Why CF storage on Pro Nikon DSLRs?

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I've always preferred SDHC cards as they have been small and compact, and ditched using CF cards after I got rid of my Canon S50 P&S. My (current) D90 uses SDHC so have bought a few.

I've been thinking to go full frame soon but I note that most if not all pro dslr cameras in the Nikon range use CF cards. Is there something about CF media that make it more advantageous than SDHC, be it speed, cost or otherwise, or is it just Nikon catering for pros that may have CF cards already and not wanting to disappoint?
 
Get a CF to SDHC adapter?
 
scottthehat said:
yeah cf cards can read and write alot faster
compact flash write speeds i think can be up to 100mbs (667x)
secure digital write speeds i think it are maxed at 45mbs (300x)
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Plus those of us buying upgraded bodies will tend to buy bigger, faster cards at the same time to allow for the increases in image quality afforded by the newer cameras anyway...
So an existing stash of CF cards is no barrier...
I buy newer higher-capacity cards when they become available - currently on Extreme-Pro 8Gb for the D3 and Extreme-Pro 16Gb for the D3x.
 
Think just how easy it is for a pro to change his card when sat on the side of a cold football pitch in January, think I would prefer the CF.

I have just upgraded camera body, most of my current cards are 4GB with a write speed of 30Mb/s, the new body will write at a lot faster than that along with the image sizes that the camera will produce I am looking at minimum 8GB 60Mb/s UDMA cards now, but probably 16Gb, from what I can tell this just isnt possible on the smaller card types
 
scottthehat said:
yeah cf cards can read and write alot faster
compact flash write speeds i think can be up to 100mbs (667x)
secure digital write speeds i think it are maxed at 45mbs (300x)
Click to expand...

Ah ok, that explains a lot. Initially I thought CF could be phased out having deemed them old tech as my S50 is going back some years. Also because of advances in memory and miniaturisation (Cf -> SDHC) but it looks like they're to be treated differently and will be around a lot lot longer.

wontolla said:
Get a CF to SDHC adapter?
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Didn't know they existed. I'll take a look thanks. Would prefer to reuse my 30mb/s Extreme III's!
 
fabs said:
Hmm, not sure that exists. It would have to physically shrink the CF card. ;)
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I thought he meant the other way around - SD cards fitting insdie a CF adaptor? Anyway, one of us is correct, eh? :D
 
I hate SD cards, I've lost 3 of them in total - a bit like socks, they just seem to disappear never to be seen again!

I've never lost a CF card, they seem bigger and more "tangible".
 
puddleduck said:
I hate SD cards, I've lost 3 of them in total - a bit like socks, they just seem to disappear never to be seen again!

I've never lost a CF card, they seem bigger and more "tangible".
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Have you checked the bottom of your laundry bin? that's usually where my odd socks are... :lol:
 
I hate SD cards with a passion. Just too damn small to faff about with. I hope Pro bodies stay using them.

Pete
 
If you go to the Canon pro bodies (don't laugh), they have both CF and SDHC slots.

I much prefer SDHC cards, finding them a lot faster than CF cards, especially reviewing images on computer (via card reader)
 
Les McLean said:
If you go to the Canon pro bodies (don't laugh), they have both CF and SDHC slots.

I much prefer SDHC cards, finding them a lot faster than CF cards, especially reviewing images on computer (via card reader)
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That depends on your card reader. Try a sandisk firewire CF reader and with a fast CF card, the access and read/write speed is comparable to an external hard disk. The SDHC cards, even the fastest ones are a lot slower once you have eliminated the bottleneck of a slow reader.
 
If you have the money for a pro Nikon DSLR, sell the SDHC cards on ebay and buy decent CF cards. The SDHC thing should not be a barrier.
 
DekHog said:
I thought he meant the other way around - SD cards fitting insdie a CF adaptor? Anyway, one of us is correct, eh? :D
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Correctomundo! I'm sure I have seen them somewhere!
 
AndyElliott said:
That depends on your card reader. Try a sandisk firewire CF reader and with a fast CF card, the access and read/write speed is comparable to an external hard disk. The SDHC cards, even the fastest ones are a lot slower once you have eliminated the bottleneck of a slow reader.
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Yup, you are probably correct, but I'm quite happy getting the faster speeds with SDHC using USB2 than using firewire, using exifpro the thumbnails open almost instantly even on a 32GB SDHC, I seem to wait for ages opening the thumbs on a CF card.

Can't notice any real difference between the cards in camera, but I've never really needed to take much notice.
 
Les McLean said:
Yup, you are probably correct, but I'm quite happy getting the faster speeds with SDHC using USB2 than using firewire, using exifpro the thumbnails open almost instantly even on a 32GB SDHC, I seem to wait for ages opening the thumbs on a CF card.

Can't notice any real difference between the cards in camera, but I've never really needed to take much notice.
Click to expand...

