The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Five new cards were put through their paces, yielding two worthy contenders, two also-rans, and a Crap List awardee. Read the scoop below.
Lexar’s new top-of-the-line Professional 600x card led this group and took its place among the elite cards, while Transcend’s new middle-ground 400x card turns in good performance as well. Super*Talent has released a pair of barely distinguishable cards with grossly overstated 600x and 533x ratings, while Calumet’s 420x ProSpec card (which I strongly suspect is actually produced by Delkin) is a Crap List-worthy disaster.
Performance Summary: JPG Results
Lexar Professional 600x: A (98)
Transcend UDMA 400x: B (88)
Super*Talent 600x: D (66)
Super*Talent 533x: D (65)
Calumet ProSpec 420x: F (59)
Buy Lexar Pro 600x cards from Adorama: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
Transcend 32GB Compact Flash (CF) 400X Flash Card
Performance Summary: RAW Burst Test
Lexar Professional 600x: 6.7 fps – 31 MB/sec
Transcend UDMA 400x: 5.5 fps – 25 MB/sec
Super*Talent 600x: 4.5 fps – 16 MB/sec
Super*Talent 533x: 5 fps – 16 MB/sec
Calumet ProSpec 420x: 3 fps – 11 MB/sec
19 responses so far ↓
1 Jared Chapin // Jan 17, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I love that you have tested the Calumet Cards. The guys at Calumet will tell you that they among the best & I knew they that couldn’t be true.
2 Jared Chapin // Jan 17, 2010 at 6:27 pm
http://www.hoodmanusa.com/prodinfo.asp?number=RAW6%2DCF8GB
Would love to see if these stack up to Lexar & Sandisk Pro 600X cards
3 The Sports Photo Guy // Jan 17, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Based on my past experience with Hoodman, I doubt it seriously. But I will take a look.
4 Wisconsin // Feb 18, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Can I use a CF UDMA of 32GB in my Nikon D300?
5 Alan Cormier // Mar 2, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I recently tried 2 Kingston Elite Pro 133x 8GB cards and both failed in fewer than 100 files on the D300s yielding the flashing CHR message.
6 The Sports Photo Guy // Mar 4, 2010 at 7:55 pm
I used Kingston Elite Pro cards in my D2H days, and they were always very reliable. Sorry to hear about your experience.
7 The Sports Photo Guy // Mar 21, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I believe 32GB cards are compatible, although the largest I personally have used is 16GB.
8 Richard // Apr 3, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I read somewhere or other that the Hoodman RAW cards can not match the write speed of the Sandisk and Lexar cards, but their claim to fame is reliability. They claim a ZERO failure rate among their cards (as justification for their greater expense also). They are made in the USA.
9 The Sports Photo Guy // Apr 3, 2010 at 12:30 pm
I’ve read that claim, too – utterly ridiculous, if you ask me. Unless, of course, they’ve sold so few of these cards that they know every owner by name. No failures that they know of, but that’s a bit different.
CF cards are inherently very reliable; when there is a reliability problem, it tends to make news.
10 AP // Apr 24, 2010 at 6:24 pm
What I would like to know most is read speed. Since that is what makes the workflow faster (after the shoot).
I wish some one sold a USB 3 memory card reader allready. I have asked around.. Hoodman says they have one by the end of the year.
11 Alin Avramoni // Sep 20, 2010 at 1:55 am
Would you think a Transcend 400x, 32Gb it is enough for filming HDV video with a Sony Z7 or a Lexar 300x 32Gb would be more faster?
12 The Sports Photo Guy // Sep 20, 2010 at 7:58 am
I have no experience with the Sony or shooting 1080p video, but based on my experience these two cards have similar performance. I would save money and get the Transcend.
13 Alin // Jan 16, 2011 at 3:30 pm
That I just did. I’ve bought 2 transcend 400x, very pleased. I will buy 2 more. I heard that the 64 cards are not supported by the MRC1K unit. Did anyone test this cards on Z7?
14 Steve // Jan 23, 2011 at 5:34 pm
I am interested in the performance of the Lexar 16GB Professional 400x CompactFlash Card compared to the Transcend 400x and the SanDisk 16GB Extreme 60MB/s. Current price on the Lexar is $79.99, knocked down from its price of $115 by an instant rebate.
15 The Sports Photo Guy // Jan 23, 2011 at 7:12 pm
The Lexar 400 is definitely the best of the three in the D300/D300s. If you’re using a 5D Mk II you might get better performance with the SanDisk Extreme (see Galbraith: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10043-10255).
16 Steve // Jan 23, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Going to be using it with the 7D which arrives tomorrow.
Thanks for the quick reply too.
17 The Sports Photo Guy // Jan 23, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Have a hunch that it may perform OK in that body as well – but don’t have any references to confirm that.
18 Patrick // Mar 5, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Failed Lexar Professional 400x 16GB UDMA compact flash card
I have a Lexar Professional 400x 16GB UDMA compact flash card and currently it will not open either in the Camera or my computor. I could not access files with Lexars Image rescue Utility either. I could not find any information at all with Lexar but what I did find during my extensive surfing for info where a lot of indications that I may have a failed micro-processor. I have been using this card in my 7D. I have read in several places that these cards fail and a rep from a local Camera shop told me he has seen issues with a few of these cards. It would benice if Lexar would rate their media, I paid over $230 for this card I am soo pissed !
19 The Sports Photo Guy // Mar 5, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Have you contacted Lexar support? Their service is top-notch.
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