Slow Compact Flash Memory on Digital Rebel

[pnp]

I'm planning to buy a digital rebel and I want to ask you:

Is it Ok to use some just 4X speed cheap 1GB Compact Flash memory?...

or do I REALLY NEED some 45X or more memories?

Will I have any issue using my camera with such a slow compactflash?

Thanks in advance!...

[Belmondo]

Any old CF card will work.

[DocFrankenstein]

A test comparison of different CF cards shows that the writing difference between the 4x card and a 60x card on the rebel is about 20%

So if you're planning on using it excusively with the rebel, you really shold go with a slow card.

[stevekwiz]

I agree. I have 3090D and one super slow and one 65X, can't see a difference. I should have done more research. Hey, guys, would I see a difference with a 10D?

[stevekwiz]

Sorry, I meant 300D. Was hit by car as pedestrian 2 weeks ago and have no left and only half a brain right now. Can't take pics very easily. either.

[12345Michael54321]

Was hit by car as pedestrian 2 weeks ago and have [...] only half a brain right now.Behold. A politician is born.

[Tomsk]

I'd recommend that you get the fastest card you can afford.

The difference might only be a few seconds for the camera to be ready for another picture, but a lot can happen in a few seconds.

[theoldmoose]

I have a couple of SimpleTech 512MB cards, I got when they were going for $99 each last Fall. It's the brand that Canon supposedly sells on their site as Digital Rebel accessories, but for much more bucks.

The SimpleTechs (non-Pro or anything of that ilk) are rated about 12x, I believe. As such, since I always shoot RAW, the 300D seems kind of slow to write to the cards, and I find myself waiting on the camera sometimes, and have missed a couple of shots because of it.

So, I've been thinking seriously about getting something faster, like the Sandisk Ultra II 512MB's that you can get for about $52 these days (check out techbargains.com for recent specials on flash cards). These rated in the top 10 'speed demons' in the Rob Galbraith flash card speed rankings, on the 300D, and would proabably increase my write speed by about 50% over the older SimpleTech cards, according to the charts. By the same token, you'll discover that 60x or 80x cards (or ones that feature 'Write Acceleration', a proprietary feature) are wasted on the 300D.

You really should check out the Rob Galbraith tests that have been run specifically on your camera model, and then decide what speed/cost ratio your budget/patience can stand.

Flash these days, even hi-speed stuff, is really cheap. And, rather than get 1 GB or larger sizes at the moment, which sell for a premium, choose a couple of 512 MB cards, instead. Each one can hold about 68 RAWs each on a 300D, which is about two rolls of 36-exposure film. 512 MB cards are very reasonable, so you can get a small handful, if necessary, to cover your needs, or use an image tank or CD or DVD burner to archive photos on site, so you can recycle cards as needed.

[Mogwyth]

I have a standard sandisk and 2 Ultra IIs for my 300D, the differance in write speed is fractions of a second. In normal use I can't tell which I have in the camera. If you fill the buffer then you might notice. The main differance is in copying to HDD using a card reader the Ultras are much faster. Personally I'll probably go back to the slower (cheaper) cards.

[12345Michael54321]

Flash these days, even hi-speed stuff, is really cheap. And, rather than get 1 GB or larger sizes at the moment, which sell for a premium, choose a couple of 512 MB cards, instead.
Actually, I've noticed that the price premium isn't all that significant anymore. In most cases, the 1 GB card is around twice the price of the 512 MB card, and may even cost a little less than 4 of the 256 MB size, or 8 of the 128 MB size.

I'm still waiting for the Sandisk Extreme 4 GB to go on sale for $89.95, even if that's after a mail-in rebate. Man, I'd buy two at that price. :)

Probably shouldn't joke about that, though. As likely as not, fast 4 gig CF cards will be selling for under $100 in another couple of years.

[PhotosGuy]

and I find myself waiting on the camera sometimes, and have missed a couple of shots because of it.

Just take the shot! You don't have to wait!

