SD Card Questions

[Cheap]

I went shopping for an SD card and noticed that they have a Class that is unrelated to storage capacity. I saw some that were Class 6 and others that were Class 10, with the Class 10’s costing more. I assume that the Class has to do with the speed, but that is just a guess.

What exactly does the Class mean and what are the implications for a digital point and shoot? Would there be a difference when using the card in a DSLR? I am currently using a Pentax Optio W90 and want to get a DSLR soon (probably a Nikon D90); I would like to buy an SD card suitable for both.

Finally, is there any significant difference, given the same storage capacity and Class, between name brand SD cards and those from lesser known brands?

Thanks guys for your help (again!).

[RoyC]

You are correct in that the "Class" refers to the speed you can write to the card. For a point and shoot like your W90, it most likely has no bearing on the speed you can take a shot. However, if you get a D90 then it will. A DSLR's ability to fire off many shots when in continues shot mode will be reduced if you have a card that has a "write to" speed which is slower than the camera's write speed. The camera's buffer will fill up and the camera's shot rate will slow to a craw. The D90 can write at around 30-35 MB/S.

[Da Da's Fishing]

A class 4/6 will do fine for any point and shoot. As stated above a DSLR is a whole different story. If you're dropping 1000+ on a camera, drop the cash on the biggest and fastest card that you can afford. It will make you very happy with your results esp if you're doing video or rapid shot. I use both all the time between kids, sports, and catching that perfect shot of a flipping fish. Just my .02.

DD F

[TroutTackler]

Also, be sure to specify between TRANSFER SPEED and WRITE SPEED...

You'll see some cheaper memory cards that claim they have a 20 or 30 mb/second speed, but odds are this is their transfer speed, meaning the max speed at which they can transfer, say, some files you put on it to a computer.

Write speed is what you're looking for - you want a memory card that can WRITE 20-30 mb/sec of data, such as still photos or HD video, from the camera as it is captured to the memory card in such a way that it will not slow down your shooting.

[Natefish21]

I like the UDMA cards, invest in a good card reader also. They will keep you from having to delete pictures in camera, according to my instructor this is bad...I just shoot till my card is full, transfer to my site and format the card in camera to clear the card. I also format the new cards just in case.