Best place for 16gb sd card class 10, or do i need a class 10?

[Disneyfun1]

Just got my new canon sx130 is camera. seems really nice so far. I have my 8gb card in it now from my old camera, class 6. Looking to go up to a 16 gb card, but do i need a class 10 or is 6 just fine?

It does seem to take a little while longer than my other camera on writing to the card, i went from 8 mp to 12 mp, if that matters. i usually only shoot in widescreen mode so it shows good on my monitor or tv.

where is the best place to get a low priced card and which class should i get? i dont know a lot about that. thanks.

 

[WizardLarz]

Somewhere in the opperations book for the Camera they should tell you the best kind of card for an upgrade!

 

[Disneyfun1]

didnt say in the book, just that it can take any size, the sd, sdhc and the sdxc cards, didnt say about what class.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

The class has to do with a minimum speed rating for read and write speeds. You're concern is with write speeds as you want a faster write when taking shots rapidly. Basically the higher the class number, the faster the card.

http://www.sdcard.org/developers/tech/speed_class/

If you could find a write speed for the cam, you'd know not to bother going over class # and save some money. Memory makers have been somewhat deceptive about these speeds over the years, and not all camera manufacturers list their write speeds. That's why the SDHC classifications came about. The chart above will show common speed class to usage applications.

You'll probably be fine with a class 4-6 as you're limited to how fast your cam writes data. i.e. if your cam writes at 2MB/Sec. using a class 8 card won't make your cam shoot faster. Also your camera settings will affect shots per second.

I use a 16GB class 6 and shoot true 1080P HD video with it just fine. Micro Center usually has them for a good price, and I usually get their house branded generic cards with the red MicroCenter sticker on them.

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...ilPrice&Nso=Ascending&sht=Any&prt=NewProduct&

 

[AlbertZeroK]

I'm anal, so I like to shoot with Sandisk SDHC cards. Class 10 is a tad faster, but not by much. If you need that extra 20% speed, then go Class 10, but it's EXPENSIVE.

Most people are happy with class 6 and I typically shoot with class 6 memory in my T2i.

 

[Disneyfun1]

The class has to do with a minimum speed rating for read and write speeds. You're concern is with write speeds as you want a faster write when taking shots rapidly. Basically the higher the class number, the faster the card.

http://www.sdcard.org/developers/tech/speed_class/

If you could find a write speed for the cam, you'd know not to bother going over class # and save some money. Memory makers have been somewhat deceptive about these speeds over the years, and not all camera manufacturers list their write speeds. That's why the SDHC classifications came about. The chart above will show common speed class to usage applications.

You'll probably be fine with a class 4-6 as you're limited to how fast your cam writes data. i.e. if your cam writes at 2MB/Sec. using a class 8 card won't make your cam shoot faster. Also your camera settings will affect shots per second.

I use a 16GB class 6 and shoot true 1080P HD video with it just fine. Micro Center usually has them for a good price, and I usually get their house branded generic cards with the red MicroCenter sticker on them.

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...ilPrice&Nso=Ascending&sht=Any&prt=NewProduct&

thanks for the info, i looked at microcenter, but the red cards dont say what class they are. is it listed anyplace?

 

[Marlton Mom]

The 'speed class' of cards is important in one other respect. If you purchase a card with a speed that is higher than the maximum processing speed of your camera then you are just wasting your hard earned money.

It pays to know your specs .....camera and card.

Also beware of buying counterfeit cards on the internet. They will look just like the real card with the appropriate label but the inside will be junk. Be sure to buy from reputable sources with good return policies.

I hope that helps.


Marlton Mom

 

[Disneyfun1]

where would i look for the specs for it at? i have the manual, but not sure what it is listed as or if its even listed with it?

 

[Pineapple Whip]

thanks for the info, i looked at microcenter, but the red cards dont say what class they are. is it listed anyplace?

That is odd. The ones I bought were Class 6 and say so on the label. I've bought several over the past 1-2 years and don't know why MicroCenter would go backwards and not list a class unless it was too costly to certify them. You might want to call them and ask the question to see what class they are currently selling at that price and if it says so on the label. I bought the ones below in their NJ store, plus another 16GB in my camera, another 8GB in my Wii, my Mom's camera, and Bro-I-L's camera. They've been fine so far and all had Class 6 on them.

The HC stands for "High Capacity" so usually they display a class rating, as that was part of the original SDHC specifications. I think anything 8GB and up is SDHC and should have a class rating. I don't know if they've made that a voluntary thing now... which would suck because it puts us back in the mess of deciphering 80x 100x 133x... which tells you nothing about read vs. write speed, since we don't know what x is based on in the first place.

