5D Mk III memory cards & accessories

ChrisD.

ChrisD.

ChrisD.

Man of Honour
Joined
20 Sep 2006
Posts
35,466
Hi guys.

Finally gone FF, got the above camera arriving once it's off back order.

I currently use a SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB card in my 60D, but I've had occasions where the card says it's full after only taking 60 or so photos. I'd like to get something else for the 5D. I understand the camera can take both SD and Compact Flash. I'd prefer to use SD as I can plug this card directly into my Mac (main editing computer) or my Dell 27" monitor when I use the PC. Are there any disadvantages to using SD only compared to Compact Flash. Also, which brand of card should I go for and are there any that are particularly good for the price?

Finally, any accessories that I should consider? I'm already using the Peak Design slings, but was wondering if a battery pack is worth it and any other items that could maybe considered essential.
 
Compact flash can be faster and have larger storage capacity. The differences are decreasing with each new generation. having huge cards is pointless but faster crds help if you shoot sport.
 
The only thing fast I shoot is BTCC cars, and I'm off to the F1 this year. Everything else is stationary cars, people and what I can see.
 
Shoot both, it's one of the best feature of the mkiii, so now you have backup.

Put a single 128G card in the SD slot, and use 8 or 16G CF. Change Cf when full.
 
What Ray said - I use a single 64GB SD card and a couple of 32GB CFs, all Sandisk.

There's no way you can fill a 16GB card with only 60 shots so something's patently wrong with that card, unless that's what you were saying to start with :)

If you're planning to use a single card then SD is cheaper than CF for the same capacity but is way slower, limited to around 20-25MB/s in the 5D3 I believe, which will limit the number of shots you can take in bursts when shooting RAW.
 
Yeah that's what I meant, I think there's a problem with the card. It did it when on holiday last year when I was on a boat, and at that time I swore to always have a backup. It did it again when shooting CrossFit the other week. Trust my luck.

Will the 5D use the CF first and then SD? Or is that an option for me to choose?
 
You set the camera to write both RAW files to each card. Make sure they are the same, it slows down if its different.

A 16G card should hold around 580 images.
 
I would reformat the card and have another go. As Vertigo1 states above, there is no way on earth, even with the highest quality image settings on your Camera or even saving Raw and Jpeg at the same time, that you should only be able to save 60 photos to a 16gb card.

If it is still acting up, then I would contact Sandisk. Their site can be found at

http://www.sandisk.co.uk

According to their Warranty page, most of their Cards have quite exceptional warrant periods (in some cases lifetime or 30 years!)

Take a look at the following page to establish how long your warranty is

http://www.sandisk.co.uk/about-sandisk/warranty-and-user-guides/warranty-table/

Accessories for a Canon 5D Mark III? A second battery. They're quite long lasting, but you always need a spare battery no matter what Camera.

A screen protector is always nice, you can get a GGS set for the rear screen and the shoulder lcd screen for around £13. Saves on any scratches

A Canon RC-6 Remote is always handy, its a tiny little Infrared remote control - bit like a keyfob for a car. It can activate the Camera with either a slight delay or instantaneously. Works from the front and by line of sight. The Official Canon and the 'unoffical' ones look like they're made in the same factory and are quiet cheap.
 
The SD card slot in the 5D3 is crippled by Canon as it does not support UHS-1,also annoying even if you only use the SD card for backup it will slow down the write to the compact flash card to match.

For motorsport your best bet is to use a high speed compact flash card (I use a 1000x Lexar Pro which came top in the speed tests) and have the camera set only to start writing to the SD card if the compact flash card is full. In situations where you don't need high FPS you can simultaneously write to the SD card for backup purposes if required.

With the 1000X Lexar card I can take 49 photos at max FPS in RAW before the buffer was full then only 6 seconds to clear it. My SanDisk Extreme Pro SD card can only manage 16 RAW files and then takes 15 seconds to clear the buffer.
 
MilanoChris said:
Ah, with you now.
Click to expand...

To answer your previous question though, the multi-card behaviour is configurable. You can write the same file to both cards, different file formats to each card or simply have it fill one card first then use the other.

As for the dodgy 16GB card, you didn't format it in a card reader by any chance? Try formatting it again in-camera, never format a card with anything other than the camera it'll be used in.
 
The first time I used it I put it into the 60D. Both times the fault happened I formatted it in my Mac, I'll reformat it now.

I think two 32GB cards will be enough for me now. I'll probably just go with SanDisk cards and see how I get on.
 
Dangerous Dave said:
The SD card slot in the 5D3 is crippled by Canon as it does not support UHS-1,also annoying even if you only use the SD card for backup it will slow down the write to the compact flash card to match.

For motorsport your best bet is to use a high speed compact flash card (I use a 1000x Lexar Pro which came top in the speed tests) and have the camera set only to start writing to the SD card if the compact flash card is full. In situations where you don't need high FPS you can simultaneously write to the SD card for backup purposes if required.

With the 1000X Lexar card I can take 49 photos at max FPS in RAW before the buffer was full then only 6 seconds to clear it. My SanDisk Extreme Pro SD card can only manage 16 RAW files and then takes 15 seconds to clear the buffer.
Click to expand...
So it's not worth getting a UHS-1 SD card then, get something cheaper?
 
Raymond Lin said:
Shoot both, it's one of the best feature of the mkiii, so now you have backup.

Put a single 128G card in the SD slot, and use 8 or 16G CF. Change Cf when full.
Click to expand...

128gb? Do I look like I'm made of money? :D I actually only use a 32gb CF card and a 16gb for spare. I'm tempted to start using a back up card though. Much more important when you're doing more than photography to please yourself. I've never looked into what card to buy after the CF cards though. I suppose I'd better pull my thumb out (and credit card) :D
 
MilanoChris said:
So it's not worth getting a UHS-1 SD card then, get something cheaper?
Click to expand...

Yep. I think the interface is limited to around 20-25MB/s but a faster card would read quicker if you have a high-speed card reader on your PC so there are still benefits.

I got a Sandisk 64GB Extreme 45MB/s one for about £50
 
I use dual, 128GB Sandisk Extreme for backup and 32GB Transcend Pro for primary. Easy combination and inexpensive as well. The nerfed SD controller on the 5DIII won't make use of UHS on the SD card but the CF controller is full speed so you'll benefit from greater buffer flushing performance as images get written to the card.

STILL, get a large fast SD card anyway, you'll benefit from the faster speeds when transferring to computer later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom