Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III? Which should I get?

I have no idea how it works with these memory cards, they have too many variations...so which is better an Ultra II or an Extreme III? (I've found a used 2GB UII for $30 and a used 4GB EIII for $60...I think those are both well below new prices)...anyways...wh​ich is better and why? (would be going into a 20D/30D

thanks

I don't think you'll see much difference in them in those cameras you list under normal shooting conditions. Check your local Costco for cards. I think you'll find "new" cards aren't a whole lot more expensive than the ones you can get used. I believe a Ultra ll 4 Gig is mid $40.00 Cdn. Are they used or abused cards . . . ? For the price difference I wouldn't . . . . .

extreme III!
theres nothing wrong with ultra II (normal version), but since you have 30D and 20D (high burst fps cameras), then you should get extreme III. Ext.III cards load MUCH faster (both camera > card, and card > computer). With the Ext. III card you wont get any lag with high fps shooting, and you can shoot continuously for a lot of frames.

also, there was this rebate at b and h (i saw it yesterday, either its over, or im blind), the 4GB was like 34 or something dollars. http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_EXTREME_III_CO​MPACT.html

right, you're in canada.
http://www.canadacompu​ters.com …pd&pid=018253&c​id=990.437


(side note, i use my two 2GB extreme III's and one 4GB extreme III as the main cards, and my ultra IIs as backups, because i hate waiting for photos to load to the computer )

For the 30D, you're probably not going to see a huge performance difference on the camera between those two. You might see more of a difference from the card to the computer. I've been more than happy with my Ultra IIs for my 20D, though I'm looking for something faster now that I've added a 1D mkIII.

Rob Galbraith has a great database of cards and their relative performance. You can find it here: http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …ti_page.asp?cid​=6007-8478

Let me get a bit technical here. Ultra II is MLC, meaning for each storage cell in the flash memory, it strores 2 bits of data. Extreme III is SLC, 1 bit of data per storage cell.

It is a fact that SLC is a lot more reliable than MLC, in term of both data retention and cycling. So if price is smiliar, always get SLC memory. In this case, get ExtremeIII. Price between them are very small now especially with the Sandisk rebate.

I second illusionest on the speed difference. I had to pick up an extra cf card while traveling this summer, the shop didn't have ExtIII so I got the Ultra II and experienced a massive difference in speed from what I am used to, both while using the camera and transferring (all my other cards are III). The label states that Ultra II transfers at 15Mb/sec, while the the Extreme III transfers at 30 Mb/sec. I'm never buying an Ultra II again.

xenomorphic wrote in post #6072158
I second illusionest on the speed difference. I had to pick up an extra cf card while traveling this summer, the shop didn't have ExtIII so I got the Ultra II and experienced a massive difference in speed from what I am used to, both while using the camera and transferring (all my other cards are III). The label states that Ultra II transfers at 15Mb/sec, while the the Extreme III transfers at 30 Mb/sec. I'm never buying an Ultra II again.

also, going forward more speed will be a good thing....unless you like to keep upgrading your memory, which is a real waste of money .

ed rader

If it makes any difference, I own only one Extreme III. The rest are Ultra II's. In fact, I just received 2 4GB Ultra II's. I paid $40 for the both of them off Amazon. If I wanted to waste the extra $$ on the Extreme III (or higher) I'd have to pay $45 for one 4GB card.

You won't see any difference in the camera. The Extreme III's will transfer (upload) a bit faster on the computer.

For me, I use my 40D daily. I have a routine when I get home. I put my CF card in my reader & import into LR2 and walk away (or sit and watch it's not that slow).

Forgot to mention, I have 2 - 4GB Ultra II's. 2 - 2GB Ultra II's. 1 - 1GB Ultra II. 1 1GB Extreme III.

They are both great, but the Extreme III is a bit faster.

I just got my 1st DSLR, and needed a couple of SDHC cards. Went with the Extreme III's just because of AR price.

Check LINK for info on rebate. If you don't mind waiting on the rebate card, not a bad deal at all.

I own one 4G Ultra II and one 4G Extreme III and can't tell the difference with my 40D.

I shoot a 30D and have a 2GB of each variety. Can't say I've ever noticed a difference between them (including shooting at 5 fps in Raw+JPEG). The best thing about the Extreme is the data recovery software that came with it (which works on any hard drive or flash card). Used that once to recover some photos from the card after I accidentally deleted them from my computer after downloading.

I think you'd be fine to go either way.

you won't notice the difference on your bodies. i have the sandisk ducatti and the sandisk extreme III. on any of the bodies i've tried they seem the same.

thanks very much for all the responses

I might pick up whatever Costco has (they had a 4GB for 40 bucks), can't remember whether it was UII or EIII, but I think one of those plus all my current cards (2 x 2GB and 1x 1GB) will do me just fine for a while (Then I'll have 9 GB total haha)