Does brand matter for CF cards?

I just got an XTi yesterday (it's not what I was planning to get, but I got a deal that I couldn't pass up). Anyways, I need to get a CF card today but I was just curious if brand matters. While I'm at it, how many GB's do you recommend I should get? Thanks!

I'll add, that I'm used to using SD...so, I don't really know anything about CF.

As long as you stick with a major brand you should have no problems. The write speed and buffer size of your XTI makes the fastest cards unnecessary.

I've only had 2 cards fail--purchased at the same time with the same lot #. I lost half a day of a soccer tournament that could not be recovered.

For that reason my choice is to use smaller cards and change them more often.

I agree with the post above. Stick with a major brand like Sandisk or Lexar and you should not have any problems.

One additional point I would make is to buy your CF cards from a reputable seller, and not, for example, on eBay. There are a lot of "fake" CF cards for sale on eBay that do not perform like the genuine product and can perhaps damage your gear. It's happened to me and others here on this board. If you buy from B&H or another known, trusted seller, you should be fine.

Good to know.

Bottom line...you get what you pay for. If you read the threads about card issues, it is almost always one of the brand X cards that has failed. If there is a problem with a SanDisk card, it is generally operator error. (erased card accidentally)

I prefear RiDATA, I have never had a problem with about 8 diffrent cards yet.

This is a great buy, I have 4 of thease and they work flawlessly. (I have some of the older 2gb 150x versions that have been working for over 3 years now)

http://www.newegg.com …aspx?Item=N82E1​6820183188

4gb Sandisk Extreme III cards.
Anything bigger and you are putting too many eggs in one basket... or shooting all in RAW.

That being said, when I hit europe next summer with limited computer access I might be taking fewer 8gb cards (say 3) than 6 4gb cards. Either way, they are small, easy to annotate, and safer than getting 1 32gb card.

Sandisk 2 or 4GB.

I have the following brands of CF cards, all without problems, Lexar, a-Data, Kingston and SanDisk.

MClassPhotography wrote in post #6305946
Sandisk 2 or 4GB.

+1

Maxdave

Transend for me. Here:

http://www.datamemorys​ystems.com …LASH_CARD_DM55_​0191-3.asp

The above post is correct about staying away from eBay. There's counterfeit stuff out there, and a lot of it seems to end up on eBay. So, buy from trusted resellers like the one I recommend above.

Lou

I've always used Sandisks and have never had issues with them; Dad had one Lexar fail but several other Lexar cards he has are still going fine. Any of the big name brands like either of those two you probably can't go too far wrong with.

I have 2 Sandisk Extreme III and they are both workhorses. Never an issue.

Thanks everyone! I got a 2 GB Lexar for now...I'm sure I'll get some more soon.