Do SDHC Memory Brands Matter?

[patrickdunn]

I am very, very close to purchasing the Canon T1i to start my photography hobby and I wanted to price out accessories. So I have a question?

If I buy a Class 6 16gb Card, will it be the same quality wether bought from eBay, NewEgg or Best Buy?

Obviously, I'm looking for best quailty card, highest speed, and highest capacity at the lowest price. What should I look for?

Thanks for the help.

 

[chiefroastbeef]

In my experiences with different brands of SDHC, compact flash cards, from manufacturers like transcend, kingston, Sandisk(Extreme 3 and 4), the brand doesn't matter as long as they are in the same class speed.

However, I would definitely buy from a reputable seller such as Best Buy you mentioned, and I would refrain from buying on ebay because of counterfeit issues.

So I guess the only thing you should truly worry about are fakes.

And I usually do prefer Sandisk Extreme sd and cf cards because they usually offer faster speeds and they look cooler.

 

[bcburrows]

I have a variety of SDHC cards from different manufacturers and I think i do notice a difference sandisk extreme seem the best in my camera and i have relegated some of the others as memory for my digi photo frame

 

[dubels]

Avoid ebay, but there aren't any mainstream brands that you should avoid. I use Kingston, Transcend, PNY, and a few others. Check out discount retailers like newegg.com, frys.com, and even amazon. Also you might want to reconsider one big 16gb SDHC. Instead have 4x 4gb or even two 8gb SD cards. This is because if your SD card ever gets corrupted you don't loose 16gb worth of pictures at once. If you have many separate cards the chance of saving a shoot is much higher.

 

[chiefroastbeef]

Also, just in case, reformat the memory card in camera every time you want to start with a clean card, don't just delete the pictures off from your computer.

 

[ManhattanPrjct]

I am very, very close to purchasing the Canon T1i to start my photography hobby and I wanted to price out accessories. So I have a question?

If I buy a Class 6 16gb Card, will it be the same quality wether bought from eBay, NewEgg or Best Buy?

Obviously, I'm looking for best quailty card, highest speed, and highest capacity at the lowest price. What should I look for?

Thanks for the help.

I don't think speed would matter much.

I'm not sure how many frames per second you can get out of your camera, but generally speaking, you probably won't be able to take pictures fast enough to make your buffer overflow, unless you shoot in RAW and literally hold the shutter down for 30 seconds.

So I'd take what you save by buying Class 4 (or even 2) and get a couple smaller SD cards or some filters to play around with. I've owned Sandisk, Kingston, PNY, etc., and never really noticed much of a difference.

 

[Flash SWT]

I don't think speed would matter much.

Speed comes into play heavily when downloading to the computer, assuming you're using an equally fast card reader.

Here is information on the fastest SD cards and readers:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/reader_report_multi_page.asp?cid=6007-9438

Personally I prefer Sandisk Extreme cards although I'm only using CF not SDHC like originally inquired about.

.

 

[Ruahrc]

I don't think speed would matter much.

My D80 shoots at 3fps and is 10MP. When shooting RAW and using the no-name slow 1GB SD card that the camera came with, I get about 5 frames (about 2 seconds' worth) at the full speed, then it drops off significantly after that, maybe 1fps or so.

With my class 6 SD extreme III card, I can shoot 7 frames at 3fps, then it drops off to about 2fps continuous after that.

Although you don't get too many more frames in the initial burst, the steady-state shot rate after that is significantly faster with the class 6 card.

I don't know the exact specs of the T1i but I'm sure the shooting speed is comparable to the D80, and it probably has more MP. Therefore, I think the faster card would actually make an appreciable difference.

Ruahrc

 

[ManhattanPrjct]

With my class 6 SD extreme III card, I can shoot 7 frames at 3fps, then it drops off to about 2fps continuous after that.

Although you don't get too many more frames in the initial burst, the steady-state shot rate after that is significantly faster with the class 6 card.Ruahrc

Really! I have never felt that restrained on my D90, though I can't imagine the buffer is much bigger - I guess to the OP, it depends on how fast you'll be shooting...

 

[Wakakanada]

Faster is gooder

I am very, very close to purchasing the Canon T1i to start my photography hobby and I wanted to price out accessories. So I have a question?

I am awaiting the delivery of my new T1i and have been researching this topic too. Here's another link I found which gave me some good information:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sdhc-memory-card,2143.html

I like the suggestion of not buying the biggest card due to the risk of data loss, although I don't want to run out of memory in the middle of a shooting sequence, either. This works out well considering there is usually a pricing sweet spot one or two steps down from the largest memory available in most computer products.

Based on my newbie research, I would certainly go with a class 6 card. I expect it would make a difference if you will be shooting HD video.

Of course, my experience is based on a day of online research and reading the first 74 pages of my "T1i for Dummies" book...

 

[Vster]

Just my personal preference, I like to buy the better known brands so that I can trust the warranty. I'd hope the company would still be a round if i needed a warranty replacement.

 

[Mechcozmo]

I've never had any issues with my SanDisk SD cards. They're the older II models, but they've never let me down.

Whatever write speed your camera supports, get a card that can support that speed.

 

[jampat]

If you are considering buying any cards outside of a typical brick and mortar store (ie on ebay or craigslist), read the article on fake cards on ebays site. People are putting Extreme III or IV stickers on slow cards and selling them as fast cards. Huge margins on them. By some accounts, 80% of cards on ebay are fakes. The article helps you spot the fakes.

 

[patrickdunn]

I am awaiting the delivery of my new T1i and have been researching this topic too. Here's another link I found which gave me some good information:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sdhc-memory-card,2143.html

I like the suggestion of not buying the biggest card due to the risk of data loss, although I don't want to run out of memory in the middle of a shooting sequence, either. This works out well considering there is usually a pricing sweet spot one or two steps down from the largest memory available in most computer products.

Based on my newbie research, I would certainly go with a class 6 card. I expect it would make a difference if you will be shooting HD video.

Of course, my experience is based on a day of online research and reading the first 74 pages of my "T1i for Dummies" book...

Great Web site, thanks for the info everyone.

Wakakanada, did you get your camera yet? If so what do you think? Did you get the kit lens?

 

[Pocket lint]

For what it's worth:

"Class 6" is the fastest "class" of memory cards.
However, that merely means that it's guaranteed to meet a minimum speed, not that all Class 6 cards are of equivalent speed.

 

[Wakakanada]

Wakakanada, did you get your camera yet? If so what do you think? Did you get the kit lens?

It shipped from Ontario yesterday at 11:30 pm, didn't arrive today, so I'm hoping tomorrow. After much research online I decided to get the kit lens plus the package deal on a telephoto lens with IS. I couldn't justify paying for a top quality lens as I am just a beginner, but I did decide I would like a telephoto lens and Best Buy had a $100 off their IS Canon telephoto lens if bought with the camera so, after reading many reviews which basically agreed that the Canon lens' are good value for the money compared to other entry level compatible lenses, I sprang for the two lens deal...Hey what's the point of having a DSLR if you can't switch lenses