32GB versions, handy if you're shooting a lot of video:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... _Card.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... _Card.html


If you want the ultimate in durability (steel-plated / waterproof) and don't mind spending $120 for a 16GB card, there's this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... _SDHC.html

[MEC407]

I got a PNY Professional 16gb Class 10 SDHC card four months ago and it's been working great. I use it for still photos as well as HD video.