Hoodman RAW Steel Memory Cards

Do any of you have any first-hand knowledge on the quality of Hoodman RAW Steel memory cards? They have quite a few sponsored pro photographers that speak highly of them (as expected). And current Google research shows that Hoodman cards are made in the United States with high quality parts. Their claim to fame is a reinforced frame with steel casing that makes them very durable. I'm not saying that I doubt this...and I admire what I've read so far, but I haven't found independent reviews or breakdowns outside of the sponsored photographers or from interviews with the company itself.

I realize this isn't a product that people dissect. Rather, they pop it in their camera and use it. But I'm hoping to find some more info and opinions.

The reason I'm asking is I own a Canon 1D X Mark II and by Christmas, I will need to buy more CFast memory. In January I'm headed to Florida for a month of dedicated bird photography and then shortly after, I'm headed to the jungles of Panama for two weeks. I don't necessarily need additional CFast cards for stills. Rather, I need them for 4K 60fps video. The super-awesome video capabilities of the Canon 1D X Mark II chews up CFast card space like nobody's business. And the 64 GB Sandisk CFast card that came with the camera only holds 8-9 mins of 4K 60fps video.

Between now and January, I don't need additional CFast space so I've been holding out on buying more CFast memory in hopes the price will come down. But if it doesn't drop by Dec 20th, then I will have to bite the bullet and pay out the wazoo. As it stands today, a 128 GB Hoodman RAW Steel CFast card is only $10 more expensive than the best Lexar CFast card. So, that's one reason I am considering them.

Thanks for the input! This could be a great discussion that can benefit those looking at Hoodman's high quality cards.

Cheers,
Bryan

I have a colleague who uses the 32GB Hoodman RAW Steel CF cards (1088x speed or something) and he swears by them... Shoots with a 7D2 and stated that the write speed is so fast, his buffer never is reached when shooting at high FPS... Food for thought...

Thanks Butch! I've also heard that they are wicked fast too, so I appreciate the input on what you've heard. On this particular CFast card, the listed write speed is the same as Lexar, but the read speed is faster. Even though the written specs are the same, I wonder if it could actually write faster when compared to a Lexar. Of course, I guess it is a moot point since the Canon 1D X Mark II has such an incredible buffer: at least 173 RAW shots when writing to a CFast card.

I love hearing feedback from others -- hopefully we'll get some more folks to chime in!

Cheers,
Bryan

Couple of reviews mentioned that they're reliable so far.

They must've cherry-picked the best batch from the manufacturer/supplier.

But, mate, they're way overpriced.

virsago_mk2 wrote in post #18118685
Couple of reviews mentioned that they're reliable so far.

They must've cherry-picked the best batch from the manufacturer/supplier.

But, mate, they're way overpriced.

It actually says that they are made right here in the United States, which rules out re-branding. But I hear you...they are definitely expensive. However, at the time of this post, they are only $10 more for the CFast version which is why I'm considering them.

Cheers,
Bryan

Horribly, HORRIBLY overpriced. I shoot a 7DII with Transcend 1066x and while it does run out the buffer (at around 30/35 RAW), you can shoot JPEG until you run out of battery.

Too bad they only seem to have them in monster sizes. No 32GB or 16GB.

Snydremark wrote in post #18130602
Horribly, HORRIBLY overpriced. I shoot a 7DII with Transcend 1066x and while it does run out the buffer (at around 30/35 RAW), you can shoot JPEG until you run out of battery.

Yes, their CF cards are very expensive compared to other brands, but their CFast prices are not. Personally, I only use Lexar or Sandisk, and may consider Hoodman if CFast prices remain where they are, but that is just my personal comfort level. The discussion I'm hoping to have here though is strictly on the Hoodman Steel cards and how they might be better than the rest of the field (or not).

Alveric wrote in post #18130851
Too bad they only seem to have them in monster sizes. No 32GB or 16GB.

Yes, I agree. I wonder if they are only trying to cater to a certain type of buyer and the bigger sizes are where that market is at. As for me, the only reason I currently need an additional CFast card is for 4K 60 fps video. My 1D X II came with a Sandisk 64 GB CFast card, but that only holds around 11 mins of video since the video's data rate is around 5 GB per minute!

In my case, I won't buy anything less than a 128 GB CFast card and in a perfect world, I would prefer to have a 256 GB card. I can't see myself shooting more than that in one field session before being able to get back to my laptop and hard drives at camp to free up space on the cards. My biggest concern is a trip this spring in which I will be hiking 14-16 miles a day in the Panama rainforest and I need a CFast card that can get me through that long of a day for both stills and 4K 60 fps video. All of my stills will be written concurrently to the CF slot, and I'm well-covered there. I just need expanded CFast storage due to the 4K video.

Cheers,
Bryan

I missed the CFast part, my apologies. With memory cards, of any type, though, I'd be more concerned these days about what sort of service options you have for getting them replaced IF something goes wrong. I've shot with Transcend and Sandisk for nearly a decade, with one of the Transcends and one Lexar card that I decided to try not working out of the package and both simply sent me a replacement once I contacted them. I can't really fathom what Hoodman does with any of their cards that makes them worth any sort of premium over the current brands that you already know/have.

The only claim I can find that points to much of anything is a review posted by Scott Kelby in which he posted a response he got from the Hoodman group after his own review, that shows them claiming a 0% in the field failure rate vs 3-5% of the major brands. Given the smaller production of the Hoodmans vs the massive production of the others, that's really just more making numbers sound better than giving any, real benchmark. In the time you've been shooting, how many of your cards have failed on you?

The only real justification I can see for those cards is that they're made in the USA and are made in smaller amounts, so cannot take advantage of the cost reductions available to larger scale operations. Which *is* a perfectly valid justification for someone wanting to buy the cards, but I don't see any real evidence anywhere of them actually being *better* than their cheaper competitors.

airbutchie wrote in post #18112885
I have a colleague who uses the 32GB Hoodman RAW Steel CF cards (1088x speed or something) and he swears by them... Shoots with a 7D2 and stated that the write speed is so fast, his buffer never is reached when shooting at high FPS... Food for thought...

To be fair that's more the 7DM2 just having an awesome buffer. I have never hit mine either using cheap $10 Transcend CF cards...