8 GB card or 16 GB?

[tvphotog]

For a 5D Mark II, planning to shoot RAW and some movies, would you recommend 2 8G CF cards or one 16G, and why, please?

[ELT_Photo]

Personally, I would use 2 8gb cards - the "don't put all your eggs in one
basket" theory. I had a 12gb Sandisc Extreme 3 go bad on me a few months ago and, thankfully, they were only lighting test shot and I recovered over 90%
of the images - Sandisc replaced the card, no questions, no hassles. 1st card I've ever had a problem with - I always swap cards during a shoot for this very reason.

Regards,
Eric

[bps]

That's a tough question! With an 8GB card in a 5D Mk II, I suspect that you'll get around 240-260 shots in RAW, and that doesn't include any video. I guess it depends on your shooting style: do you hammer away or do you take pictures sparingly? I'd couple this with the approximate number above to make your decision.

Hope this helps,
Bryan

[ed rader]

For a 5D Mark II, planning to shoot RAW and some movies, would you recommend 2 8G CF cards or one 16G, and why, please?


i'd have at least two 16-gig cards.

i have six 8-gig cards for my 1d mark III. memory is cheap and dependable these days. the only problem i've ever had was not enough memory :D.

ed rader

[ben_r_]

I picked up a new 16gb for my 5D Mark II on pre order. I have four 8gb cards that will serve as back up. Being that the thing is shooting approx 25MB files, Id say you need the extra space over the 8gb cards.

[Jon]

2x 8GB rather than 1x 16 GB because the bigger cards tend to be slower, both in camera and when downloading. For instance the refresh time in Downloader Pro is markedly better with my default 4 GB cards than it is when I consolidate the files onto a larger drive.

[Sean]

I've got 2X 4GB for my 40D. I was in the same boat a while back. I went 2 cards vs 1. Happy about my choice.

[eelnoraa]

1x 16GB if price ok with you.

[Treat me like a tourist]

You have to get a quality card regardless of the capacity, you need a high write speed if your shooting video- 30 odd frames a second HD recording is going to test your buffer.

BTW hate to steal a thread, but does anyone know if you can format an 8 gig card in the first 5d? Does it suffer the same problem as the 20d? Thanks in advance.

[Jon]

The original 5D with the latest firmware can handle formatting cards of over 8 GB no problem. But only if you have the latest firmware.

[Guapo]

Does it suffer the same problem as the 20d? Thanks in advance.

What problem does the 20D have with 8GB cards? Mine seem to work fine.

[Jon]

It's actually with cards of over 8 GB; it partitions them off at 8 GB since that's all it was designed to handle. If you format a larger card in your computer, it'll work fine.

[Guapo]

Ah, how quaint. Thanks for the info :)

[Treat me like a tourist]

The original 5D with the latest firmware can handle formatting cards of over 8 GB no problem. But only if you have the latest firmware.

Thanks- 8 gig is good for me, well good for my wallet 16 not so much :)
Say John thats a fetching capture of a Vulcan on your avatar- where did you shoot that?

[Jon]

Duxford 90th last September, and as every day goes by, I'm feeling luckier and luckier that I got the chance.