Upgraded memory card - will it improve my..

Jim.

Jim.

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James
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Hi All,

I have a 550d and I take motorsports photography. However when action commences (ie a crash), I run out of Shots as it only takes 6 RAW images before stopping to save/catchup. I currently have a Sandisk 32GB 45MB/S SD Extreme Video Memory Card, would an upgrade to SanDisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash Card 32GB 90MB/S help the issue vastly? (to make it worth while spending £100 on a memory card)

Or should I just upgrade my camera to something with a better burst on RAW images (suggestions for 2nd hand Canon's under £300 gratefully recieved if this is the case).

Thanks

Jim
 
Not sure if it would make a difference. Wouldn't the capability come from the cameras buffer/on board memory rather than the memory card. The write speed of the card should decrease the time inbetween the next use of the burst mode if this is the case. The Canon website says it will take 6 raws in a burst. I'm guessing they've fixed this so that you have to buy a better model, by default if you want more than this. Would shooting in JPEG for the first lap/corner be such a cardinal sin? I'd prefer to have JPEGs of the crash action than no raw file of it at all.
 
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Does the 550 shoot Mraw? you might get more shots (snaller) but I'm pretty sure changing the card wont help, 6 is the buffer size I suspect.
 
A faster card won't get you more shots in that initial burst but it may improve your shot to shot time once the buffer is full if your camera can take advantage of the higher write speed.

A lot of sports togs shoot jpeg for this very reason. £300 should get you a 40d or 50d with a bigger buffer.
 
Wow, you guys on this forum really know your stuff!. Decisions decisions, I do like my Raw images, but as you say it might be worth capturing jpg than missing the moment.

34 jpgs at 3.7fps isn't too bad on my current 550d.

I might have to keep saving for a 60d or wait till the prices come down a little, if I want a good return on RAW burst rate

Then again the 40d could make a good 2nd body for me, just abit of a drop to 10.1mega-pixels from 18mp (I know, I know mega pixels aren't everything ;))
 
Jpg's everytime unless you are really unsure about exposure and need the flexabillity that the RAW files will offer in PP.

Smaller RAW files may help.
 
Buffer is your problem really. You'll see the amount of shots left in the buffer on the bottom left hand corner of your viewfinder LCD. Wouldn't get a 60D for FPS as it's slower than a 50D.
 
If you want to upgrade the camera it would be better to save and go for a 7D than the 60D.

Changing the card will give a little boost to reading/writing times but its not going to make a huge difference, I use the 95mb/s cards and though it helped the sluggish write times on my fuji it didnt magically turn it into a stellar performer.

If shooting jpg you need to try and make sure you get things right in camera as there's less to play with in post processing, however you can still import a jpg into adobe camera raw and work on it in there, I find it better than processing in lightroom or PS, in LR or bridge just right click the image and choose to open it in ACR.
 
On my 5D3 changing from a 60MB/sec to a 90MB/sec CF card didnt change the buffer size of 13 but it did give me on average an extra 3-4 shots before the 6FPS started to slow down.
 
Janesy B said:
Buffer is your problem really. You'll see the amount of shots left in the buffer on the bottom left hand corner of your viewfinder LCD. Wouldn't get a 60D for FPS as it's slower than a 50D.
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To be honest though if someone cant hit a car with 5.3 shots a second then you shouldn't be shooting cars in the first place.

The op manages with 3.7 so the 60d or 50d would both be a superb upgrade.

The 7D also obviously but at extra cost, I would prefer the cheaper ones and better lenses, people place far too much emphasis on fps in motorsport when the technique is far more important than 1 or 2 extra fps in reality.

8 crap shots or 5 excellent shots is how people should look at it.

As above, I would either shoot jpeg(i do this) then you don't need to upgrade your body, or if you really want to shoot raw then upgrade to an xx body
 
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The frame rate isn't the problem, it's the number of shots before the OP's camera stops shooting that he's asking about, thats down to the buffer built into the camera, even with a 7d shooting full size raw you only get 15 (so the book says)
 
thats what I was refering to as people suggested that a 60d as the op mentioned wasnt a good path as its slower than a 50d.. it may well be in fps terms but buffer size allows 16 raw if I remember off the top of my head.

But then if the op can shoot jpeg it will save them a lot of money
 
dalegt4 said:
To be honest though if someone cant hit a car with 5.3 shots a second then you shouldn't be shooting cars in the first place.

The op manages with 3.7 so the 60d or 50d would both be a superb upgrade.

The 7D also obviously but at extra cost, I would prefer the cheaper ones and better lenses, people place far too much emphasis on fps in motorsport when the technique is far more important than 1 or 2 extra fps in reality.

8 crap shots or 5 excellent shots is how people should look at it.

As above, I would either shoot jpeg(i do this) then you don't need to upgrade your body, or if you really want to shoot raw then upgrade to an xx body
Click to expand...

You can have all the technique but it's pot luck when it comes to things like spitting flames, dust clouds, incidents and the like. It's all fair and well doing panning shots at 3.7, I can and did do that all day long down to 1/20th of a second but if you're going to double your outlay I'd want more than 1.5fps extra. There's little in it between the 50D and 60D and if you're not fussed about video and a flip out screen you can save a bit of money to spend on glass and end up with a camera that will do just as well, if not better. 50D can do 16 RAWs, the same as a 60D but you can have up to 90 JPEGS in a burst as opposed to 58, that's probably down to MP count and you gain an extra bit of speed. 550D's buffer is hilariously small.

Not to mention the OP wants an upgrade for less than £300, which is doable with a 50D but not a 60D.... Sorry for actually considering the OP's requirements and budget.
 
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Gaz J said:
On my 5D3 changing from a 60MB/sec to a 90MB/sec CF card didnt change the buffer size of 13 but it did give me on average an extra 3-4 shots before the 6FPS started to slow down.
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That's useful to know.......my 5d3 is on the way:cool:

Gaz: I'm also getting to grips with the 5d3 before it arrives by reading the user guide which you forwarded on to me. So Diolch yn fawr, bach!

(No I don't speak Welsh either......;)
 
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Jim. said:
Then again the 40d could make a good 2nd body for me, just abit of a drop to 10.1mega-pixels from 18mp (I know, I know mega pixels aren't everything ;))
Click to expand...

A 40D wouldn't be too much of a 2nd body to a 550D - it still has a lot to offer.
 
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