CompactFlash Speed Question

[DvrRick]

I am looking at getting a CompactFlash card for my Oly C-5060. I have an Oly xD card already and am wondering if the new cards with greater write speeds like the SanDisk Ultra II (9mbs) and the new SanDisk Extreme III (20mbs) will actually speed up the processing. My camera can have a lag time of 2 to 3 seconds between pictures and sometimes this is too long. I spoke to Olympus and they said there will be no differencewith the new cards, that the higher write speeds are possible in a lab setting but not really noticed in real world use. This person said maybe a 3 millisecond increase in speed would be seen. Are they just trying to get me to stay away from the competition or are they correct? Any first hand experience would be appreciated.

 

[Ishie]

I have the 1 gig SanDisk Ultra II and I really like it. I haven't noticed an increase in speed over my 256 XD, but there may be one. I'm usually limited more by strobe recycle than that.

I'm not sure how it does over the XD, but from the reviews I've read, it seems like some of the slower CF cards cause a significant decrease in write speed, so if you want to stick with at least the same quality, you might want to go with the high speed stuff. I have the C-5060 too.

 

[shooter226]

In my Fuji S2 I definatly can tell the difference between the cards.

Mark

 

[DvrRick]

In my Fuji S2 I definatly can tell the difference between the cards.

Mark

How big a difference? I'm looking at a $40 price difference. Which 2 cards are you using?

 

[Taxgeek]

How big a difference? I'm looking at a $40 price difference. Which 2 cards are you using?

You may want to check for information on the forums on dpreview.com. With my Digital Rebel, there was a huge thread where somebody did a *pretty* scientific test, and determined which cards matched the camera's maximum write speed. That told me that any card faster than 45x wouldn't buy me any additional speed. [That may have been what Olympus was hinting around at during your phone call.]

It varies by camera of course, though, so check in the Olympus forum there if you haven't already.

Taxgeek

 

[SeaYoda]

I think I remember a thread here that said the C-5050 reached its max speed at 12x. It was suggested buying the faster cards to use in a later camera purchase or other devices.

 

[getwet2]

I also have the C5060 and I am using an Olympus 512 XD card in one slot and a CF 512 card made by Lexar (80x speed) don't know what that is in mbs, in the other and I have not noticed any difference at all.

 

[ReyeR]

I am looking at getting a CompactFlash card for my Oly C-5060. I have an Oly xD card already and am wondering if the new cards with greater write speeds like the SanDisk Ultra II (9mbs) and the new SanDisk Extreme III (20mbs) will actually speed up the processing.

Unfortunately it isn't quite that simple. The speed at which a file is written or read from a memory card not only depends on the file size and the memory card speed but also the read/write device itself (in this case your camera). The speed at which a camera can read/write depends on how it is implemented so the same card's performance will vary greatly, not only between different camera manufacturers, but also between different models within the same manufacturer.

For example, on my C5050 a Transcend 30x or Sandisk Ultra II outperforms the xD card, but the bandwidth of the CF card is no where near its specs on paper. A C5050 RAW file is about 7MB. My Transcend 30x 512 card writes it in about 4 sec. Which is about 1.7 MB/s or approximately 12x. The xD 128MB takes about twice as long. The same card was performing at about 3MB/s on a friend's D70. Data contributed by other C5050 users with different CF cards indicate that it pretty much peaks at 12x, no matter how fast the card is speced at.

The only way to see if the card does make a difference is to try one, or find a reliable card test database for your camera. This one is quite good for Nikon and Canon DSLRs: Rob Galbraith's CompactFlash Performance Database.

 

[DvrRick]

Great information ReyeR. It seems to me that I won't get that much quicker write times so there's no sense in spending an extra $40 to $80. You know, that $80 I just saved can pay for a dive charter! :14: Thanks everyone.