Memory cards,get what you pay for or are they all the same?

Big Rob

Big Rob

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I'm quite new to the forum so I don't know if this topic has come up before. I have just purchased a Canon 60D and plan to do some Airshow and motorsport photography with it. Is it worth spending a bit extra and getting expensive memory cards for it,even though the frame rate is only 5 F.P.Second,or will cheap and cheerfuls not have a problem taking a couple of second burst of shots?:snaphappy:
 
I had a cheapo CF card fail on me, typically after an unrepeatable shoot (family, one of whom passed away in the interim, hence unrepeatable) and had to pay £25 to get the images off the card. Since then, I've only used SanDisk cards and (touch wood!) haven't had a failure since. Memory cards are relatively cheap these days and cheap ones could be a false economy - do you want to risk losing your shots? I was lucky that a computer whizz managed to retrieve my shots - some have been less fortunate!
 
I wouldn't go for cheapies personaly, stick with the big names, Sandixk ect and at least class 10's. Also shoot jpegs, they should write to the card faster than RAW files.
 
Another vote for using quality cards, personally I only use SanDisk. It depends on how you value your shots, if any are important to you, if they mean anything you don't want to risk loosing them. the other thing is, you have spent a decent amount on money on your 60D, why use a cheap card on a quality camera.
 
The only time I used an unknown brand SD card I had a problem with it (supplier gave full refund).
Since then I have only used Sandisk Cards and so far they have been trouble free.
If you stick to big name (Sandisk, Lexar, Transcend, Kingston etc.) cards from reputable suppliers (not eBay) you should be safe.
The difference in cost between big name and no name is very small, often only a pound or two.
 
Another vote for Sandisk and from a reputable retailer so you know it is genuine.
 
+1 on the buying from a reputable dealer point. Particularly in the case of Amazon, make sure the card you're buying is actually Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon- there are various other retailers selling on the Amazon platform and whilst I'm sure most are fine there are various reports of fake cards turning up.
 
I forgot in my post (6) to mention the supplier, so let me reiterate what has been said a few times, use a reputable supplier, eBay have heaps of fakes (allegedly), so stick with someone like Amazon or similar.
 
Just to echo everyone else, I use only Sandisk or Lexar cards bought through a reputable source. Had one cheapie card die on me once, fortunately with nothing significant on it.
 
You will get a million recommendations to buy Sandisk and Sandisk only they have somehow managed to snowball a reputation to such an extent that many consider all other brands second rate.

Personally I'm happy to use anything that has a reasonable brand name attached to it and isn't cheap enough to start alarm bells ringing.

There are very very few threads about card faults on this site and hardly anything for a recognised brand.

I also use smaller cards and swap often so if they die I limit my losses.
 
I mostly use a transcend 32gb sdhc card, writes at 45 and reads at 90 or so.
mymemory.co.uk are good, dispatch from switzerland or somehwere in the eu though. and you should probably capacity test, and speed test any card u buy. the fake ones will run out of space and also be slow probably.
 
Thanks for the swift and informative replys guys and girls. I'm erring towards the Transcend 8GB or 16GB with upto 90mb/s. I already have one of the slightly slower versions and have had no problems so far. (y)
 
Must admit I only use Sandisk too, (Extreme Pro 95MB/s) two 8GB cards mirrored in the D7100 rather than a single large card as it gives me a bit of redundancy if one does fail and they're cheaper to boot! (y)
 
Only cards I have ever had fail on me are Sandisk, first one took the camera with it :(
So far 1CF and 3SD so TBH I would never use them again.
I have used budget ones in the past and never had a problem with the TBH
I don't need the higher write speeds so not a problem
Just shows that personal experience can change your views, I originally bought them
because I too believed they were the best
 
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I've also had a Sandisk SD card fail and a couple of cheap ones that I used for an mp3 player but the Sandisk 2Gb card was in a camera and I never was able to recover the shots. I've got all Duracell cards now, four 16Gb CF cards and five or six 16Gb SDHC cards, and so has the rest of the family. The wife has two 16Gb SDHC cards for her 650D and the kids have a couple of 8Gb SDHC cards for their cameras (my son's got an Eos M and my daughter has a Fuji bridge) and I've never had any problem with any of the cards since I started using them over 2 years ago. We must of taken close to 90,000 photos between us, jpegs and raw shots as well, on the various cards and never lost an image yet.
 
