Digital Camera World » memory cards

Best memory cards for cameras: 9 top models tested and rated

jmeyer — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:01:25 +0000

Memory cards are often an after-thought for many photographers, but pick the right memory card for your needs and you can vastly improve your workflow. We tested 9 of the best memory cards for cameras currently on the market to see which came out on top.

Best memory cards for cameras: Hama High Speed Gold 22MB/s Class 10 SDHC, 16GB

Street price £11
Buy it www.hama.co.uk
This regular Class 10 card lacks a UHS-1 bus, but proves pretty fast in most DSLRs, with a write speed of 16MB/s in both the 60D and 650D.

Backed up by a 10-year warranty, it’s very good value at less than 70p per GB. 4GB, 8GB and 32GB versions are also available.

Pros… Decent speed for an SDHC card; good value for money

Cons… Lacks UHS-1 future-proofing

Score: 80%

PAGE 1: Best memory cards for cameras – Hama High Speed Gold 22MB/s Class 10 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 2: Best memory cards for cameras – Lexar Professional 400x CF, 16GB
PAGE 3: Best memory cards for cameras – SanDisk Extreme Pro 300x UHS-1 SDHC, 8GB
PAGE 4: Best memory cards for cameras – Kingston Ultimate 266x CF, 16GB
PAGE 5: Best memory cards for cameras – Lexar Professional 600x UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 6: Best memory cards for cameras – Transcend Ultimate 600x CF, 64GB
PAGE 7: Best memory cards for cameras – Kingston UltimateXX 233X UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 8: Best memory cards for cameras – SanDisk Extreme Pro 600x CF, 16GB
PAGE 9: Best memory cards for cameras – Transcend Ultimate 566x UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 10: What to look for in a memory card for your camera

Best memory cards: 6 top models tested and rated

jmeyer — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 02:00:29 +0000

What are the best memory cards on the market? We compare six Compact Flash and SDHC cards to find out which one offers the best combination of storage, speed and value for money.

Best memory cards tested and rated

SanDisk Ultra 30Mb/s CF

Price: £29
Buy it: www.sandisk.co.uk
The SanDisk Ultra offers reasonable performance and is cheaper than some cards that are only slightly faster. The highest capacity is only 16Gb, but this is plenty for lower-resolution cameras like the D300s, where it’s a great value choice.

Score: 3/5

Kingston Ultimate 600x CF

Price: £28
Buy it: www.kingston.com
The fastest card on test for write speed in a Nikon D800, the Kingston Ultimate 600x beats even the Lexar 1000x, although it’s a bit slower than the Lexar for downloading files to a computer via a USB 3.0 reader. It’s also outstanding value.

Score: 5/5

Lexar Professional 1000x CF

Price: £71
Buy it: www.lexar.com
The 1000x has good write speed, both in-camera and via a card reader. For USB 3.0 read speed, it’s the fastest card here. It’s also the most expensive per Gb and, considering that many other cards write data faster, it’s not the best value.

Score: 4/5

Integral Ultima Pro UHS-1 95Mb/s SDHC

Price: £29
Buy it: www.integralmemory.com
The 32Gb Integral card offers great performance. Bear in mind that the 95Mb/s rating is only for read speeds. The claimed maximum write speed is 45Mb/s, but overall, it’s excellent value.

Score: 4/5

SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-1 45Mb/s SDHC

Price: £15
Buy it: www.sandisk.co.uk
This SanDisk has excellent write speeds both in-camera and when using a USB 3.0 card reader. However, read speed is less impressive, so it takes longer to download your photos to a computer.

Score: 4/5

Lexar Professional 600x UHS-1 SDHC 

Price: £24
Buy it: www.lexar.com
If you want the ultimate in speed from an SDHC card, look no further. It delivers the fastest in-camera and USB 3.0 write speeds in the group, and just beats the Integral Ultima Pro.

Score: 5/5

Memory card spec sheet

Free Canon memory card compatibility chart

jmeyer — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:00:33 +0000

Which memory cards can you use in your Canon DSLRs? Drag and drop our Canon memory card compatibility chart and find out!

Like many, you may have got a new camera for Christmas or bought one in the sales. Maybe you got a shiny new Canon 60D to replace your old Canon 450D, but intend to hang on to the latter as your back-up camera. You’ll want to buy some new memory cards that are compatible with both cameras.

Both Canon cameras are fully compatible with SD (SecureDigital) and SDHC (SD High Capacity) cards. It’s not worth bothering with SD cards as they have a 2GB capacity limit, whereas SDHC cards are available in capacities of up to 32GB. This is much more useful considering the Canon 60D’s larger image resolution and bigger file sizes, as well as for video.

For more about which memory cards are compatible with your EOS camera, we’ve put together a handy Canon memory card compatibility chart listing all the current and discontinued Canon cameras, which lists the type of memory card each uses.

SDHC cards are the most common Canon memory card format and use a Fat32 file system.

However, SDXC (eXended Capacity) cards use a different exFat file system. These are available in capacities of 64GB and higher, but they aren’t compatible with some of the older Canon DSLRs like the 450D or Canon 500D.

