Best SDxx cards for M (240)

[wparsonsgisnet]

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I have been scouring the LUF for answers about faster SD cards for the M (240). I just swapped my M8 and M9 for this camera and I like it a lot.

 

I'd like faster cards and would like to hear others' experience with desirable cards.

 

I have been using Panasonic SDHC, 16GB, class 10 cards. I tried a Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB 45 mb/s card and it is faster. I see in my searches that the 64gb 95 mb/s card is faster.

 

Please post your recommendations.

 

Many thanks and best regards to all, Bill

[wparsonsgisnet]

I am looking at the Sandisk 64GB sdxc class-10 uhc-1 and uhf-3 cards.

 

As I understand it, the uhc-1 is good for still shots and HS video; the uhf-3, for 4k and 2k video.

 

Anyone using this card in the M (240)?

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[jaapv]

I'm still on 16 GB, I don't need more, and this camera appears to slow down with card size.

I am happy with Lexar Professional 600x. The camera is very stable and lock-up free. Good startup time, short (relatively) EVF blackout.

The Panasonic Gold 16 GB ( read 90 write 25) I use in my M9 and Monochrom slow things up considerably on the M40.

Edited February 13, 2015 by jaapv

[01af]

I am using SanDisk SDXC "Extreme Pro" 64 GB (Class 10, U1, 95 MB/s). That's the fastest card I tried so far ... but then, I haven't tried too many. No problems whatsoever. I can recommend this card but I have no idea if it is "the best" for the M (Typ 240).

 

At the time of purchase, this was SanDisk's fastest SD card. Meanwhile, SanDisk has introduced an even faster SDXC "Extreme Pro" model which is rated U3, 280 MB/s. I haven't tried this one yet.

 

And by the way, I am not using this card for the huge capacity but for the SDXC architecture and fast speed. SDXC cards just don't come in sizes smaller than 64 GB.

[wparsonsgisnet]

My interest is not in capacity, but in speed.

 

My usual use for my camera(s) is dance photography and I keep filling the buffer. This is not a shotgun approach to image-making, but the typical requirement for movement photography (like sports).

 

Using the Pan ddxc 16gb class-10 card, I require about 1.5 secs to be able to shoot following a full buffer.

 

The Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb class-10 45mb/s card, the interval seems to be below 1 second. If the 64gb card is indeed faster, I'm interested.

 

Bill

[Bill Livingston]

I have just been shooting my M-P with the Sandisk 64G/95 card.

 

I can take 15 shots (at f1.4 @4000/s) at a rate of about two shots per second. It then slows down to around one shot a second and I got to around thirty further shots before I stopped as basically, it felt like I could go on forever.

 

Oddly, after about 25 shots, the camera went to two shots per second and then one, and alternated from them on... obviously as the card was being written from the buffer. When I stopped (after those thirty shots, the red light indicated writing to card for around thirty seconds... but I could (obviously) still take shots while that was happening.

 

I know I am using an M-P with a bigger buffer, but this speed is fine for my use. Clearly, my Nikon D200's and 800 would fire far more rapidly, but I never actually tried to fire that many shots for that long, so cannot compare directly.

 

To be honest, if I needed more than two shots per second for more than ten seconds I would use another camera.

[leica1215]

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My vote goes to sandisk 16gb 95/90 one, I tried panasonic 32Gb the same 95/90 but once you have some pictures in it , the M takes a bit time to read or write than Sandisk.

[wda]

Lexar Professional 16 G.

[lct]

You may wish to take a look at my spreadsheet here: http://tinyurl.com/kp8qe83.

[lburn]

If you are familiar with Thorsten Overgaard's web site, he rates the Sandisk Extreme pro 95mb/s 64MB as the fastest he has tried in the type 240. He gives his reasons in his very extensive and (I think) informative article on the M Type 240. It is speed rather than capacity that concerns him, like you, so maybe those conclusions are of interest to you.

I use the Sandisk 16GB 95mb/s in my type 240 and find it fast enough for my needs and it has never let me down but may not be as fast as the 64MB version it seems. However my feeling is that once you have a card that you are happy with and find reliable which works at the speed you are happy to operate at, all is well. For me thats the Sandisk 16GB 95mb/s.

[Bill Livingston]

It was after reading Thorstens article that I bought my Sandisk 64/95 card. Never looked back...

[wparsonsgisnet]

You may wish to take a look at my spreadsheet here: http://tinyurl.com/kp8qe83.