Gremlin said:
Only cards I have ever had fail on me are Sandisk, first one took the camera with it :(
So far 1CF and 3SD so TBH I would never use them again.
I have used budget ones in the past and never had a problem with the TBH
I don't need the higher write speeds so not a problem
Just shows that personal experience can change your views, I originally bought them
because I too believed they were the best
Click to expand...

Just a thought Ingrid, I wonder where you bought your cards from? Whilst all manufacturers do have faulty items from time to time, was it possible that your supplier was selling the fake ones. I did buy a Sandisk from a supplier and its performance was miserable. When I went onto the Sandisk website and checked the serial number, it wasn't genuine. Since then I have only bought from genuine Amazon as opposed to their secondary sellers and have had no problems whatsoever.
 
From Park Cameras Trev, the CF one was bought with the camera.
Pleased to say they replaced both the camera body and the card without argument as it was just over a month old (y)
 
Gremlin said:
From Park Cameras Trev, the CF one was bought with the camera.
Pleased to say they replaced both the camera body and the card without argument as it was just over a month old (y)
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying Ingrid, I'm very pleased they put it all right for you (y)
 
Lexar 1000x for me. Awesome cards and download to my PC at 140mb/s. handy when there is 16gb to download.
 
I have Sandisk and a couple of Transcend cards, and they've all been fine, but I suppose just about any card can fail. You just reduce the risk by choosing a brand with a good reputation, and you still have to be aware of counterfeiting.

Haven't a clue about the different classes and speeds though. I don't use continuous mode, and don't need fast cards.
 
I think its a bit of a lottery really, I have had 2 Duracell and one Sandisk fail on me over the years. Have never tried cheapo ones as prefer to stick with known brands.
 
i've had a top end sandisk CF card arrive corrupt from a UK camera shop but i'm sure that was just bad luck.
I always test new cards with half a dozen shots before heading out.
I use Sandisk, Kingston, but mostly Lexar professional range
 
So basically go with reputable names and they still fail. ;)
I definitely wont be buying from fleabay,I wouldn't save that much so its not worth the risk of counterfeits. I will keep my eye out for any offers I see as my other half also requires one. (y)
Thanks again for replys everyone.:D
 
I have numerous SanDisk cards and are always excellent
 
I've used PNY, fuji and Kingston memory cards for over 7 years with no problems at all.
 
I've always used SanDisk CF cards and tend to go for a number of smaller cards, just in case one fails.
 
I agree with people who are telling you to avoid cheap cards. I took a chance on a 64GB class 10 SD card made by "Integral" since it was a bargain. I shoot concerts and it was fine for the first show. My second show was a secret gig by a well known band in a tiny venue and it's never going to happen again. Right near the end of the show I reviewed pictures only to be told "cannot playback image". The card failed. It was a hardware failure since all software recovery attempts were fruitless. I would never buy a cheap card again and I certainly will never give another penny to any Integral products.
 
I've always been a fan of Kingston SD cards as they actually make them themselves, unlike most others who are just re-branded generic jobbies. Cheaper than Sandisk too.

That said, I've just ordered a Lexar one...

In 10 years I've never had a memory card fail and I've used all sorts, I honestly think it's just pot luck if one fails (or not...).
 
I have been using Sandisk and Transcend for many years and never had a problem with either.
As Nawty says, I too wonder if it is just pot luck if one fails..
 
sbowler579 said:
I wouldn't go for cheapies personaly, stick with the big names, Sandixk ect and at least class 10's. Also shoot jpegs, they should write to the card faster than RAW files.
Click to expand...
Well if the first bit of that advice is as useful as the 2nd sheesh!!

We are now bringing the RAW vs JPEG debate down to write speeds:ROFLMAO::LOL::ROFLMAO:

Cheap cards fail, expensive cards fail, most failed card stories are down to user error. Almost all corrupt card stories end with recovery software working, recovery software is free and easy to use.

You'll want fast cards if you plan to shoot video, other than that, your fast cards will only make a difference to download speeds (and then only if you have a fast enough card reader) because you'll be hard pressed to find a card that doesn't keep up with the fastest your camera can write. Card speeds have stayed well ahead of camera needs almost since day 1 of digital photography.
 
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