Updated 11/6: Tested A-Data’s Turbo 350x and Calumet’s ProSpec 305x cards.
Updated 9/12/2008: Apacer’s Steno IV 4GB card claims speeds of 300x while SanDisk’s upgraded Extreme III 4GB boasts 30 MB/sec (205x) read/write speeds.
Updated 8/23/2008: BiWin’s $50 16GB UDMA card has claimed speeds of 150x (write) and 300x (read).
Updated 6/18/2008: Ridata introduces their 266x Supreme CF card, which improves their standing to marginal performance.
Updated 5/11/2008: The Transcend 300x UDMA CF card performs well in all phases of testing. Transcend’s third UDMA card finally delivers!
Updated 4/5/2008: A reader with ties to the CF card industry reminded me of some fundamental truths about non-real-world ‘tests’ that should probably be reiterated here. (In fact, those of you who were familiar with my earlier discussion of CF cards on the ‘old’ site will remember I specifically avoided the word ‘test’ in talking about these observations.)
Few laboratory measurements equate to real-world performance. No photographer judges success by how many megabytes per second his CF card will read or write; success is getting the image on the card when you need it. Consequently, I’ve developed a new testing regimen as well as a new ‘grading scale’ approach for JPG write speeds. Simply speaking, I measure how many images a card can handle at 8 fps in a single burst before slowing down due to a full buffer. I conducted measurements at both JPG-Fine and JPG-Normal, which give a camera-measured buffer of 26 and 37 frames, respectively. Combining multiple measurements with a scale weighted toward JPG-Fine performance, I evaluate the tested cards as follows.
Grade: A (90+)
- SanDisk Extreme IV (8GB): 108
- SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition (4GB): 104
- SanDisk Extreme IV (2GB): 100
Grade: B (80-89)
- Lexar Pro UDMA (4GB): 89
- Transcend 300x UDMA (4GB): 89
- SanDisk Extreme III 30 MB/sec (4GB): 86
- ATP Pro Max II UDMA (4GB): 84
- PNY Optima Pro UDMA (2GB): 82
- PNY Optima Pro UDMA (4GB): 82
Grade: C (70-79)
- Pretec 333x (2GB): 74
- A-Data Turbo 350x: 71
Grade: D (60-69)
- Kingston 266x Ultimate (2GB): 64
- Transcend 266x (2GB): 63
- Ridata 266x Supreme (4GB): 62
- Apacer Steno IV 300x (4GB): 62
- BiWin 16GB 150-300x (16GB): 60
- A-DATA Turbo 266x (4GB): 60
- Delkin CF PRO UDMA (2GB): 60
Grade: F (below 60)
- Hoodman RAW 280x (2GB): 59
- Calumet ProSpec 305x (2GB): 56
- Ridata 233x Lightning (4GB): 55
- Pretec 233x (4GB): 52
- Transcend 133x (2GB): 51
For comparison, some non-UDMA cards tested included the Transcend 120x (2GB) with a score of 64, the Kingston Elite Pro 133x (4GB) which scored 53, and the A-DATA Speedy (2GB) which limped in with a score of 50.
Buy SanDisk Extreme IV Cards from Adorama: 2 GB, 4GB, 8GB
Buy Lexar Pro UDMA 300x Cards from Adorama: 2 GB, 4GB, 8GB
Transcend 4GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card
Transcend 8GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card
Transcend 16GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card
PNY 2GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card
PNY 4GB Compact Flash (CF) Flash Card
7 responses so far ↓
1 dcramirez // Feb 7, 2008 at 12:48 am
I just got a sandisk extreme IV and tested it in the D300 and got terrible results. In fact my Lexar 80x was twice as fast. The Lexar 300X UDMA was several times faster.
my test was as follows: raw 14 bit + fine jpeg quality preference. The sandisk took over 4 seconds per frame to shoot once the buffer was full. The lexar 300 did roughly 1 fps, the 80x doing about .4 fps Maybe there is something wrong with it. I’m sending it back
2 The Sports Photo Guy // Feb 7, 2008 at 3:09 am
It’s also possible you might have gotten a counterfeit card - there are quite a few of them out there.
3 dcramirez // Feb 25, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I’m not 100% sure it was genuine but it came with all the usual fancy packaging sandisk includes. I bought it off amazon (3rd party) The return was accepted without any issue. It was almost half the price it should have been. No more discounts for me I guess. I’ll give them a try again on account of your tests.
4 haansgruber // May 30, 2008 at 11:51 am
Personally, I only use Lexar CF cards. I have tried Kingston, SanDisk, Transcend and others. The results always seem to be best using the Lexar CF cards. I have the inferior 2GB, 4GB and 8GB cards in reserve, they serve as backup for travel situations and remote locations where frequent [iPod, Laptop] download may not always be possible. People always claim the SanDisk Extreme IV’s perform best. In a test, perhaps. But, unfortunately, I live in the real world, shooting with my real camera and memory. Tests mean very little. My experience means more. Now with “phony” cards saturating the market, it’s best to “go with what you know”. So, buy a card you know works for you, [has a warranty] get it from someone known to manufacture the cards [or a reputable dealer of same], pay a little more, be confident, satisfied and go shoot some great photos. This comes from price being the “do all”, and “be all” of the sale. Simple rule of thumb is; Anytime there is a chance to beat people out of their FRN’s, Euros, Yen, Etc. Scammers will never miss that opportunity, they always find a way. Caveat Emptor or, let the buyer beware!
peace
5 The Sports Photo Guy // May 31, 2008 at 6:51 am
Couldn’t agree more with you on the real world application; but properly done tests can still be useful. I experimented with a variety of test techniques before I came up with the methodology I use, which mirrors my real world experience. The SanDisk Extreme IV/Ducati cards have never missed a frame at 8 fps; the Lexar and PNY Cards miss frames every now and then. You’ll never see me using a card READER to test WRITE speeds as some sites do, much less using some technical gizmo that requires a PhD.
6 Beverly // Aug 9, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Have you tested these cards with RAW? This is how I shoot, which I know does slow things down a bit … I currently use SD extreme III cards, but I find that for fast burst wildlife photography they are a little slow. I am considering the Extreme IV cards … I have never used Lexar.
7 The Sports Photo Guy // Aug 10, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Yep, RAW shooting is in another post. Cards that do well here will also do well shooting RAW; some of the cards that aren’t so hot with JPG, however, perform OK for RAW shooting. But currently there are no SD cards supporting UDMA.
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