Cheap Cards

Amazon's Deal of the Day today is (once again) memory cards—this time PNY Elite Performance cards, including a good selection of high speed MicroSDHC cards at good prices.

Jusst passing the news along. I've been using 64GB cards recently, effectively removing the need to carry extras when I'm out with the camera (I came to New York with just one).

Mike

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Comments

[Joe Holmes]

No CF cards? Pshaw!

I started using 64GB cards when my D800 chewed up card space like a puppy with a slipper. Don't ask me why I still have 1GB cards in a drawer here. (I wonder if there are some old, forgotten photos on them!)

I hesitate to buy anything but major name-brand memory cards: Lexar, Kingston, Sandisk. I once got a good deal on a Transcend 16GB card, but it felt slow to me, and when I timed it, it turned out to be much slower than a Sandisk card of the same capacity and speed rating (60MB/s or 400x), a real-world difference I could actually feel when shooting.

Is PNY known to be a good performer?

I miss Rob Galbraith's card ratings, sadly discontinued in 2012. http://www.robgalbraith.com/camera_wb_multi_page9ec1.html?cid=6007-12451

[Brian Illes]

Best way not to need that extra card is to have it...and at these prices, no excuse not to carry a spare because you never know when the one in the slot will fail...

[Steve Biro]

Mike, I'm sure 64GB is more than enough for almost any trip or event. But I still always bring a second card. Card failure, while not common, is not unheard of either. And you know Murphy's Law dictates that a failure will occur at the worst-possible moment. Just my two cents' worth.

[Darlene]

Thank you for the link! I bought two 64GB cards, and wanted four, but they will not let you buy more than two at this price. I will use them with my DP Merrills.

[Jack Luke]

Am I the only one to shy away from larger cards? I just get so spooked having that many snaps in just one place! I like to work with 4GB at a time.

My boss who in his own words has 'stumbled from disaster to disaster'* in his 38 year career as a photographer still swears by 512MB cards!

* A horror story for you all storing negatives in paper backed sleeves. My boss has laid out all of his work (20 years worth at this stage) on a bench in preparation for applying for a grant.

He then went away on holiday for two weeks and when he returned discovered there has been a catastrophic flood which had dried sufficiently enough for all of his negatives to stick to the bags, peeling off all of the emulsion when removed. His stacked prints supposedly 'turned back into trees'

[Speed]

The great thing about not carrying an extra card is that you'll always know where it is when you need it. At home. In a drawer.

[Bill Allen]

I like to carry a couple old, small cards (eg. 128 MB) with me in case I run into someone that needs a few photos taken. That way I can just give them the card when I'm done; no fuss getting info to e-mail the pictures and all that. Back in the film days, I think there were some photographers that would just hand the roll(s) of film over to the client when they were done, though I can't think of any specific examples.

[richard]

I'm with jack Luke. Several 4GB cards, numbered, and recycle them.

(I shoot full frame, btw)

[Joe Holmes]

Though cards sometimes fail, I'd still rather carry a single (or two) 64GB cards than lots of smaller cards. In my experience, it's much easier to lose a loose card than to have it fail.