Does the memory card really matter?

[DoleWhipDVC]

I'm going out on some summer trips and plan to buy a few memory cards. The prices are so wide on these things! Anyone have thoughts on differences between 15 dollar and 80 dollar cards? Besides capacity, does it matter if I buy an 8g card for $25 versus another 8g for $40?

 

[Shutterbug]

Most of the price range variance is due to write read speed.
If you are not doing high speed burst shooting, a slower and less expensive would work for you.

 

[Marlton Mom]

I'm going out on some summer trips and plan to buy a few memory cards. The prices are so wide on these things! Anyone have thoughts on differences between 15 dollar and 80 dollar cards? Besides capacity, does it matter if I buy an 8g card for $25 versus another 8g for $40?

I buy only the card that is specified by the manufacturer of my camera.

That would mean the size (in gigabytes) and the speed (in class) and from the manufacturers they recommend. All of this info was found in my owners manual.

I know if you buy a card that has a speed class rating that exceeds the cameras ability you are just wasting $$. If you buy a card that has more memory than recommended it can slow the camera down when the card starts to get full.

That's just what I know/do for the memory card thing...

Marlton Mom

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Unless I remember incorrectly you have a Canon 40D. That means your camera can take either a Type I or Type II CF card. If you buy a faster ones, you can get the images off the card faster. But if you aren't transfering that often it's a waste of $$$.

Buy name brand cards though.

 

[ukcatfan]

I'm going out on some summer trips and plan to buy a few memory cards. The prices are so wide on these things! Anyone have thoughts on differences between 15 dollar and 80 dollar cards? Besides capacity, does it matter if I buy an 8g card for $25 versus another 8g for $40?

YES! YES!! YES!!! Did I mention YES!!!!!
The brand really does matter. I have bought probably 4-5 "off" brand cards over the past ten years and every one has had a problem. Most completely failed and I even lost some pics because of that. The most recent is a Transcend Class 6 card that has the speed of a Class 2 card. From here on out I will only buy Kingston, Sandisk, or Lexar. The majority of my cards are Kingston.

 

[DoleWhipDVC]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like buying the cheaper card could really burn me. I'll be sure to spend the money for a proper card and "save" some bucks in another area while on vacation!

 

[boufa]

Watch capacity too. The limit for most cameras is the limit of the technology at the time the camera was produced. (Though this does vary widely). For example I know for a fact that the 40d DOES accept and use completly a 16 GB card. Not sure about a 32 GB card. If it doesn't then 1 of 2 things will happen, you will only be able to use part of the card, and wasting money, or the card will not even work.

Write speed, does depend on the equipment but also on the card. It is possible to have a newer card in an older camera and not be able to use all of the speed of the card.

As for using the manufacturers recommendation. I would use other users recommendations first. The "recommended" brand usually pays for the recommendation. It may turn out that many are very good for your device.

 

[TannerO]

Yep, as agreed, you get what you pay for.

ALSO, don't just get the biggest, fastest card out there. Like for some Camcorders, class 10 SD cards don't work right, you have to go with the older cheaper class 6 cards, which is all the speed they need.

So be careful that your equipment supports the newest types of cards, as technology quickly upgrades/changes. AND ALWAYS test new cards out first going on vacation with them. Shoot pics/videos, transfer them to the computer, and all that. If it corrupts files the first time, it will most likely do it again.

 

[wildeflowers]

Whatever you do, don't ever buy memory cards from Ebay or unknown Amazon sellers. They are usually counterfeit.

 

[GrillMouster]

It's a little like cars and fuel. Unless your car has a Turbo engine that's capable of combusting the extra octane, then it's a wasteland fill the tank with premium gasoline. Using fuel with an octane rating that is lower than what is recommended by the car manufacturer can result in lower performance.

Your camera has a Max read/write speed. Ideally, your memory card would be at least as fast, so the camera can clear its buffer faster and you can move on to the next shot or turn off the camera without having to wait for the camera to finish writing. A faster card can also mean that you're able to download images to your computer faster.

Stick with reputable brands. All brands will have some duds that give errors, but the big brands, like Sandisk and Lexar tend to have fewer problems. They also have "extreme" lines which are built and tested to be durable for harsh environments. The premium may not be worth it for you.