I'm sure there are faster cards out there as class 10 was released recently, and while it won't hurt to go faster, it may cost more and not provide any further benefit.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

where would i look for the specs for it at? i have the manual, but not sure what it is listed as or if its even listed with it?

I checked the specs for your camera and mine SX130 vs. SX1, and the best I could gauge it on was the "continuous shooting" specification. Per Canon, yours can shoot up to 3 frames per second (in the fastest settings) and mine can shoot 4FPS.

Since I'm fine with a class 6, and both our cameras do HD video, it stands to reason you will be fine with at least an 8GB class 6. I wouldn't go lower.

Yours also supports SDXC... but I don't imagine you'll be using one of those, or even need one, until the prices drop drastically... like for when you buy your next camera in several years. This is just bait to try and sell $200 cards to the "early adopters" (guinea pigs) who are willing to shell out much cash for something that is not widely supported yet.

I'd rather have 2 good quality inexpensive cards, primary and backup in case of failure. Hardware is all subject to burning out or taking errors eventually, which is why I take multiple shots in the continuous settings, just in case one didn't save correctly. I also get the shots off the card and onto PC ASAP, delete the bad shots, then back up the finals to a USB drive(s)... then archive them to DVD... then re-burn the DVD's every 10 years... and ... okay, I really haven't gone that far, but you get the idea. I've had to recover too much data for people in my lifetime... even from those that bought the primo brand of anything.

 

[Marlton Mom]

where would i look for the specs for it at? i have the manual, but not sure what it is listed as or if its even listed with it?

I tried looking on line but the card specs/ processor speed don't seem to be listed. I'd try shooting an email to Canon and ask what speed/size card they recommend for your camera. Usually the recommended card speed is the one they want you to use. I know that for my camera, if I get too large of a size card storage it can slow the processing time so I limit myself to getting multiples of the exact manufacturers recommended speed and size.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer?pageKeyCode=contactUsLanding


good luck!
Marlton Mom

 

[Disneyfun1]

I checked the specs for your camera and mine SX130 vs. SX1, and the best I could gauge it on was the "continuous shooting" specification. Per Canon, yours can shoot up to 3 frames per second (in the fastest settings) and mine can shoot 4FPS.

Since I'm fine with a class 6, and both our cameras do HD video, it stands to reason you will be fine with at least an 8GB class 6. I wouldn't go lower.

Yours also supports SDXC... but I don't imagine you'll be using one of those, or even need one, until the prices drop drastically... like for when you buy your next camera in several years. This is just bait to try and sell $200 cards to the "early adopters" (guinea pigs) who are willing to shell out much cash for something that is not widely supported yet.

I'd rather have 2 good quality inexpensive cards, primary and backup in case of failure. Hardware is all subject to burning out or taking errors eventually, which is why I take multiple shots in the continuous settings, just in case one didn't save correctly. I also get the shots off the card and onto PC ASAP, delete the bad shots, then back up the finals to a USB drive(s)... then archive them to DVD... then re-burn the DVD's every 10 years... and ... okay, I really haven't gone that far, but you get the idea. I've had to recover too much data for people in my lifetime... even from those that bought the primo brand of anything.

thank you so much for the info!

 

[Pineapple Whip]

thank you so much for the info!

You're welcome. Enjoy your new toy, and get plenty of practice in before your trip!

 

[Anewman]

If you purchase a card with a speed that is higher than the maximum processing speed of your camera then you are just wasting your hard earned money.




Marlton Mom

I dont think it is a waste if it transfers images to my pc faster...

 

[AlbertZeroK]

I dont think it is a waste if it transfers images to my pc faster...

True, but memory card readers are rated for speed as well. In fact, many SD card readers are down right slow.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

True, but memory card readers are rated for speed as well. In fact, many SD card readers are down right slow.

Exactly. You also want a good quality dedicated SD reader because it will save your cards. I don't want to get into a technically detailed discussion, but my laptop's SD slot was creating errors on my SD cards. I got a second opinion from my IOGEAR reader and was able to repair the cards. The testing was prompted partially by this thread, a few corrupt images I snapped, and by the below.

Most people just plug their camera into the PC... which again... leaves you at the mercy of the camera speed. This is safe in many ways because you avoid moving your SD around and wearing out the card / your camera's reader. The whole reason I began a tech investigation of my cards was that I found one who's case had several hairline fractures in it. I then remembered the day I was inserting it into some slot, twisted slightly by accident, and heard little stress fracture like cracking. The card is now scotch taped well, tested for media integrity, and officially, a backup card until I get around to ordering a new one.

Any media you are using will have a faster read speed than its write speed. However a fast read speed does not guarantee a fast write speed. Never buy memory or disk based on read speeds unless you know what you're doing (again tech discussions). Write performance is the standard you need to look at most of the time, and all the time for digital photography / filming.