Memory Cards - Size vs Number

[porkhips]

I like using Sandisk Extreme Pro SDHCs. Never had a problem with one. Never had one fail on me. And they are lifetime warrantied.
But I always wonder is it better to have a handful of cards that are smaller capacity or a fewer which are larger?

Based on shooting needs and cost - the smallest capacity card I use is 16gb. Sure I could buy 4, 5, 6 of them, but at some point I begin wondering if I should just get 2-3 32GBs and be done with it.

Thoughts?

 

[runnah]

I have a couple 64gb CF cards for video. No problems with them. I will sometimes use a 32gb card in my camera if I know I am going to have a busy day.

Good advice is to not fill a card until it is maxed out and always format when finished transfering.

 

[jwbryson1]

The bigger the card, the more potential loss if you put a lot of images on a single card. I like 8G and 16B best.

 

[hamlet]

For photos i would advise you to buy several 16gb's. Better safe than sorry.

 

[runnah]

The bigger the card, the more potential loss if you put a lot of images on a single card. I like 8G and 16B best.

I disagree. if you buy quality cards and take good care of them they very rarely fail. I've only had one card fail and that was because I stepped on it.

 

[Dao]

The bigger the card, the more potential loss if you put a lot of images on a single card. I like 8G and 16B best.

I disagree. if you buy quality cards and take good care of them they very rarely fail. I've only had one card fail and that was because I stepped on it.

Then stop stepping on them.

 

[runnah]

The bigger the card, the more potential loss if you put a lot of images on a single card. I like 8G and 16B best.

I disagree. if you buy quality cards and take good care of them they very rarely fail. I've only had one card fail and that was because I stepped on it.

Then stop stepping on them.

Ha I try not to.

But yeah these are the cards I have on my desk and none have failed.

 

[jwbryson1]

The bigger the card, the more potential loss if you put a lot of images on a single card. I like 8G and 16B best.

I disagree. if you buy quality cards and take good care of them they very rarely fail. I've only had one card fail and that was because I stepped on it.

I'm not suggesting failure necessarily. I was thinking more about misplacing them.

 

[Designer]

Seems to me it is a matter of personal choice. Having all your vacation photos on one card sounds scary, but then you also don't want to be trying to change cards while standing in line at an amusement park, either.

The more times you change cards the more chances you have of dropping one in the mud.

 

[porkhips]

I guess this also raises the question of camera. I'm using an X100s and XPro1. Not sure from any kind of comparison chart if the Extreme Pro (95MB/s) card is overkill for these two camera. I tend to want simply what is best for the specific camera. If the Extreme Pro (45MB/s) or Extreme are better, I'd be fine to go down the latter.

From past experience, I've never lost or misplaced cards or had any accidents - not to say it's never going to happen. This whole thought popped in my head today when I saw a very slight price markdown at a nearby camera shop for the 64GB Extreme Pro (95MB/s). Nothing staggering, but I though instead of 4 16GB cards, maybe I should get 2 32GB cards. It's not life or death, just a thought. There's no harm in me bringing a small pocket holder with 10 cards of 8 or 16 or 5 cards of 32 or 64. But once I get over the 4 card mark, I want to start consolidating. And then it's losing money if I could have done it from the start.

 

[Tailgunner]

I'm a fan of the 16GB and 8MB cards....the Pro 16GB's for personal usage and cheaper 8GB for giving friends/family members copies. My camera also has two card slots, I can assign one as an over flow or a back up.

 

[tirediron]

I but top quality 4 Gb cards. Why? Because when it comes to backing up, 1 card = 1 second-level back-up DVD!

 

[Derrel]

I but top quality 4 Gb cards. Why? Because when it comes to backing up, 1 card = 1 second-level back-up DVD!

YES, that system's been used by a number of people. It makes it easy. I personally went with 2-gig cards back when those were the "top dog", and then later, with high-end, 8-gigabyte CF cards. I've added a couple of high-quality 4-gig CF cards in the last year, both spontaneous buys when I left home without my cards, and ran through the two, 8-gig cards I had in the camera when I left.

I've long been MUCH more concerned about the cards write-to speeds, as tested by Robgalbraith.com in his CF and SD and XQD Card Database. The SPEED of a card is now a big factor,especially when shooting video, so actual real-world card write speed tests like those that Rob has been doing for a decade are important
to me. For a couple years, we've had a member here repeatedly,emphatically state that the "speed ratings" on cards are more of a factor in how fast the card downloads to a computer and that card speed ratings have basically no impact on in-camera performance, but that's misinformation.

Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD/XQD Performance Database

 

[Ilovemycam]

I use them like film. Never erase the, I go with 8 and 16's. I don't like too much on one card myself. My Fuji X puts 275 RAW+ on a 8 card. From there I back my stuff up 12 time over at a number of sites.

 

[minicoop1985]

I don't take a lot of photos. Go ahead and laugh, but I have one (yes, one) 4 gb CF card for my E-450. My wife has probably 4 or 5 16 gig cards but never erases anything. Ever.