What have I gotten myself into?

[Texatdurango]

I got my little Canon SX30-IS camera yesterday and spent a good part of the evening reading through the online manual and ended up with a few questions and while I have emailed Canon, I don't expect a reply real soon so thought some here might know the answers.

The manual says the camera can use memory cards type SD or SD HC and leaves it at that. Upon shopping around I find that the SD HC cards run the gambit from 2mb per second to 20 mb per second and range in classes from Class 2, 4, 6, up to class 10. Somewhere along the line the camera must be able to support SD 3.0 to use these cards! Needless to say, I am more confused than when I started. I want a 16GB chip as seen here http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5625853&csid=_21 because I understand that I can take High Definition videos and a 16GB card will allow up to 1 1/2 hours total filming time.

Any thoughts or experiences with these class 10 SD-HC 16GB cards? OR, is there that much difference between a class 2 or class 4 to a class 10 in everyday use?

While we're at it, are there any outfits who consistantly have great prices and service so I can save googling every time I want an accessory?

 

[Lenny]

I always like to check newegg.com for any electronics ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...A=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=sdhc+class+10

they usually have the best prices I can find and often with free or very inexpensive shipping.

 

[alphageek]

George,

I agree with newegg in general..... However thats a good price on a good card.. I have the SAME card in my SLR.

FYI - I recommend class 6 at a minimum for video... 2 and 4 probably won't cut it.. 10 is great.

I've had no problems with my card, but I do recommend a backup card... That way if you're doing anything important, you don't have to worry about messing with the card on the fly if everything fills up OR you get any kind of an error.

The rule with cards.. If you get ANY error, don't write a single thing on it.. I've been able to recover pictures from cards that people thought were toast... But if you continue to write with it your chances of recovery go down.

At that price... Order 2 - You should be set for a LONG time

 

[cbatzi01]

I like the class 10 cards, and thought I noticed an improvement over the class 4 I was using (could have all been in my head).

In a related note, I was really surprised with the canon support. A while back I had a problem with a P&S, and they responded in less than 48 hrs to all of my questions. I hope you get the same response!

Thanks!
Chris

 

[G1Pens]

That is a great card at a great price. You won't be sorry you did the class 10 even if it is a couple bucks more. Tiger Direct is great. Newegg is great as well. Probably my first two choices for electronics.

 

[beck3906]

Most video recording situations will benefit from having a class 10 card. The class means the ability of the card to record full HD video without choppiness. You should get as fast a class as possible with the highest gb capacity to record longer video segments.

A recognized name card, class 10, 16 or 32 gb will do well.

Here's one of the latest models. :wink:

http://www.adorama.com/ILXSD128GPXC.html

 

[ctubbs]

At that price point, buy 2. As Alphageek recommends, class 10 will give better results for video. Compare getting 2 16gb to 1 32gb. Length of video recording will be limited by the battery in camera probably more than the size of memory. It is always good to have a backup card whatever size you buy.
Charles

 

[Sylvanite]

The difference between SD and SDHC is the capacity. SD (Secure Digital) cards have an architectural limit of 2GB (or 4GB if formatted with larger sectors). SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) architecture goes up to 32GB with the possibility for future expansion.

The speed ratings for SDHC cards are highly suspect, because the spec does not mandate the measurement of minimum transfer rate. Many manufacturers label their cards based on the maximum speed. Therefore, if you really want a good performing card, you have to do some research.

For example, the Kingston 16GB Class 4 card is reliably faster than most class 6 cards (including Kingston's), and typically works in video cameras needing class 6 rates. Lexar and Patriot also have good reputations, especially in their class 6 and class 10 cards. Transcend is hit-or-miss, depending on the camera and the video mode. I've seen reports of off-brand SDHC cards labeled class 6 or 10 actually measuring out at class 2 speeds.

16GB is a good size. I can fit about 2.5 hours of 30fps 1080p (1920x1080 full HD) video on a 16GB card with my camera. 32GB cards are reportedly power-hungry, consuming batteries quickly.

I'm happy with the Lexar 16GB Class 6 SDHC card (cheapest at Adorama). I've also gotten lucky with a RiData 16/6 that I bought from Meritline.

I hope that helps,
Eric