Do Prosumer Digital Cameras Benefit from faster CompactFlash Cards?

I own a Canon G2 with a basic Compact Flash Card. Now they are

Compact Flash Cards that are 4x, 12x, 16x... 40x. (An "x" being

150kb/sec) I know speeds vary by camera but is there a max or a level

where prosumer cameras don't benefit. For example, a Canon G2 can

benefit from a 4x or 8x, but 16x is no better, just more expensive.

 

I know that DSLRs benefit from this fast cards because they have

better hardware & software build it to gain more benefits. There are

online articles and comparisons for DSLRs (dpreview.com). But, I

have not been able to find comparisons online for prosumer cameras.

 

I would like to know how can one do a test to compare one card to

another?

Is there any specs on the camera that can help on determining writing

speeds?

Anyone know of a good online comparison site for Cards or Camera

writing speeds?

Check out the G2 review on <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/page11.asp">dpreview

</a>. It appears that a 12x card has a big effect vs the supplied

Canon card.

<p>

Greg

I have a DSLR.

 

I would dispute the benefit of a fast CF card in my Canon, unless I routinely challenged the Frame-per-second rating of the camera. The real advantage is the shot buffer, which will store images while shooting, and download while I am composing the next shots.

 

I would (and have) bought on price/MB. I have been happy.

Unless you have a very small shot buffer in your camera, I doubt that a fast CF card is going to make much of a difference. I'd like a faster CF card for my EOS 1D, but that's only because I frequently shoot bursts of 15-20 shots, and a faster card would clear out my buffer much quicker.

On the Fuji S602 there is apparently an impact when recording video. I don't use the CF II slot yet so couldn't say from my own experience. it's a matter of a lot of discussion on Dpreview, Imaging Resource, etc.

Have a look at

 

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/mediacompare/

 

Pretty useful when purchasing storage.

In my opinion, you cant beat the microdrive...

In the S602, Fuji only supports the SM and microdrive. Still, the only time speed issues seem to arrise with the CF cards is when recording video. At that point speed and card formatting make a difference. There is a lingering concern about the sturdiness of the microdrives but I'm not sure that I'd want to subject my camera to the kinds of situations that might be bad for a drive anyway.

The dpreview page is WAY out of date. The Viking 512MB card they list at $440 for example. I paid about $85 (after a $25 rebate) for mine last month...

1. "Dpreview.com article is out of date" -- I must agree since I acquired a 512MB for $90, but it is the best article I have found so far

 

2. "Camera internal buffer is what makes the difference in speed" -- well, I know big DSLR advertise their buffer sizes, but how do you compare Prosumer cameras G2 vs G5 vs Coolpix 5400. I have tried, but maybe I am missing the small print, no where do I find the G2 buffer in the specs.

 

3. "Lexar 12x card review in dpreview shows quite an improvement over Canon's card" -- I looked at the article and I am sold on 12x cards. I think I can now justify spending 50% more for a 12x vs 1x. Now I have to pick a brand.

 

Thanks for all your comments.

Does the card speed make a difference if you are using a card reader connected to your computer?

If it does you'll be back in the field faster.

Rob Galbraith also has some good tests. This is my first time trying to post a link, so please bear with me. <ahref="http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007">http://www.robgalbraith.com</a>