Sandisc Extreme IV or III for Canon 5D. Does it make a difference?

What will the difference be if I use a Sandisc Extreme IV on my Canon 5D as

opposed to a Sandisc Extreme III, which seems to work just fine.

No it would not, unless you are getting 5D buffer full quite often.

I believe the question was about the difference when full buffer condition, or possibly how frequently full buffer condition accurs with these 2 types of cards?

 

If you do not get full buffer condition, you will not see difference between ANY cards.

 

So, what was really Jarek's answer? Yes or No.

Well I will rephrase then:

5D can fit 17 RAW or 60 jpegs in the buffer (regardless of card used). If you are getting your buffer full quite often - get the fastest card you can get, if not anything will work fine.

On Robgalbraith.com you can find that the difference is insignificant. But with Extreme IV and appropriate card reader you can achieve better card to computer speed no matter what camera you have.

I've found you can upload faster with the more expensive cards (that is, if you have a Firewire

CF card reader).

So, we still do not have a definite answer if there is a speed difference when camera writing from 5D to Extreeme III or to IV ?

 

Quite possibly both cards (III and IV) write out speed is faster than the camera max write out speed. Does anyone know that ? If this is the case, there will be no difference, perhaps ? I would like to know, since I am considering 5D.

 

Off the subject: Nikon D200 writes out to card on 4 parallel channels (Red, Blue, 2 Green channels), and the difference between even fast cards is significant.

Michael Reichmann concludes that the speed advantage is between card and computer, and only really realized with the Sandisk reader. There was no speed difference in a 1Ds2 or a Phase One P45 back. I would think the results would be the same with the 5D.<p>

<a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/cards.shtml">It's In The Cards</a>

Just check Rob Galbraith's CF card speed database and you'll find all the answers: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-8198

Hans, Thanks!

 

According to the link, Extreeme III is 7.370 MB/Sec, while Extreme IV is 7.370 MB/sec on the 5D, so it does not make sense to get the fastest cards for 5D.

 

Also the slower Extreme writes at 6.989 MB/sec, that could justify ecomonically usage of slower cards.

<i>Just check Rob Galbraith's CF card speed database and you'll find all the answers</i><p>

 

The answers depend on the question. The Galbraith database is often given out as an answer to questions about what card to buy, but it is irrelevant to almost all users, especially users who are not sports or pj pros. It's just like buying a car based on its top speed - unless you will be driving on the race track, it's useless statistic.<p>

 

Even the slowest card will be fine with a 17 shot buffer for virtually anyone.<p>

 

However, it seems that a lot of people prefer making the card manufacturers money rather than saving it, so feel free to spend.

In camera, I don't see a big difference from the II to the III....but as soon as I put the faster card in my card reader to download to my computer, I see the difference.

According to robgalbraith.com, the Sandisk Ultra II, Extreme III and Extreme IV all perform within 5-10% of each other. Considering you can buy a 2GB Ultra II from Frys.com for $37.99 with free shipping, this is a no-brainer. On the other hand, the Extreme IV card coupled with the new firewire reader allows much faster downloads than was previously possible.

 

~Nam

Carlos

 

It seems you have a definitive answer, and I also am very appreciative of the link regarding the CF Card differences - very useful.

 

But I digress, hopefully to make a helpful point; I will pick up on what Jeff wrote:

 

I am (relatively) new to DSLR, but not to photography or technology, and I have 20D.

 

I bought two 1 GB Ultra II with the camera.

 

Recently I wanted to buy another CF Card, a 2GB size.

 

In the camera shop there were Extreme III and Extreme IV available in various sizes.

 

The sales person snubbed me when I showed him my Ultra II and began to tech talk using lots of big words informing me I needed at least an Extreme IV and at least a 4GB.

 

But I wanted to purchase another CF card and the store only had the two choices, and I was in a hurry.

 

So I asked the sales assistant what the PRACTICAL AND APPLIED difference HE HAD EXPERIENCED between the two types of CF cards he had to offer when using both cards in the field, at the maximum burst rate of a 20D, and would there be any significant quality difference to any image captured, and if he would not mind, as I assured him I would understand, could he give the technical data from the manufacturer to support his claims.

 

I bought an Extreme III 2GB.

 

My point is that it is easy to get caught up in the technology for technology`s sake and neglect the real practical application.

 

Apologies for staying off the topic, but like Jeff wrote: a lot of it is static.

 

Even if only a few less experienced Photonet readers pick up this point and apply it, I believe it has been worthwhile enunciating.

 

Regards WW