Two 2GB, or One 4GB

What is better between getting one 4GB Extreme III, or two 2GB extreme III.
Why do you feel this way?

1 4gb, never had a sandisk card go bad in 6 years, the other card is one more thing you have to carry around. inserting and removing cards makes them go bad faster.

Thanks. That helped

After I download my card to the computer I keep the data on that card until the pictures are processed, printed or copied to a disc. Sometimes I need to use the camera again before that batch is completed and could just pop that extra card in.
If you shoot RAW it would be nice to have a 4gb for weddings or prolonged shoots as well as several one or two gb cards for the shorter sessions. I have noticed these cards have been dropping in price lately.

coreypolis wrote in post #2191709
1 4gb, never had a sandisk card go bad in 6 years, the other card is one more thing you have to carry around. inserting and removing cards makes them go bad faster.

That's my thought. Sandisk is very reputable and I own a 4GB and 2GB... I use the 4 mostly all the time.

don't put all your eggs in one basket.

2- 2GB

I would get two, if one goes bad, you still have another, if you only have one, well as was said, "don't put all your eggs in one basket."

work_at_bored wrote in post #2192032
don't put all your eggs in one basket.

2- 2GB

that was true with mircodrives, but studies have found you're more likely to have a card go bad from repeated insertion/removal then for its internals to go bad, so the opposite of what you said is actually true.

Many people have this idea that it's better to use four 1 GB cards (or two 2GB cards), rather than one 4 GB card, because if the card goes bad, one would only be out 25% (or 50%, in the case of the pair of 2GB cards) of the day's shooting, and not 100%.

Others would maintain that this conveniently ignores the fact that with 4 cards, there is several times the probability of at least one going bad, than there would be with a single card. It ignores the fact that the smaller capacity cards mean much more removing and inserting of cards - and this is where cards get dropped in sand or mud, and where the little pin contacts in the camera get bent (potentially rendering the camera out of commission pending repair). And it ignores the fact that sometimes it's a disruption to have to swap cards, even if swapping cards does only take a few seconds.

When I was shooting primarily 35mm, I didn't typically opt to shoot 12 exposure rolls of film, thinking that "This way, if the processor loses or ruins a roll, I've only lost 12 pictures, and not 36." But hey, to each his own.

Anyway, if I were shooting some "once in a lifetime, can't be repeated" event, like a wedding (may the gods have mercy on me and simply have me torn apart by jackels, instead), I'd definitely have multiple CF cards with me. The idea of covering such an event, with but a single card - no matter its capacity - is out of the question. Same way that I'd probably have a second camera with me. Yes, this means added cost. That's just the way it is. If the event's so important that losing the pictures would be a disaster, it's important enough to merit some back-up gear - like two cameras, 4 CF cards, etc.

I voted for the 4 gb because if I had the money to get it, I would. Since I don't and I'm cheap, I have 4 1 gb cards and when I finally get my 5D, I'm in trouble!

two,... its a fail safe.

One card dies, you atleast have 1 more.

I have 1 micro drive
and 2 san disk cards.

I use a Flashtraxx to unload my cards, so having two lets me keep shooting on the second one while I empty the first.

Have Fun,

A point that nobody on this thread has discussed:

Mr. Murphy says that if you only own one memory card, it will be in your card reader at home when you pull your camera out of the case at a location over an hour from home. The event will only last two hours.

I had this happen to me. My 2GB card was in the reader at home. The difference was that I had two 1GB cards in my camera case. They saved the day for sure. I now have two more 1GB cards in my case - a total of 6GB worth of space that I don't ever anticipate needing all of. The extra cards are insurance against failure or stupidity.

SkipD wrote in post #2192341
A point that nobody on this thread has discussed:

Mr. Murphy says that if you only own one memory card, it will be in your card reader at home when you pull your camera out of the case at a location over an hour from home. The event will only last two hours.

I had this happen to me. My 2GB card was in the reader at home. The difference was that I had two 1GB cards in my camera case. They saved the day for sure. I now have two more 1GB cards in my case - a total of 6GB worth of space that I don't ever anticipate needing all of. The extra cards are insurance against failure or stupidity.

I can't immagine only having one actual card. I still have tons of 128s/256s from the d30 days. then a few 1gb from the 10d days, and now 4gbs for the 1 series days

coreypolis wrote in post #2192352
I can't immagine only having one actual card. I still have tons of 128s/256s from the d30 days. then a few 1gb from the 10d days, and now 4gbs for the 1 series days

A lot of newbies seem to buy only one memory card when getting their first digital camera. Some learn the hard way that they should have split the money into more than one physical card.