Memory Card for TZ1

[harryhoho]

Hi,

Just checked the memory card forums but didnt find info that I was able to use with regards to the TZ1.

I am planning to go for a 2 GB card, probably Sandisk.

I want to make heavy use of the 848*480 30fps video mode, so I am wondering which SD speed I should go for.

Different speeds seem to range from 5-20 Mb/sec, how much would I have to use for this camera to make the movie mode work?

Would the advantage be noticeable when taking pictures, or do 20 Mb/sec only have a serious impact on high end 10 Mp cameras?

And finally, is the enhance 12.5 zoom feature exactly the same as an additional digital zoom, that you could easily emulate by taking a 10x zoom picture and cutting the smaller area using editing software later on?

[pxpaulx]

because video resolution is much lower, you can get away with a lower speed card; I have the fz30, and just use a normal sandisk card (not high speed or anything) and have never had it stop with video. i don't know my card's write time, but it is fast enough for me. i think that panasonics write to the card at around 5mb/sec, so anything above that should be fine (someone else will chime in here with an exact number i'm sure).

the 'higher zoom' at lower resolutions is basically a crop of the higher megapixel image. by shooting a lower resolution, only the center of the sensor is used, which allows for a larger zoom number (technically). the same result would be achieved by taking photos at full resolution, then cropping and enlarging the center of the image. in short, it is optical and not digital, but its really only a kind of workaround from post-processing an image.

[harryhoho]

ok thx a lot xpaulx.

Guess I will go for an ultra II 2GB card with 10 Mb/sec then, if the rate really is somewhere in the region of 5Mb/sec, this should be more than enough. I dont care that much about transfer speed to the PC.

Slightly more exact transfer rate figures would be appreciated though , didnt find it on the Panasonic homepage.

I'll prolly never use the 12.5x zoom then, as 2Gb should be more than enough for any excursion I am planning to make .

[Cameron38]

I've got a 1g Ultra II, a 1g PQI (60x), and just picked up a Patriot 2g (40x) for $39. Video seems to record fine on all 3 cards in my TZ1. You need alot of memory cards if you're gonna record video on your vacation. 10min = 1 g.

[pxpaulx]

my alternative to large capacity cards is having a portable hard-drive that is also a USB host. i have an archos gmini 402 - i can take out my memory card, put it in a small portable card reader (i could do it directly from the camera, but that would waste battery power), and transfer the files directly to the hard drive, giving me ample room for my next vacation!

[harryhoho]

that Archon idea really sounds like a good one.

However, I dont need the video game capabilities .

You know something similar (also ~20 GB) that only has the ability to copy and store stuff from a memory card, maybe slightly smaller as well?