CF Card Readers?

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

Was hoping I could get some input on CF card readers--which ones are fast, less problematic, and the difference between "firewire" and usb readers. I have a Canon 50D, shoot in RAW, and the card reader I have now (a GE brand) sometimes won't transfer my images. Thanks!:D

[JohnnyEgo]

I have a SanDisk CF/multi reader. I probably picked it up from Best Buy or Office Depot. It's simple, small, and works great. I think it was fairly cheap, too.

My understanding of firewire is that it can provide considerably faster data transfer speeds, assuming your card and reader are both capable of such. Then again, I have no firewire gear, so I could be entirely wrong.

[mcluckie]

Firewire is fast. I have a Lexar CF reader and a Lexar Multicard reader and there's no comparison. As a Mac user, I live Firewire.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

Firewire is fast. I have a Lexar CF reader and a Lexar Multicard reader and there's no comparison. As a Mac user, I live Firewire.
These are not Mac exclusive though, correct? Oh, and will they work with different brands of CF cards or does it have to be a particular one? Thank you!

[snails]

These are not Mac exclusive though, correct? Oh, and will they work with different brands of CF cards or does it have to be a particular one? Thank you!

Firewire is not Apple exclusive, there are many "PC" computers available with IEEE1394 "Firewire" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface) ports. Firewire is an industry standard, as are Compact Flash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Flash) cards. USB still works pretty well if your computer dosn't have Firewire.

Any Compact Flash card should work in any Compact Flash reader. I would guess your GE card reader is faulty in some manner causing the read errors you are getting.

My recommendation, considering the depth of your technical knowledge*, would be to purchase a SanDisk USB 2.0 reader. It'll be the best combination of cost, performance, and reliability.

*No offense, I'm just trying to make this easy for you without going through the technical aspects you are not familiar with.
**I have a SanDisk Firewire reader and a SanDisk USB reader, they both work well.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

*No offense, I'm just trying to make this easy for you without going through the technical aspects you are not familiar with.
**I have a SanDisk Firewire reader and a SanDisk USB reader, they both work well.
Absolutley no offense taken! Heck, I'm flattered you used the word "depth" and not "abysmal lack of"!

So I take it a firewire reader is more complicated to use? I can follow written directions, just not good when I buy a piece of computerware & there are no instructions.

[Jon]

No more complicated to use, if your computer has a FireWire port. Many don't, but virtually any computer that is remotely capable of processing your photos has a USB port, so USB is always safe.

[ben_r_]

I have been very happy with both the sandisk ones and the sony ones.

[snails]

Absolutley no offense taken! Heck, I'm flattered you used the word "depth" and not "abysmal lack of"!

So I take it a firewire reader is more complicated to use? I can follow written directions, just not good when I buy a piece of computerware & there are no instructions.

I think the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. ;)

No more complicated to use, if your computer has a FireWire port. Many don't, but virtually any computer that is remotely capable of processing your photos has a USB port, so USB is always safe.

This is what I was getting at. Any computer sold in the last 10 years will have USB, Firewire can be uncommon for PCs.

But, there are also intricacies about Firewire that take some explaining. Unlike USB, not all Firewire ports are created equal. The important difference is that the 4-pin ports commonly found on Windows based laptops do not provide power to the bus. For the SanDisk Firewire card reader, this means it won't work. The SanDisk reader is bus powered and needs the 6 or 8 pin ports on the computer that provide power.

USB ports on the other hand are truely universal.

[LowriderS10]

Before you drop some serious coin on a cutting-edge firewire reader...ask yourself this question:

Do you REALLY need to download your pictures 3 minutes faster once every two weeks?

I mean I've been shooting for fun as well as professionally for years. Even on the worst of days (taking 1200 shots at a wedding), I just use the cheapest card reader I could find...works great, set me back 7 bucks. (I bought it not because it was the cheapest but because I wanted the smallest one, so it wouldn't take up much room in my backpack).