Another factor is that many of the latest SDHC and SDXC cards use a new UHS-1 (Ultra High Speed) bus. This offers the potential of super-fast data transfer speeds with cameras that are UHS-1 compliant. However, they’re also fully compatible with non-UHS-1 cameras.

Currently, only the Canon 5D Mark III, 650D and EOS M support the UHS-1 bus but it’s likely that all future models that use SDHC/XC cards will feature this

Whether they have UHS-1 or not, it’s best to buy SDHC/XC cards that have a specification of at least Class 10, which deliver a sustained write speed of at least 10MB/s.

These are now barely any dearer to buy than slower Class 6 or Class 4 cards, and they’re easily fast enough for full HD video recording and sustained stills shooting in burst mode.

Olympus unveils retro ‘film’ SD cards

jmeyer — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:15:53 +0000

Olympus has launched a new range of SDHC cards to complement the new Olympus OM-D.

The cards, which have been designed for use by those who miss the “authenticity” of using film, will be available in either black and white or colour variations.

Anybody purchasing the black and white variation will be limited to shooting in monochrome.

Initially the cards will be available in 4, 8 and 16GB variants and will be supplied in traditional 35mm film canisters to tie in with the retro feel.

Aroma

Olympus has also included a special pad inside the canisters which not only holds the card in place, but also gives the cards a unique “film” smell thanks to a special “secret formulae”.

Speaking to our friends at TechRadar, Olympus UK marketing manager, Mark Thackara said, “Given the versatility and range of options that are packed onto the OM-D, we thought it would be nice to go back to basics and give people the limitations that we used to have in the old days.

“By using one of our special cards, coupled with the retro appeal of the OM-D, you begin to get a feel for what it must have been like shooting with the original analogue OM, and that’s no bad thing.”

The cards will also be capable of working with other branded cameras.

Official UK prices for the new memory cards have yet to be confirmed, but it is known that the black and white card will be slightly cheaper than the colour version. Sales will start from May 1st.

Essential accessories

crutter — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:19:28 +0000

Buy a compact camera and that’s what you get – a camera. Buy an SLR body and you’re buying into a complete photographic system that can comprise any number of lenses and other accessories, enabling you to build up an incredibly versatile outfit. Some of these can be quite obscure, such as underwater casings for use when diving, but there are plenty of mainstream gadgets vying for a place on your wishlist, and some are essential if you want to take your photography to the next level. Here, we outline some of the options, and explain what each accessory does, and why it’s so useful.

Tripod

With image stabilisers in lenses and camera bodies, tripods aren’t quite as essential as they used to be. But if you’re shooting night scenes, working at extreme magnifications, or you just want to frame your shot with more care, you’ll still need one. A good, sturdy budget model will cost around £150. Select one that extends to your eye level without the need to extend the centre column – otherwise you’re essentially turning it into a less stable monopod. Look for multi-angle legs – useful for shooting in rough terrain – and make sure you top it with a good quality, sturdy tripod head.

Remote release

This enables you to fire the shutter without touching the camera, so you can get sharp results when using slow shutter speeds. Ensure the remote has a lock function, so you can take long exposures at night without having to keep the button pressed. Remotes are camera-specific, so be sure to buy one that’s compatible.

Flashgun

For good flash photography with an SLR, invest in a decent flashgun. Third-party models are available, but to make full use of your camera’s advanced features it’s best to buy a flashgun from the same manufacturer. Look for a head that you can tilt and swivel, as this will enable you to bounce the light off ceilings and walls.

Camera bag

A protective bag keeps your camera and other accessories safe. Backpacks are ideal when you’re travelling long distances, although shoulder bags give you quicker access to your gear. Try to find a bag with more compartments than you’ll need, so that your gear can expand into it as your collection grows.

Vertical grip

Vertical grips enable you to fit two batteries into your camera, providing extra shooting capacity. And with an extra shutter-release button and other key camera controls, they can make it easier and more comfortable to use the camera vertically. Some models also increase the camera’s continuous drive rate.

Microphone

Anyone that’s serious about recording high-quality video using an SLR will have a camera with a microphone input socket. This allows you to get much higher quality audio than relying on the camera’s built-in mic. There are many third-party hotshoe-mounted mics to choose from, although Rode mics are popular.

Filters

To protect your lens from scratches, fit a UV or Skylight filter – Hoya specialise in these. There are also three creative filters that you might like to consider:

A circular polariser, used to minimise reflections on water and glass, and make clouds stand out in blue skies
ND grads, used to balance exposures in landscapes when the sky is much brighter than the foreground
NDs (or ‘straight NDs’), used to achieve long exposure times and motion-blur, especially in running water

Memory cards

Memory cards with large storage capacities, such as 32Gb, enable you to capture masses of photos and video clips. However, do consider multiple, medium-capacity cards for important events such as weddings and holidays. That way, if a card develops a fault (rare, but it does happen), you won’t lose everything you’ve shot.

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