5050z ??

[MaresMan1]

OK, so it is obvious that I have got to get a new memory card for this beast (C5050). I am still trying to work on the RCR-V3 battery issue (thanks Mo2 for the site). But does anyone out there have any suggestions on the best memory cards to use. xD, CF, etc? My head is already spinning :whack:

Thanks,

Dive Smart;Dive Safe
:cool1:

 

[sapphire]

OK, so it is obvious that I have got to get a new memory card for this beast (C5050). I am still trying to work on the RCR-V3 battery issue (thanks Mo2 for the site). But does anyone out there have any suggestions on the best memory cards to use. xD, CF, etc? My head is already spinning :whack:

Thanks,

Dive Smart;Dive Safe
:cool1:

Check this thread for lots of 5050 info, there is a site that compares write times on memory cards.

Based on reading a lot on this website, I bought a Ridata 1 gig CF card. I have not used it underwater yet, that will be in a month. But it came highly recommended.

 

[Dee]

General consensus has been that CF is the best way to go. I'm using a 256CF with a 128 XD. These sizes suit me for now but I'll go to a 512CF or maybe a 1G in the future.

 

[Mo2vation]

OK, so it is obvious that I have got to get a new memory card for this beast (C5050). I am still trying to work on the RCR-V3 battery issue (thanks Mo2 for the site). But does anyone out there have any suggestions on the best memory cards to use. xD, CF, etc? My head is already spinning :whack:

Thanks,

Dive Smart;Dive Safe
:cool1:

#1 - XD is just too damn small. I'm telling you right now, its gonna get lost someday - in your bag, in your pocket, in the black hole in your car (every car has one)... its too small. One came with my cam, and I've only had it open for 30 minutes and I already hate it. I have two 6-in-1 readers, and I can't get them to read this little cracker. I hate it.

#2 - XD and SM have exposed contacts. One it my main issues with SM... CF are not exposed, Its just a better, more rugged design.

#3 - CF is cheaper and easier to get. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone selling cheap CF. I just got a brand new Lexar 512 off of eBay for $75 delivered. Got to www.newegg.com or Amazon... they got sales all the time.

#4 - I would highly recommend against anything over 512.... I wouldn't have grabbed the 512 except it was too good to pass up. How many pics do you want on 1 card? Card goes south, ALL IS LOST. I never shoot everything on one card. PLUS - huge cards mean huge downloads to the PC. You're not going to dump some of the card, and start shooting again - you gotta dump it all. I can't even imagine shooting a 1 gig card... Its simply too much to bite off when I get back, and its too risky having all those photos on 1 card. I just recently had a 256 go south. Name brand card - completely unrecoverable. (Yes I tried photorescue and all other standard and even wacky recovery programs...) I lost maybe 20 pics. If it was my ONLY card, and was a 512 or 1 gig with 100 or 200 pics on it... It would have been more than just a bummer. Save your cash, and get a couple of 256 cards. 1 Gigs and micro drives are overrated and are attractive for their gee-whiz factor, IMO.

#5 - Be skeptical of the reported differences in write times between card manufacturers... I can only speak for my C4000, and my recent e20. There was NO difference between manufacturers regarding write speed. NONE. This has been well documented with the e20 over all of the major sites (especially dpreview.) I can't speak for the C5050, as it has newer technology and is in no way handling memory the same way the e20 was. But until someone I know does a side by side test, with a stopwatch, and shows me more than a couple of tenths of seconds of difference between cards, I'm not buying the fast card hype. I've been using the cheapest available name brand card (Kingston, Lexar, etc.) I can find, and have never noticed an appreciable difference.

K

PS: Rip just put the 8ea of the Sanyo 2300 bats, the charger and tube batt holder on sale this week... $43.95 delivered USPS (2 - 3 day priority mail.) THAT is a sweet deal.

 

[MaresMan1]

Much thanks to one and all. This is great information. This has definately saved my brain and proverbial back side. Thanks for all of the help. Now I have got some pruchasing to do

Thanks again all,

Dive Smart; Dive Safe
:cool1:

 

[Dee]

#4 - I would highly recommend against anything over 512.... I wouldn't have grabbed the 512 except it was too good to pass up. How many pics do you want on 1 card? Card goes south, ALL IS LOST. I never shoot everything on one card. PLUS - huge cards mean huge downloads to the PC. You're not going to dump some of the card, and start shooting again - you gotta dump it all. I can't even imagine shooting a 1 gig card... Its simply too much to bite off when I get back, and its too risky having all those photos on 1 card. I just recently had a 256 go south. Name brand card - completely unrecoverable. (Yes I tried photorescue and all other standard and even wacky recovery programs...) I lost maybe 20 pics. If it was my ONLY card, and was a 512 or 1 gig with 100 or 200 pics on it... It would have been more than just a bummer. Save your cash, and get a couple of 256 cards. 1 Gigs and micro drives are overrated and are attractive for their gee-whiz factor, IMO.

I'm glad to see someone finally say this! It's why I haven't bought bigger cards, although I have been thinking about it. If someone is shooting in RAW format, the larger cards make sense but I haven't filled up a 256 card on 3 dives yet. I need to change batteries after 3 dives so I change cards at the same time.

 

[Scubatooth]

same here Dee, i dont/ work buy any cards higher then 1GB ,but then a card of that size would be for a DSLR where file sizes are larger, but on average i wont put more then about 250 images on one card. IE i will have a 1GB card in my 5050 if im shooting in raw or a 512 if im shooting in Jpeg.

motivation what type and how would you like a test like that run ? give me some peramiters and iwil run it (cameras i have or access to are Canon A40, 80, Oly 490, 5050, fuji 60z, but i can get ahold of others if need be) and then for cards i can scare a variety up and or get them as i have a project im working on where i have to get a bunch of CF cards where i could get several brands to test.

FWIW

Dan

 

[MosheDyan]

"I would highly recommend against anything over 512.... I wouldn't have grabbed the 512 except it was too good to pass up. How many pics do you want on 1 card?"

I strongly disagree with this statement IF you shoot exclusively in .RAW format. With a 1Gb CF card the OLY5050z-generated .RAW files are ~7.1Mb each giving you a whopping 132 images maximum which should be enough to cover 2-3 dives....or less depending on how quick you may be on the trigger .

<edit>
BTW....I have come close to filling the card a couple of times and the download time to the PC is around 8-11 minutes for over 100 images. Not too shabby a write time and it lets me go make a cup of tea in time for editing!

 

[Mo2vation]

I would venture to guess that most of us shooting a $450 point and shoot digital camera (albeit, a hotrod P&S like the C5050) through a $135 housing are shooting in SHQ or HQ - and not doing a lot of the heavy lifting RAW requires. Most people using a P&S digital simply aren't shooting RAW.

If you're shooting RAW (DSLR, or through anything) and downloading and processing digital negatives, rock on. But lets be real for a moment - I'm confident even the histogram is foreign to most C5050 users. Not a knock, it's just a different audience. If you need it, get a gig... get 2 gig, they're small.

Speaking strictly for myself, I'm shooting SHQ and doing very little post processing to date. The post requirements may change with my UW stuff (I don't know yet) but topside I do very little post so SHQ is fine.

K

 

[herman]

For what it's worth, Best Buys stores are dumping their PNY brand Smart Media cards. $25 for a 128mb (good luck finding any), $15 for a 64mb and $5 for a 32mb. Not high cap but cheap anyway.