CF Card speed for cameras: Does it matter?

[SoAlive]

I know some of you PPCers are into digital photography as well, so I need a little advice. I'm buying a new camera and need to purchase a bigger CF card with it. Will I get better performance--i.e. delay time between shots--from my camera with a faster card? I'm looking at cards that are as high as 40x, and they do cost more.

By the way, ECost.com has a Kingston 512 MB CF card for $18.99 after rebate, plus $3.95 handling, with free shipping. So if speed doesn't matter, this sounds like a good deal.

[Darius Wey]

This really depends on the camera. Every camera has a theoretical limit with which it can snap a picture, load it into the memory card, snap another picture, load it into the memory card and so on. Some cameras have the ability to prestore shots while it's writing to the card to enable faster snaps with minimal delay.

So in theory, while it does depend on (1) the speed of the card, it also depends on (2) the camera's ability to write to the card and store pictures in memory first. Therefore, while speed can make a difference, ideally, you would want to investigate the specs of your camera first before you give it the green light.

You may also want to check out Digital Media Thoughts (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com) to see if there are any tips there. :D

Hope that helps. ;)

[SoAlive]

You may also want to check out Digital Media Thoughts (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com) to see if there are any tips there. :D

Hope that helps. ;)

Didn't even think of that--thanks!

The camera is the Canon PowerShot A75. (Or possibly the A85, if I feel the need for 4 megapixels justifies the extra $100.) Consumer Reports rated the delay at 2 seconds between pictures, which is above average for the basic digital cameras. I would think that I should get that speed using any CF card, but I'm wondering if I can improve it with a faster card.

Thanks for the reply---

[Darius Wey]

A 2 second time delay between pictures is pretty good. Just remember that when purchasing a camera, you have to consider lag time and recycle time.

If you're feeling rather energetic and wish to submit yourself to 27 pages of diabolical reading, you can visit this site here. (http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007)

It tells you all the info you want to know about CF card speeds, and provides some statistical data for some cameras too. Interesting bit of reading if you're up for it. :P

[Jonathon Watkins]

I would think that I should get that speed using any CF card, but I'm wondering if I can improve it with a faster card.

I believe so. I tested a much faster Sandisk Ultra II card in my Canon Pro1 and the taking, display and review all noticeable dropped. Personally I'm going to get the fastest affordable one I can get.

[maximus]

Will I get better performance--i.e. delay time between shots--from my camera with a faster card?

Yes. Definitely. The faster it is, the better.

[Darius Wey]

I would think that I should get that speed using any CF card, but I'm wondering if I can improve it with a faster card.

I believe so. I tested a much faster Sandisk Ultra II card in my Canon Pro1 and the taking, display and review all noticeable dropped. Personally I'm going to get the fastest affordable one I can get.

Yeah...it's common practice now to get the best card you can out there, but an important point to note is that not all the cameras out there can take advantage of this. I assume the majority of the newer cameras can.

[SoAlive]

Yeah...it's common practice now to get the best card you can out there, but an important point to note is that not all the cameras out there can take advantage of this. I assume the majority of the newer cameras can.

This is definitely a newer camera--I think the release date for this model was August of this year.

I'm convinced: I'll get the faster card. Thanks for all the input. I trust first hand experience from users like you guys more than articles, reviews, etc.