[theoldmoose]

You're joking of course.

If you are shooting RAW on the 300D, the buffer can only hold 3 images, then the camera freezes until at least one of the images is written to the flash.

This is a real issue for folks that might want to use such a camera to shoot motorsports, for instance. It really isn't useable for that, if you wish to fire off a half-dozen or more shots as your subjects go roaring by.

At the moment, you have to pay a great deal more than the under-$1000 entry level Digital Rebel to get truly fast back-to-back action sequences at full resolution, especially RAW.

[Vinny454]

Also take into account future expansion. I bought my 300D knowing I would be getting a 10D once I become comfartable with DSLR's. I am glad that I bought the Sandisk Extreme's as I now have the 10D and enjoy the faster write speeds.

[PhotosGuy]

You're joking of course.

No, I'm not! If I put it on "Continuous" mode, it will pop off 4 shots before it stops, & yes, it's also set on RAW w/the 300D. I was under the impression that he was waiting for the cam to stop writing to the card, which is why I said, "Just take the shot!".

This is a real issue for folks that might want to use such a camera to shoot motorsports, for instance. It really isn't useable for that, if you wish to fire off a half-dozen or more shots as your subjects go roaring by.

True, I wouldn't use it if I was being paid to 'shotgun' a start, or catch EVERY action sequence. OTOH, I shot races for 2 days a few weeks ago, picked my shots, & didn't feel restricted by the camera at any time during the weekend because I kept shots in reserve in case I needed to use them.

[theoldmoose]

You get 4 RAWs in a pop? That's funny, I only recall getting up to 3. I'll have to experiment, again, when I get the chance.

In any event, I don't wish to have to 'keep shots in reserve'. But, for the moment, a 1D MKII is not on my budget, so I'll have to keep that strategy in mind.

Sounds confining to me...

[DocFrankenstein]

You get 4 RAWs in a pop? That's funny, I only recall getting up to 3. I'll have to experiment, again, when I get the chance.

Count the shutter clicks with empty buffer :roll:

[theoldmoose]

Geez, I know *how* to experiment, but I have to have the camera in hand to do so...

[jayadeff]

Unfortunately, the 300D and 10D are the two slowest DSLR's on the market when it comes to writing to the CF card. Be that as it may, there is a difference between the slower cards and the faster cards. I use Sandisk Ultra II cards and have noticed slightly faster performance in the camera. The bigger difference is when you're downloading the images to your computer using an external reader.

I shoot sports, and have to shoot normal JPG instead of fine JPG because the write times are so sloooooow. Raw is totally out of the question. But if you're not shooting sports or you're not taking a lot of pictures in rapid succession, you probably won't notice a difference between cards.

[PhotosGuy]

See if your results match mine. I just held down the shutter release, "Continuous" mode, thru the whole sequence I timed it with my wristwatch. I did it 3 times each card & got...

Scandisk 512: 4 shots, wait 2 sec, wait 2 sec, wait 8 sec.

Scandisk 512Ultra2: 4 shots, wait 2 sec, wait 2 sec, wait 7 sec.

[defordphoto]

From what I remember the breakpoint for "fast" cards for the 10D and Drebel is about 20x or so. After that, you're wasting your money.

When I got the MKII, I learned what fast means. It also writes super fast to MDs which the 10D/Drebel are sluggish at best.

[Vinny454]

You get 4 RAWs in a pop? That's funny, I only recall getting up to 3. I'll have to experiment, again, when I get the chance.

In any event, I don't wish to have to 'keep shots in reserve'. But, for the moment, a 1D MKII is not on my budget, so I'll have to keep that strategy in mind.

Sounds confining to me...

You should be able to get 4 shots. Are you using either the AE or WB bracketing? If you are bracketing any shots then you ARE limited to only 3 shots (1: the exposure as set 2:the underexposed shot 3: the over exposed shot). That is the only reason you should not be getting a 4 shot burst.

Vince