CF card speed??

[250Gimp]

I need to get a new CF card and I am wondering about the different speed of the cards available. For example Extreme II vs. Extreme III vs. Extreme IV.

I know that the higher the speed, the quicker the down load should be, but does the speed of the card make a difference when taking bursts of pictures where you hit the limit of your buffer?

In short, will a faster card allow me to take more pics before the buffer fills up?

Thanks

 

[lostprophet]

what camera do you have?

A 200x card will only work as fast as the camera can

might be worth a look at Rob Galbraith's site http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

 

[Big Mike]

A faster card probably won't let you take too many more photos before your buffer fills up...but it should clear your buffer faster...which would allow you to get back to peak shooting speed ASAP.

However, the buffer on most cameras these days, is pretty darn big...so unless you are shooting like a machine gun for extended periods of time...a faster card probably won't make too much of a difference while shooting.

I have found that I like faster cards, just for the speed at which I can bring shots back up on the LCD.

 

[lostprophet]

one thing most people don't realise about fast cards is that they save battery power by saving the photos quicker.

In the days I trusted Lexar cards, 32x was fast, I'd get about 900 shots on one battery but as soon as I got Sandisk Extreme III cards (133x) I'd get about 1400 photos on one battery

 

[250Gimp]

Thanks for the replies LP & Big Mike

I am shooting with a Canon Rebel Xt, and I am currently using 133x cards. The newer, really fast cards, are UDMA, so I don't think my camera supports that.

I am practicing shooting birds in flight, which I am really bad at right now, so I find I use the machine gun method and run into the buffer sometimes.

Cheers