50x SD Card, good enough for video?

[flash110]

Hi!, i can buy a new SD Kingston 2 GB Elite Pro, its speed is 50x, is this good for recording the higher quality video with Canon S3/A630? this is important since i plan to take a lot of videos, if not, which memory card speed (and brand) is recommended for this? Thanx!

[szammit]

Just my 2 cents... I just bought two Corsair 2Gb SD Cards rated at 60x, and they're not good enough for video. I tried doing a low-level format on one of them to see if it helped (I think I read this somewhere?) and unfortunately it didn't. I wasn't too disappointed, since I don't take many videos, but I was kind of surprised.

My other SD card, a no-name 1Gb one without any rating on it, seems to work much better with video - at least it doesn't stop every 30 seconds.

Now, probably somebody with the Kingstons will tell me that they're good, but I just thought I could chime in :-)

HTH

[oj88]

I have three SD cards which I tried on the S3. Here are the results:Standard Kingston 512MB: Video recording would stop around 30 secs or less.Standard PQI 2GB: Video stops recording at 2 mins or less.Hi-speed 133X PQI 2GB: Video recording runs continuously until camera firmware limit is reached or stopped by the user.The irony here is that Kingston were supposed to be the more superior brand.

[flash110]

Thankx guys, from what i see, it seems Kingston elite pro 50x is not fast enough. Looking at numbers it should work though since 50x is a write rate of about 7mb/s and maximum video quality is recorded at about 2mb/s. Anyone knows from which speed a sd card is suitable to record continous video?

[flash110]

I can buy a PQI card of 1Gb 150X or trascend 2GB 150x, are these good brands? anyone knows?

[David Metsky]

The 2G Transcend x150 cards are good, I've have two for my S3 and SD300 and they are an excellent deal.

I have two standard Sandisk cards (512M and 1G) that works fine for 640x480 @ 30fps unlimited recording. I haven't tried it in the S3, but the video modes are essentially the same. I don't know why this brand of standard card seems to keep up with video on the camera when others report that supposedly faster cards fail.

Either way, with the prices of 60x and 150x cards so low it's not a difficult decision. I surprised that any 60x can't keep up with the video mode on the Canons. The specs say that they should be able to. This appears to be manufacturer specific, some brands aren't as fast as they claim.

-dave-

[truflip]

i just bought a 2GB 40x Patriot for $20 canadian each
will report tomorrow. i dont expect it to be good for the 60fps video option though but we'll see

[reppans]

Thankx guys, from what i see, it seems Kingston elite pro 50x is not fast enough. Looking at numbers it should work though since 50x is a write rate of about 7mb/s and maximum video quality is recorded at about 2mb/s.

Your numbers seem about right. I think most of the non-speed rated cards are around 30x and that should easily be able to handle 2mb/sec video (640/30fps). The burst mode will out run the non-speed rated cards, however. My tests HERE (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28595)

[flash110]

Your numbers seem about right. I think most of the non-speed rated cards are around 30x and that should easily be able to handle 2mb/sec video (640/30fps). The burst mode will out run the non-speed rated cards, however. My tests HERE (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28595)

Hi!, i´m confused, indeed my numbers seem correct but that doesn´t explain the experience of some posters in this thread who mentioned spontaneous
interruptions in video recording with standard SD cards and even 60x cards don´t seem to be suitable, on the other hand some affirm standard SD cards can record the highest quality video without problem. I think i read somewhere that SD cards (not SDHC) specify their writing speeds according to its maximum capacity so that the actual average speed is much slower than they are marketed.

For me it would be much cheaper to buy Kingston elitepro 50x cards (they are the cheapest) but i think they won´t be able to handle video well, continous shooting is not important to me. Anyone tested these cards?

[reppans]

Well, of course, I can't comment on why the people posting above seem to have had problems with their cards. But I've always bought the cheapest cards: PQI 256mb CF, PNY 2g SD and Kingston 2g SD (not even "elite pro") with no speed rating and have always been able to run video (640/30fps, 320/60fps) to what the camera's restrictions were (Canon S230 and A710IS). The cards have all worked like a charm, and the only limitation I've seen is on extended burst mode at the highest resolutions and with a highly complex detailed images (like tree branches). I once asked Canon what the camera's maximum write speed was and they said around 50 to 60x so, in theory, anything above that would be a waste.

If you are buying from a store, I'd bring the camera in, buy it, and try it for a couple of minutes in front of the salesman. If it doesn't work, then return it on the spot. Of course, ask if you can return it before cutting the case open.

[Jack]

I have 2 2GB Transcend 150x SD cards I use in my S2 IS — nevera problem with video @ 640x480 @ 30 FPS.

Purchased them from Newegg @ $35-40 each.

I see they now are asking $24/each.

And they carry a lifetime warranty.

Model TS2GSD150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820163158

Can't go wrong.

Jack

[truflip]

Alright so i put my new 2GB card to test yesterday...
video mode is very good.
30fps 640 is awesome
60fps 320 is awesome
and of course the rest is good

shot per shot is good. no lag in save times
only thing is when im doing high speed mode at Large superfine, it slows down soon after 10 shots.

Card is a Patriot 2GB 40x. $20 Canadian at NCIX.com

[AZImmortal]

You shouldn't expect the advertised speed of the card to be the actual performance you'll get from the card. The actual speed is almost always lower than the advertised speed, and sometimes it can be substantially lower. To give you an idea, I have a 4GB 150x A-Data card that reads and writes at about 9 MB/s in my card reader, which is actually closer to 60x. Also, cards with lower advertised speeds can sometimes actually be faster than cards with higher advertised speeds.

Without prior testing of the card (either by you or someone else), there's not much to guarantee that the card will perform as well as you need. The one exception is to buy a card that guarantees minimum read and write speeds, such as Sandisk's Ultra and Extreme lines.

[truflip]

The one exception is to buy a card that guarantees minimum read and write speeds, such as Sandisk's Ultra and Extreme lines.
You took the words right out of my mouth! =)
My Ultra II feels very fast.. :D

[griptape]

+1 for the Transcend on newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820163158

I bought one because the PNY card I had wouldn't do video without major skipping on playback (on my s3). I don't plan on taking a ton of video, but I certainly want the option, so I ordered one (needed a spare battery for my SD550 anyway), and it does video perfectly, and has been great thus far. I plan on ordering 2 or 3 more.

[Elisha82]

if no speed is mentioned.....the default lowest speed on SD cards are 10x which is about 2mbps but that doesn't mean all cards with no speed listed are 10x....some may be 20x or 30x.
the lowest high speed cards i see advertised are 40x onwards.