Best value Compact Flash cards

fozzybear · 2 Aug 2010 at 15:52

I just wondered what others are using.

I've read that the Transcend CF 400x cards (around £30 for 8GB) are really good value for money. Also, I've seen the Sandisk 8GB Ultra CF 30Mb/sec cards for just under £20.

I'm also looking at Duracell Pro Photo UDMA 8GB 300x for £29.99 for a little more speed. Not read any of the reviews for Duracell CF cards so I'm not sure about these.

I have a Sony A700 which usually shoots around 5fps so don't really want to waste money on a card that's too quick for what my camera is capable of shooting.

What do you think are the best bang per buck cards out there?

ScarySquirrel · 2 Aug 2010 at 16:05

I just bought two Sandisk Ultra (30MB/s) 8gb for £20 each delivered, as you mentioned in your op. Can't really go wrong for that I don't think.

rpstewart · 2 Aug 2010 at 16:30

As long as the Sandisks are from a reputable seller then you'll struggle to do any better. Don't buy cards from eBay - too many fakes out there.

Broken Hope · 2 Aug 2010 at 17:14

Sorry for the slight hijack but what sort of MB/s do camera's really need anyway? My cam is able to do 7 FPS what sort of speed card would be required for that? Would you need the fastest available or would a slower one be okay?

rpstewart · 2 Aug 2010 at 18:34

The camera will be able to do 7fps regardless of the speed of the card and will carry on at 7fps until the internal buffer is full. A faster card should allow the camera to flush the buffer quicker and let you keep shooting longer or get back to shooting quicker.

However it's also dependent on whether the camera can utilise the card, for example even with a decent card my 1DMkII takes an age to flush the buffer compared to my 7D despite having to write less than half as much data, simply because the 7D can use the faster modes of modern cards.

#Chri5# · 2 Aug 2010 at 21:31

rpstewart said:
As long as the Sandisks are from a reputable seller then you'll struggle to do any better. Don't buy cards from eBay - too many fakes out there.

I'd avoid the Amazon Marketplace for similar reasons.

Raymond Lin · 2 Aug 2010 at 22:00

I only buy one brand, and 1 type lol

p0ss3s3d · 2 Aug 2010 at 22:17

rpstewart said:
However it's also dependent on whether the camera can utilise the card, for example even with a decent card my 1DMkII takes an age to flush the buffer compared to my 7D despite having to write less than half as much data, simply because the 7D can use the faster modes of modern cards.

Yep the CF slot on the 1DII is bout 1 RAW per second or two and a half jpegs a second. The SD slot is about 1.5 RAW's a second/ Three and a half jpegs.

Appauling speed!

I have 4x 4gb extreme III SD's and 4 x 4gb Extreme III CF's. All work in pairs to back each other up.

Extreme III's are good (renamed ultra's apparently!)

Tysonator · 3 Aug 2010 at 15:28

Also you need 20Mb's plus Cards if you are going to use HD video from your DSLR.

mrk · 3 Aug 2010 at 15:50

Are you guys only using CF cards or SDHC cards too?

I guess this only applies to a few people though with dual card slot bodies ¬_¬