I find that card readers are one of those things where people buy the best/fastest/newest for no good reason at all.

[mcluckie]

These are not Mac exclusive though, correct? Oh, and will they work with different brands of CF cards or does it have to be a particular one? Thank you!

Of course not. No drivers even required to find the device. Thats the Mac life. My point is that while FW has been standard on Macs for many years, most PCs don't have it, unless the user buys an additional card. (part of the misconception that Macs cost more).

So I take it a firewire reader is more complicated to use? I can follow written directions, just not good when I buy a piece of computerware & there are no instructions.

Plug it in. Shove in a card. Watch it mount. Duh.

*No offense, I'm just trying to make this easy for you without going through the technical aspects you are not familiar with.
The only tech aspects are if you have the faster bus, use it. No knowledge of how it works is required. FW400 is still lots faster than USB2. Oh, I guess you have to know which FW (400 vs 800) you have. Mini-FW, unpowered, is the style of connector of most DV cams.

Before you drop some serious coin on a cutting-edge firewire reader...ask yourself this question:
Do you REALLY need to download your pictures 3 minutes faster once every two weeks?
Come on, its cheap. They start at $30.

[HyperYagami]

To me any card reader > $20 is downright robbery.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

Ok, now what about recommended capacity?

[snails]

Card readers don't have capacities... are you asking about buying a card now?

[LowriderS10]

Come on, its cheap. They start at $30.

My point exactly...I'll bet that most people on here have card readers they bought for more than that. It's a waste of money. Are you in THAT much of a hurry? I mean I understand if you're some crazy journalist in Afghanistan and need to have your 150 RAW files of a suicide bomb back to Reuters HQ back before the AP guy does it...but aside from that...what's the point?

I'm very happy with mine (about $5 US), and I don't see why 99.999% of the people on this board would NEED anything more than the basics.

It's just a great way for the big companies to grab money out of your pockets ;)

[LowriderS10]

Card readers don't have capacities... are you asking about buying a card now?

perhaps he's talking about speed?

[snails]

perhaps he's talking about speed?

We've recommended USB 2.0 for simplicity's sake. There aren't really speed options one you've selected your connection method.

USB 1.0 12 MBit/Sec

USB 2.0 480 MBit/Sec - Most new card readers sold today. Backwards compatible with USB 1.0.

Firewire 400 (4-6 pin) 400 MBit/Sec - While USB 2.0 is technically faster than Firewire 400, the way the data is managed makes Firewire faster.

Firewire 800 (8 pin) ~800 MBit/Sec - SanDisk Firewire reader. Backwards compatible with Firewire 400.



If the question was about card capacity...
All capacity of CF cards will work. At some point there's a balance between cost and capacity. I just bought SanDisk cards from Costco, probably the best value for your money.

[LowriderS10]

I've been buying my SanDisk cards from Costco for years...are there faster cards out there? Absolutely. Does it matter to anyone but the top 0.000000001% of shooters? Not a chance.

[Artdime]

I've been buying my SanDisk cards from Costco for years...are there faster cards out there? Absolutely. Does it matter to anyone but the top 0.000000001% of shooters? Not a chance.

Same here. Never had any issues. Card reader is a SanDisk 12-in-1 (USB) and it is reasonably fast. No complaints with this combo.

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

perhaps he's talking about speed?
Yes, I'm sorry, I started thinking GB's, obviously related to the cards themselves. Sorry.:o

[Michelle Brooks Photography]

We've recommended USB 2.0 for simplicity's sake. There aren't really speed options one you've selected your connection method.

USB 1.0 12 MBit/Sec

USB 2.0 480 MBit/Sec - Most new card readers sold today. Backwards compatible with USB 1.0.

Firewire 400 (4-6 pin) 400 MBit/Sec - While USB 2.0 is technically faster than Firewire 400, the way the data is managed makes Firewire faster.

