Camera memory cards

bwana

bwana

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I've just bought a new 2gb memory card to augment my existing 1gb cf cards and was wondering - how large a card would I feel comfortable using in my camera?

A small glitch on my 1gb card could mean up to 98 photos gone for good, 200 on a 2gb card, possibly 400 on a 4gb . . . thats a lot of pictures to lose.

Can data even be easily recovered from a card failure?

How big a card do you use and are they a particular brand?
 
Thanks - bookmarked that page incase the worst ever happens.
 
killadoob said:
u keep your photo's on a 2 gig memory card?

im sure you have a dvd writer? use it
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No - the camera puts them on a memory card. When I'm done shooting I transfer them off the card onto my laptop and then format the card for next time. Once they're off the card they're safe (as far as I'm concerned anyway).
 
yea, same here - if i'm taking surf pics i fill up a few cards in a session - can't exactly whip out the laptop on the beach :P need to trust they're safe on the card until i get the chance to transfer them onto the laptop
 
Calico182 said:
yea, same here - if i'm taking surf pics i fill up a few cards in a session - can't exactly whip out the laptop on the beach :P need to trust they're safe on the card until i get the chance to transfer them onto the laptop
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Pity my card reader doesnt work with my ipod - transferring the pics off the camera via cable to it is ok at the end of the day but too slow for mid-shoot.

Card prices are getting much more affordable though. Admittedly I bought mine today on a whim - I'm sure could have found it for less than the r500 I paid. :o
 
What card brand are you using ... becareful of the cheap brands ... I work at a camera store on the weekends and I have seen some painful disasters. The brand we have come to trust over the years is Sandisk ... their memory cards are super reliable. We had some other makes, but we got 1 back every now and then, before and after the pics were taken. With sandisk, in 2 years I have worked there, I have seen 1 card come back, and it was an out of box fault, so it never took photos to begin with.
Also, we have a lot of pro photographers come in ... and they usually buy smaller denominations depending on the formats they will use ... generally around 4 2gb as opposed to 1 8gb. If you are going out for one day, then you can leave the other 3 at the hotel/home for example and if your kit gets stolen, at least you have most of your photos still on your other cards.
Also, its a good safety precaution in case 1 card screws over.
 
eitai2001 said:
What card brand are you using ...
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The 2gb is a sandisk - the older 1gb's are Lexar and Kingston.

Apparently forcing the camera to format the card after each use is supposed to help prevent mishaps but to be honest I rarely do that. :o
 
Its not such a biggie with pocket cams .... but it might help if you format with SLRs. Ya, the cards we had probs with were Lexars ... we didn't sell Kingston, but I'm not a big fan. Sandisk is the most reliable brand at the moment.
 
I use 1gb Sandisks.... don't trust anything larger in case of failures.

But then i don't do RAW capturing so there is muuuuch space.
 
Maybe I'll just keep the Lexar in reserve for emergencies or for printing.

Who do you guys use for printing? I've had varied success with fuji. What about embedding colour profiles?
 
where you buy it from bwana

i check with vodacom for a 2 gig microsd card and they want nearly 1.6k i bought it from frontosa for 211 bucks ex vat

dont buy camera stuff from shops who sell camera's buy it from computer shops
 
adsl3g said:
I use 1gb Sandisks.... don't trust anything larger in case of failures.

But then i don't do RAW capturing so there is muuuuch space.
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Really? Why not?

killadoob said:
where you buy it from bwana
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Admittedly it was more of a spur of the moment purchase so I didnt bother looking at any of the computer suppliers. I'm planning on stocking up with a few more 2gb cards soon but might just add them to an upcoming order from B&H Photo in the states.
 
bwana said:
Really? Why not?
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I only just loaded DPP on the Macbook and am busy playing around with it - just seems easier to do JPG's and dump them on a USB disk and take to work for viewing (do a lot of photos for work functions). Also do pics for a website and RAW is a waste there.

What are the major advantages of RAW? - the post processing?

Going to a kiddies party this afternoon, will play around with RAW pics.
 
killadoob said:
where you buy it from bwana

i check with vodacom for a 2 gig microsd card and they want nearly 1.6k i bought it from frontosa for 211 bucks ex vat

dont buy camera stuff from shops who sell camera's buy it from computer shops
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Saying don't buy camera stuff from a camera shop is rubbish.

I work for a camera store, we do not rip you off ... yes, a 2gb microsd sandisk we sell for about R499 or so ... but that is a standard price.
You cannot compare frontosa's price for 2 reasons:

1) It is not sandisk, therefore cheaper.
2) They are a computer dealer and the average person cannot, or at least should not be able to buy from them.

And the best reason for buying a camera or even a tv from a specialist shop like us ... is 1) Our prices are competative, and unless the chainstores have a special, we are normally cheaper and sometimes even cheaper than their specials ... 2) We know what we are talking about ... we have had customers argue with us tha game says this or makro says that when we know they are wrong ... 3) After sales service support is 10 times better than a chain store ... why, because we are much smaller and can help customers on a more personal level.

I'm not saying don't buy from a chain store or a computer shop, I am telling you not to say that you mustn't buy from a camera shop as we know what we are talking about and will not rip you off.

Also, don't compare prices from a dealer to a store that sells to end users.

I do agree that R1600 is completely BS, but its Vodacom what do you expect.

By the way, t he store I refer to above is not my online store, but Cats Digital where I work on the weekends.
 
adsl3g said:
I only just loaded DPP on the Macbook and am busy playing around with it - just seems easier to do JPG's and dump them on a USB disk and take to work for viewing (do a lot of photos for work functions). Also do pics for a website and RAW is a waste there.

What are the major advantages of RAW? - the post processing?

Going to a kiddies party this afternoon, will play around with RAW pics.
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[-]DPP?[/-] You prefer the Canon suite over iPhoto or Aperture? :confused: I think landy does as well come to think of it.

RAW's only disadvantages, to me at least, are the larger files (10mb per pic) and slightly longer processing time once its on the computer. Once you've got them on your machine there is so much more you can do as far as tweaking goes.
 
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