SD Speeds

[jgrotegut]

I have a Canon S3 camera. I currently have just the standard "blue" SD memory card, 2GB. My question is, is it worth it to spend the money (yes I know it isnt a lot any more) to get an "Ultrafast" or a 150x card? Would there be any performance increase?

Thank you!


PS. Sorry if this has been covered previously.

[CoolToolGuy]

Rob Galbraith maintains a performance database on card speeds, but he only tests DSLRs. I'm not sure if you would get all of the benefit of a card like the Sandisk Extreme III, but right now they have a rebate going that makes them cheaper than the standard cards. Take a look at the B&H Web site for details.

Have Fun,

[Maurice A]

I bought the Sandisk 1GB Extreme III card and the results for continuos shooting or bracketing, make it worthwhile, you really notice the improvement.

[oj88]

I have a Canon S3 camera. I currently have just the standard "blue" SD memory card, 2GB. My question is, is it worth it to spend the money (yes I know it isnt a lot any more) to get an "Ultrafast" or a 150x card? Would there be any performance increase?

Thank you!


PS. Sorry if this has been covered previously.

Do a simple test. Use the standard SD card that you now have and use it on the S3. Go out and shoot some continuous video at max resolution and frame rate (640x480@30fps). If your camera stops recording after a few seconds (due to camera buffer overflow), your SD card is not fast enough. Then yes, the 150x is a good investment (assuming the actual speed is anywhere near this value). But many people say that a lowly 60x should be fine for video.

Another way to test is to do some continuous hi-speed shooting at 6MP with SuperFine. This is more taxing with regards to memory performance.

[Jon]

I've found that in my A620 even an ordinary blue SanDisk 2 GB card is perfectly able to capture the full 9 min. 640x480x30 fps video that's the camera's limit and turn around and shoot another clip until the card's full. I think you'll see the speed difference in Continuous shooting more.

[jgrotegut]

Thanks all for the replies. The card I have keeps up just fine with full rez video there is just a minor delay when I hit the 1 gig mark at approx 9 Min and it stops recording. I also like to take all my shots at the highest resolution possible with the camera and there is an ever so slight delay after taking a shot.

I will try one of the faster ones next time I have some cash and can catch it on a deal and see if this helps the delay at all.

Thanks again to all that replied!

[r.morales]

The big reason would be when you upgrade / replace camera . My HP 612 could care less about the speed of cards [ CF ] .
My new XTI is slower on some 256 and 512 cards .
I use the smaller cards when taking a few pictures [ yesterday 3 flowers in yard ] The smaller cards load and preview faster . I copy all to computer , then move to another card and print .
While printing , I rename pictures - 1-red - 5-23-07 . This tells me i can search for red and will get all red flowers from any date .
I know the picture isn't that good , but I am learning .

[r.morales]

Sorry , forgot to hit upload . picture didn't post