Alright, what's the true write speed of any given camera?

Dubious Drewski · Feb 1, 2009

This information has been unbelievably difficult to find. Maybe my Google-Fu is weak today, I don't know. This information wasn't even found at Steve's Digicams, surprisingly.

At what speed can my camera write data to a memory card? Or in other words, what is the fastest card I need to buy before it out paces my camera? (In MB/s)

My camera is the Pentax K10, but that doesn't matter; I'm curious to know the numbers for all of the similarly-classed bodies. Some people claim the number can be derived by multiplying the size of a photo by the frames per second, but this is incorrect because the camera slows down after the buffer fills up. After it fills up(or ignoring the buffer altogether), what is the maximum rate a camera records to the card?

table1349 · Feb 1, 2009

This is the closest I have found, but I don't think it includes your camera.

Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD Performance Database

feRRari4756 · Feb 1, 2009

VERY GOOD QUESTION AND INTERSTING TOPIC.

Hope to find the answer!

Dubious Drewski · Feb 1, 2009

Well, 'Gryphon', it looks like your link might be the closest thing I've seen yet.

So if I'm reading those tables right, my choice of using Sandisk cards is a good one, and my distrust of Kingston cards is validated. And if cameras like the Xsi and the D80 never write data to their cards faster than ~14MB/s, then all of my Ultra II cards are okey dokey?

Hmm, ok then.

rufus5150 · Feb 2, 2009

I hate jacking threads of people that I really respect here, but I can't resist:

African or European Camera?

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH.....

Dubious Drewski · Feb 2, 2009

Oh yes! An African camera maybe ... but not a European
camera. that's my point.

SECOND SOLDIER
Oh yes, I agree there ...

ARTHUR
(losing patience)
Will you ask your master if he wants to join the Knights
of Camelot?!

FIRST SOLDIER
But then of course African cameras are non-migratory.

SECOND SOLDIER
Oh yes.

ARTHUR raises his eyes heavenwards and nods to PATSY. They turn
and go off into the mist.

FIRST SOLDIER
So they wouldn't be able to bring a coconut back anyway.

SECOND SOLDIER

Wait a minute! Suppose two cameras carried it together?

andrew99 · Feb 2, 2009

Perhaps if we built a large wooden badger..?

Big Mike · Feb 2, 2009

I've always said that card speed isn't really relevant for most shooting. Sure, if you are shooting like a machine gun the buffer might fill up and a faster card will clear the buffer faster...but most people don't shoot like that so it's not really an issue.

However, faster cards can access info faster and off load faster. I've never been in such a rush that the off loading speed was an issue...but the one that does bother me, is the speed at which the camera brings up the images on the LCD.

For example, one time I was shooting some wedding formals and I was chimping after every few shots. I switched cards, going from an Extreme III to a regular Sandisk (or some other 'slow' card). The difference in the time it took for the camera to bring up the images on the LCD was significant....and very annoying.

christopher walrath · Feb 2, 2009

For a film camera the write speed would be 186,000 miles per second.

SrBiscuit · Feb 2, 2009

andrew99 said:
Perhaps if we built a large wooden badger..?

JerryPH · Feb 2, 2009

If your camera is not UDMA compatible, a SanDisk Extreme III is more than enough. If your camera is UDMA compatible, you get good benefits from using an Extreme IV.

I did not bother to look around if your camera was or was not, I can leave that up to you.

Dubious Drewski · Feb 3, 2009

Big Mike said:
I've always said that card speed isn't really relevant for most shooting. Sure, if you are shooting like a machine gun the buffer might fill up and a faster card will clear the buffer faster...but most people don't shoot like that so it's not really an issue.

Well most people don't shoot like that, but some people really need to. If you're just out for a leisurely stroll taking photos of landscape, then I agree with you. But since this Christmas, I've shot two basketball games, two hockey games, one wedding and one dogsled race. Each situation required rapidfire shooting. It's important to me to know what I can push out of this K10, because after using it so much, I'm really starting to feel its limits and I want any edge that I can get.