Canon 7D transfer speeds & CF cards

Boltrig

Boltrig

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Mike
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I had a bit of a search but came up empty.

Does anyone know what is the minimum write / transfer speed Id need on a CF card when shooting full HD video on a Canon 7D?

I can barely afford the camera itsself, so paying jessops an extra 70 or 110GBP for an extreme sandisk card isnt really an option.

Ideally Id wait a little longer and get the card with the camera, but I need to get filming this film sharpish!
 
7 day shop? Try them, good delivery and prices.
 
For video, I'd get the fastest, biggest cards available - why do you think manufacturers are now making them? You don't need a 32Gb or 64Gb card for stills, do you?

And yes, they are expensive, but if that's what you need...

I'm constantly amazed at those who don't factor peripherals and accessories into buying decisions when it comes to cameras...it was the same when I was into mountain-biking - people would buy a £5k downhill-bike and try and skimp on the helmet to save £30...lol

Get a Sandisk Extreme Pro 16Gb (or bigger) card from Warehouse Express or Amazon - they're priced about right...
 
I've asked a similar question on both this and the Canon forums. Simple answer is - no one is sure, i've received lots of response but no definitive answer. The 7D is UDMA compatible which would suggest that the 45MB/s (300x) cards are used in setting the specifications for the camera and would be the minimum to achieve the frame rates advertised. The advice given earlier to use the Sandisk Pro is the same as I would give however an earlier response says the Ultra 2 is fine and this is backed up by the manual which states a ' minumum of 8 GB/s' card is required for video. I would also agree that a 16GB capacity card is the minimum for video as, again from the manual, you only get 12mins from a 4 GB card. You might manage with the 24mins from an 8GB but its an issue if you want to record 25 or 26 mins.
Summarised - bigger and faster is better however if you are only filming, say, 5-15 min then a smaller card is fine, Canon say 8MB/s speed is the minimum, who am I to argue?
Personally, I use the 60MB/s extreme cards without any issues however i've only played with short videos to see what the camera can do.
Regards
 
Most of my older cards, while fine for photos would buffer and freeze the video.
I have just tried a Lexar 16gb 233x and that seems fine (about £50)
 
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