StephenPatterson Posted March 21, 2013 Share #1 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) It seems that the choice of SD card for the M240 can make a significant impact on start and wake times, as well as buffer capacity. Please list your cards and experiences here so we may all benefit from learning what cards offer the best performance. In the M9 it was more a matter of works or doesn't work, but with the M240 it seems that the make of the card can have a great impact on performance (even cards from different manufacturers with identical specs can have vastly different performance times). Transcend SDHC Class 10, 8GB & 16GB cards. Time to Power on: 4-5 sec. Time to Wake with LV: 5 sec. Time to Wake w/o LV: 5 sec. Buffer: 6 frames continuous, then 1 per second. Edited March 21, 2013 by StephenPatterson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Hi StephenPatterson, Take a look here M240 SD Cards and Associated Camera Function Speeds. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Smootjazz1 Posted March 21, 2013 Share #2 Posted March 21, 2013 I am new to the forum, and am debating intently on whether to but an M9 vs a new M(240). To clarify, after the 6 frame buffer, the camera allows one frame per second exposures-(until the camera writes the images to the card)- is this correct? Do you know how this compares to the M9 speed? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted March 21, 2013 ... after the 6 frame buffer, the camera allows one frame per second exposures-(until the camera writes the images to the card)- is this correct? That is my experience with this particular card, but others have reported writing more files to the buffer before falling back to the one per second. Finding an answer to that question is the purpose of this thread. Unlike the M9 the M240 keeps firing away even while it writes to the card. A huge improvement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted March 21, 2013 Mustang 16GB Le Mans Class 10 card Time to Power On: 2.5 sec. Time to Wake with LV: 2.5 sec. Time to Wake w/o LV: 2.5 sec. Buffer: 6 frames continuous then 1 per second. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted March 21, 2013 Share #5 Posted March 21, 2013 I find this very hard to believe .... I have tried both Eye-Fi 16gb and Sandisk Extreme 16gb (both class 10) From full off < 1sec From standby < 0.5 secs If fact unless I pre-focus I could not focus fast enough to take a photo before the shutter is usable. Which Firmware are you using ....... ???? I never upgraded to the latest....... .... tinkering with software/firmware often de-optimises the coding.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted March 21, 2013 I'm running the latest firmware 1.1.0.2 My friend in Hong Kong with an M is reporting the same slow start up speeds as me. I'm not sure what card he is using, but it's a class 10. We've all been conservative with cards from the M9 to try and avoid lock up problems. Tomorrow he's going to test the faster 45MB/s Sandisk Video card, which he has at the studio. Unfortunately I'm in the middle of nowhere, and don't have access to any other cards until I return to Hong Kong in a few weeks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted March 21, 2013 Share #7 Posted March 21, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'd put my money on it being a problem with the updated firmware Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted March 21, 2013 Share #8 Posted March 21, 2013 Startup times were noticed by beta testers. I switched to 48x 16GB Sandisk for the M240 and startup is acceptable. Jono was using something faster than x120 (can't remember the brand) and had no problems. My experience is that at least x48 makes sense with the M240. Also - I'd disagree that it's an issue with the lastest firmware - and would STRONGLY recommend making sure that you have the latest over the coming months as there's a lot of refining going on back at Solms. My experience is that at the moment, with either the shipping or the latest firmware the M-240 is a outstandingly good tool. New firmware is simply going to enhance the user experience and improve IQ with some lenses. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks Chris. I suspected it was the card speed. As many of us will be coming from the M9 (and slower cards) I believe building a database of cards that have been used with no issues would be beneficial. Leica does not address this in the manual, but simply states that not all cards work the same. True, but that leaves the leg work to us. I for one would be very grateful, before buying 6-10 new SD cards, to know from someone else here that they already work and work well. Thanks!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted March 21, 2013 Share #10 Posted March 21, 2013 I find this very hard to believe .... I have tried both Eye-Fi 16gb and Sandisk Extreme 16gb (both class 10) From full off < 1sec From standby < 0.5 secs If fact unless I pre-focus I could not focus fast enough to take a photo before the shutter is usable. Which Firmware are you using ....... ???? I never upgraded to the latest....... .... tinkering with software/firmware often de-optimises the coding.... Thanks. That seems to be the record right now. Does anybody else have something faster? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted March 21, 2013 Share #11 Posted March 21, 2013 I have just found something stamped on the baseplate of my camera ...... ..... I think it says U. Bolt ...... whatever that means ...... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted March 21, 2013 Share #12 Posted March 21, 2013 I have just found something stamped on the baseplate of my camera ...... ..... I think it says U. Bolt ...... whatever that means ...... :D Did you have to pay extra? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgcm Posted March 21, 2013 Share #13 Posted March 21, 2013 Sandisk Extreme 16gb (both class 10) From full off < 1sec From standby < 0.5 secs I use Sandisk Extreme 16Gb too and some 4Gb and my camera goes at the same speed. I did not checked the speed with a chronometer, but the camera is very responsive. Franco Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted March 21, 2013 Share #14 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) I've found an old sandisk ultra class 6..... 20mb/sec Just about doubles start up times .... but still fairly quick. Looks like you all need Sandisk Extremes .... the basic 45mb/sec still gets the best write- ups for speed/value .... and the 16Gb are very inexpensive..... any cheaper and you could almost keep them as a permanent digital negative.... .... but quite how a card speed influences start-up speed beats me ...... most exceed the capacity of the interface they are used with..... and Memory/CRC and FAT table checks must take milliseconds ...... BTW the Eye-Fi card works fine - but as transfer is slow you have to set the camera auto standby to 10 mins or off, otherwise not all the images download if you have taken a fair few ...... nice to have all the images automatically stuck in the right folder on my computer without having to take the card out though..... Edited March 21, 2013 by thighslapper 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted March 21, 2013 Share #15 Posted March 21, 2013 Anyone try different formatting of cards? Assuming format is a menu item on the new M, what if any difference is there if formatted in camera vs. computer format? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share #16 Posted March 22, 2013 I have only used cards formatted in the M(240), and think we should all stick with this as I fear the other way leads to chaos and madness. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted March 22, 2013 Share #17 Posted March 22, 2013 Hi Stephen - wouldn't want chaos but madness is part of Leica and can't be avoided:D The M9 would shoot faster if I PC format rather than camera format, so just wondering where the M stands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share #18 Posted March 22, 2013 Thanks Daryl, I guess my hesitation comes from talking with guys at Leica who recommended always format in camera and never delete individual photos, just reformat the entire card. We all learned to be cautious with SD cards with the M8 and M9. Part of my issue now is that I have a dozen Transcend class 10 cards, because they were stable in the M9 and never caused lockup, but now they are incredibly slow in the M240. I just worry about how to format the cards. PC? FAT32? Mac? It can be a problem. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
f8inhk Posted March 23, 2013 Share #19 Posted March 23, 2013 I today picked up a 95mbs class 10 card to try as I have many other class 10 cards. I am assured this was the fastest card on the market. My startup times are 2.5 secs whether from standy or direct on/off....i would love to see a video of this claimed 0.5 seconds time....as i am finding it hard to believe it can do that with any card, unless its as mentioned earlier just a glitch with the latest firmware (i also am running the latest). 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 23, 2013 Share #20 Posted March 23, 2013 I just worry about how to format the cards. PC? FAT32? Mac? It can be a problem. The official standards group gives away SDFormatter. https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/ 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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