Putting a cheap memory card into a DSLR is like putting vegetable oil into the tank of a Ferrari*. The camera will write slower and you’ll saturate its internal buffer sooner. In short, if you have spent the money for a fast camera, then you should spend the money for a fast card.
I use SanDisk Extreme IV cards as they go great with my Nikon and have rather resplendent packaging (since reduced in size). They’re fast, to-ing and fro-ing data at up to 45MB/sec, which keeps my camera’s buffer free and means transfers from card to computer are also quick.
Today, these have been superseded by the Extreme Pro, a Compact Flash card available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sizes. They run at a blistering 90MB/sec, or double that of the previous cards. The catch is the price, which starts at $300 and rises quickly to $800. Extreme indeed.
Even the next model down, the Extreme III, has been ousted. This time the new range is simply called “Extreme” and offers rates up to 60MB/sec on cards from 8GB to 32GB and prices from $130 to $375. My lowly 4GB cards are starting to look a little old-fashioned.
Product page [SanDisk]
Press release [DP Review]
*OK, it’s not quite the same. A slow card won’t actually trash your camera, but you get the point.
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