1

I own a D5000 and I wonder what memory card to buy for it. I will keep the kit 4GB and downgrade it to "backup" card probably (I will keep it always on me).

Considering a RAW image (I shoot RAW exclusively) is around 10MB and this card cannot shoot faster than 4 frames/second (it's bottlenecked by the internal buffer memory, RIGHT?! Not the memory card?) then it's safe to assume a 40MB/sec card should suffice.

But I'm not sure. Am I correct?

So what speed should suffice for a memory card put in my D5000?

|improve this question
  • possible duplicate of How can I know what speed card to get for my camera? – mattdm Sep 19 '11 at 21:12
  • 'I shoot RAW exclusively': Idon't mean to sound snarky but you could always switch to jpg rather than raw if you need to take a long series of photos at a high rate. RAW isn't always the best solution. – user7226 Dec 28 '11 at 15:09
1

Burst mode with RAW format will always be bottle-necked by standard SD-cards. I use a class 10 16GB card in my D5000 and I really don't see a noticeable different in the burst speed once the buffer is full compared to the old class 4 card I had. That's why pro cameras still use compact-flash and have larger buffers, it's much faster.

Edit to clarify SD card classes:

The class number is the minimum write speed in megabytes/second when the data on the card is fragmented. So a class 10 card will always be faster in the worst case than a class 4. The class number has nothing to do with the maximum write speed or the latency of the card however. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital#Speed_Class_Rating

|improve this answer
  • so I understand it doesn't matter if it's class 4 or 10? – Andrei Rînea Sep 19 '11 at 19:05
  • I've seen an even faster card at sandisk.com/microsites/ExtremeProSDHC/index.html which states 'Performance/speed: Up to 45MB/sec write/read speed (300X)' – Andrei Rînea Sep 19 '11 at 19:08
  • @Andrei: you usually won't get near the theoretical maximum write speed in practice. And the D5000 just wasn't designed to shoot burst mode for long periods of time. I usually get 8-9 frames in burst mode before the buffer fills and then I'm limited to the sd card's write speed. In practice the 'faster' cards haven't been noticeably faster. I honestly wouldn't pay more for a faster card, Instead I'd pay for larger capacity. – gerbob Sep 19 '11 at 20:20

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.