 

Thanks for the spreadsheet data, LCT. I find the time to write in order to fill the buffer interesting and see that the large Extreme cards take longer.

 

Since I am shooting NON-continuously, I am interested in

1. how many pix to fill the buffer, and

2. the time before I can shoot the next image.

 

These are detailed in my earlier post.

[chris_tribble]

Bill - delighted you've moved to the M-240 - it's a very different experience. re SD cards, my very strong opinion is that super fast cards aren't a real must-have. The MOST important thing is to format whatever you're using with SD Formatter 4.0 https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/index.html.

Currently I use a range of 16 and 32 MB Sandisk cards (95MB/s class 10) and so long as they've been correctly formatted, wakeup time and write time are absolutely not a problem. WITHOUT formatting there can be issues,

 

Enjoy the new camera.

[Joshua Lowe]

I have a couple of these - Amazon.com: SanDisk Extreme 32GB UHS-I/U3 SDHC Memory Card Up To 60MB/s Read - SDSDXN-032G-G46 [Newest Version]: Computers & Accessories

 

And some random 16 gig I got at Best Buy

 

I think the closest I've come after a full day of shooting is about 50% full on a single 32 gig card.

 

Back when I was regularly shooting motorsports with an SLR and 7fps bursts I could fill a 32 gig CF card in a couple of hours...

[indergaard]

I've been using the Sandisk SDXC 64GB 95MB/s card for almost 1 1/2 years, and it's always worked flawlessly, and the images are flushed to the card quickly, and the startup time is minimal.

[wparsonsgisnet]

I've been using the Sandisk SDXC 64GB 95MB/s card for almost 1 1/2 years, and it's always worked flawlessly, and the images are flushed to the card quickly, and the startup time is minimal.

 

Yeah, this card is also recommended by Thorsten Overgaard on his site (in the "longest camera review, ever").

 

I plan to get a couple of these. Thanks, Indergaard.

[thighslapper]

Fastest I found were my 16gb Eye-Fi pro X2 cards .... presumably as they have a beefed up processor to handle the Wi-fi.

 

Not an economical choice though ...... and the wi-fi implementation is not very user friendly and I hardly use it ....

 

Otherwise Sandisk Extreme 95's seem to be as fast as anything else out there .... and I have a pile as I always seem to pick up a couple more whilst loitering in airport departures 'just in case' .....

 

Like Jaap says .... over 16gb is overkill and the smaller capacity cards are generally faster ...

[wparsonsgisnet]

... The MOST important thing is to format whatever you're using with SD Formatter 4.0 https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/index.html....

 

Bot a 64gb sdxc Sandisk Extreme Pro card yesterday. Downloaded SD Formatter today and am testing it on some cards.

 

Funny how I keep buying $80 to 100-plus cards a little while before they are available for $30-40. Damn.

 

Thanks for the recommendations. This is a *terrific* thread. I have requested that it be made sticky.

 

Regards to all, Bill

[wparsonsgisnet]

You may wish to take a look at my spreadsheet here: http://tinyurl.com/kp8qe83.

 

LCT, I'll send some data from my testing.

 

regards, Bill

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[colonel]

I have been scouring the LUF for answers about faster SD cards for the M (240). I just swapped my M8 and M9 for this camera and I like it a lot.

 

I'd like faster cards and would like to hear others' experience with desirable cards.

 

I have been using Panasonic SDHC, 16GB, class 10 cards. I tried a Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB 45 mb/s card and it is faster. I see in my searches that the 64gb 95 mb/s card is faster.

 

Please post your recommendations.

 

Many thanks and best regards to all, Bill

 

bigger and faster Bill ....

 

unfortunately the biggest of every wave does not seem to be the fastest

 

I am a big fan of Samsung but have also been buying sandisk post-M9. Have not used Lexar but I fancy the new 256gb.

 

my recommendations:

 

Lexar 256gb and very fast: (150mbs)

Lexar 256GB Lexar Professional 1000x SD (SDXC) Card UHS-II U3 - 150MB/s £199.99 - Free Delivery

 

Fast Sandisk 128gb: (80mbs)

SanDisk 128GB Extreme SD Card (SDXC) Class 10 UHS-I U1 - 80MB/s £135.99 - Free Delivery

 

Fastest Sandisk SD card but only 64gb : (280mbs wow!)

SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro SD (SDXC) Card UHS-II U3 - 280MB/s £189.99 - Free Delivery

 

have fun