There is a USB2 version of the sandisk CF reader - but it's about half as fast (sustained read/write) than the firewire - which seems to be generally true with other devices like hard disks. That is even using 'slow' firewire - there is a double speed version too.

You notice the difference between a slow CF card (say around 133x - which is about the speed of a very fast SDHC) and a fast one (266x or 300x) when you've just fired off a burst of shots and have to wait quite a bit longer before the buffer has emptied. I'm sure with higher res cameras than mine, the difference would be worse.
 
I don't mind using CF cards; faster and more reliable, but being able to just shove a SD card from the wife's compact into the card reader on the laptop is joy...
 
Did a bit of reading before, and people do like the ruggedness of CF cards, though I did come across a different forum that said the SDHC to CF adapters could slow down the speed because of the added contacts. There didn't seem to evidence to support the comment posted, but having the extra level does make it more fiddly.
I do like how Canon and others do have dual format storage, kind of hoping that would taken on across brands. Guess not.
Least I can use the same battery as the D90! :)

Actually finding Rob Galbraith's memory tests an interesting read between the D90/SDHC and the D700/CF.
 
I hate SD and SDHC cards, i have lost 4 in the last few years and one broke inside my camera, a lovely 16GB card with over 1000 photos on, I find CF cards much faster, less losable and easier to handle, saving time is so much quicker on my D700 with a top of the range CF card, compared to my D40 with a top of the range SDHC card.

Daniel
 
I was surprised myself seeing on the test results there was a 10mb/s difference in the RAW figures between the two dslr/formats. I'm convinced! :)
 
CF = Bent Pins. Ouch. Easy to difficult to damage by accident if you're not careful. SD design is far superior.
Still, have 4 x 8gb cards so can't switch to SD now!
 
tbqfh i've only bent pins on cheap card readers rather than decent ones with a quality mount

and i'd say cf design is superior in the respect the metallic contacts are hidden and they're more rugged :)
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by puddleduck
I hate SD cards, I've lost 3 of them in total - a bit like socks, they just seem to disappear never to be seen again!

I've never lost a CF card, they seem bigger and more "tangible".


Originally posted by Nawty
Have you checked the bottom of your laundry bin? that's usually where my odd socks are...

Nawty, why are your socks in Puddleducks's laundry bin?
 
Kanine said:
CF = Bent Pins. Ouch. Easy to difficult to damage by accident if you're not careful. SD design is far superior.
Still, have 4 x 8gb cards so can't switch to SD now!
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Only if you're an idiot... or someone who is either blind and can't see the label or has leprosy and can't feel where the ridge on the card is.

Saying this is like saying it's easy to put a lens on back to front.
 
Time has proved that CF cards although old in design are by far the most reliable.
 
Arkady said:
Only if you're an idiot... or someone who is either blind and can't see the label or has leprosy and can't feel where the ridge on the card is.

Saying this is like saying it's easy to put a lens on back to front.
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about putting it in back to front, or the wrong way. About 5 years ago on a rather cheapy CF card reader I inserted my card properly along the guiding rails and one of the pins bent and damaged my card a little. And I have heard stories of pins bending inside the camera.. But probably due to cheaper hardware that it happens. But it still won't happen with SDs!

That said, it's only happens to me once. But I'm not keen on repeat insertions of CF cards, much prefer usb cables connected to the camera now..
 
Kanine said:
I'm not talking about putting it in back to front, or the wrong way. About 5 years ago on a rather cheapy CF card reader I inserted my card properly along the guiding rails and one of the pins bent and damaged my card a little. And I have heard stories of pins bending inside the camera.. But probably due to cheaper hardware that it happens. But it still won't happen with SDs!

That said, it's only happens to me once. But I'm not keen on repeat insertions of CF cards, much prefer usb cables connected to the camera now..
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Well you've said it yourself - using a cheapy card reader was the problem, not the card or its design.

When we used to teach camera-handling courses using D200's we'd have at least two students from each syndicate mess a camera up by forcing a CF card in back-to-front, despite some very heavy-handed warnings of how to avoid it and what the consequences would be.

All instances I've seen have been the result of 'fat-finger' syndrome - it doesn't quite fit, so force it in!

Those responsible were billed for the repairs to the loan-kit, which came as a shock to some who'd previously been attached to units who weren't bothered about such trivialities...
 
I have 4 cameras that use CF cards - my first digital camera used them and since back then, cards were expensive, I chose the next camera because it used them. When I moved from 35mm to DSLRs, I stuck with Nikon and the D70 uses CF cards too, as did the D200 and does the D700. FAR easier to handle than SD (my current compact uses SD but if I had found a similarly specced one that used CF, I would probably have gone for that) and with a face large enough to take a readable label with my contact details should I ever lose one. Never managed to insert on upside down and damage the pins but then again, I know that if something doesn't fit where it's supposed to, pushing harder's unlikely to be a good idea!
 
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