Firewire 800 (8 pin) ~800 MBit/Sec - SanDisk Firewire reader. Backwards compatible with Firewire 400.



If the question was about card capacity...
All capacity of CF cards will work. At some point there's a balance between cost and capacity. I just bought SanDisk cards from Costco, probably the best value for your money.

Thanks, Scott. I think my laptop does have a 4 pin firewire port. But I'll stick with the USB reader. On the lookout for one now! I really appreciate all the help from everyone who responded. The scary thing is I know a LOT more now than I did when I started learning about 3 months ago!:lol:

[mcluckie]

I'm very happy with mine (about $5 US), and I don't see why 99.999% of the people on this board would NEED anything more than the basics.
Guess that's me; I recently had 12 8GB cards to offload before a flight (while I could plug in my laptop). I was pacing the hotel floor using a USB reader.

I've been buying my SanDisk cards from Costco for years...a

That doesn't tell us anything. Lexar cards are clearly marked (used to be at least) with a 133x or whatever as speed indicator; I think Sandisk is more obscure with version numbers (i.e., III, IV, etc.)

Thanks, Scott. I think my laptop does have a 4 pin firewire port.
Must be a PC! I really loved the 1Ds I had because it had a full-size FW400 port in the side. Rockin'!

[snails]

That doesn't tell us anything. Lexar cards are clearly marked (used to be at least) with a 133x or whatever as speed indicator; I think Sandisk is more obscure with version numbers (i.e., III, IV, etc.)

SanDisk actually prints less cryptic information on their cards, stating the specific speed of the card right on the label. Lexar's speeds must be decoded (or looked up on their website). The #x refers to the speed of a 1x CD-ROM drive which reads at 150 kB/s. For reference, I've listed the current offerings from both companies with their speeds. Speeds are for Compact Flash cards only.

SanDisk
Ultra II - 15MB/s (obsolete)
Ultra - 30MB/s
Extreme - 60MB/s
Extreme Pro - 90MB/s

Lexar
Platinum II - 80x (12MB/s)
Professional - 233x (35MB/s)
Professional - 300x (45MB/s)
Professional - 600x (90MB/s)

[mcluckie]

At least Lexar puts the CD X-rate on the card. (I think we're used to the 1x CD rate as thats how burners are categorized. NEITHER puts the Mb rate on the card (granted, I haven't seen a SanDisk card since Extreme IV). What's less cryptic about "Extreme Pro" than "Professional"?

[snails]

At least Lexar puts the CD X-rate on the card. (I think we're used to the 1x CD rate as thats how burners are categorized. NEITHER puts the Mb rate on the card (granted, I haven't seen a SanDisk card since Extreme IV). What's less cryptic about "Extreme Pro" than "Professional"?

As I said in my previous post, SanDisk prints the actual transfer rate on their new cards.

[jmcder53]

i have the built-in card reader in my HP computer. a 2gb card with raw+large jpeg, right clicking copy and pasting to the hard drive takes about 40 minutes....this seems kind of a lengthy time. would it be quicker if i clicked to cut rather than copy?

[jmcder53]

just to update, the card reader in my computer reading a lexar 80x card with .98 gb took 20 minutes, no difference with cutting or copying....might try getting a firewire reader.

[freshcargo]

USB3 readers should be available next year, they will be 10 times faster than any current USB. Even Mac will move over to USB3.

[Damian75]

just to update, the card reader in my computer reading a lexar 80x card with .98 gb took 20 minutes, no difference with cutting or copying....might try getting a firewire reader.

Holy slow batman
I am using the lexar FW800 reader and can move 16GB in about 7 min

Even Mac will move over to USB3.

No they will move to Firewire 3200 it transfers at 400 megabytes per second :lol:

[snails]

USB3 readers should be available next year, they will be 10 times faster than any current USB. Even Mac will move over to USB3.

Too bad USB3 chipsets won't be prolific for a few years after that.