# Fastest compactflash card for 7D



## Richard8971 (Aug 30, 2012)

I am wanting to purchase a new card for my 7D. I currently have the Sandisk Extreme (400X) 16GB card and want to upgrade to a 32GB. Should I get another 400X card or upgrade to the Extreme Pro (600X). I don't care so much about upload/download time from the card to my PC, but will my camera benefit from the increased speed? Thanks.

Oh, and I am running the new V2 firmware upgrade with no problems so far.

D


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Aug 30, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> I am wanting to purchase a new card for my 7D. I currently have the Sandisk Extreme (400X) 16GB card and want to upgrade to a 32GB. Should I get another 400X card or upgrade to the Extreme Pro (600X). I don't care so much about upload/download time from the card to my PC, but will my camera benefit from the increased speed? Thanks.
> 
> D



If you have firmware 2.0, then the Lexar 1000x 32GB card works fastest of all that I have tried, even faster than the Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB 90MB/s cards by a noticeable margin. Prior to 2.0 firmware there was no difference between the two cards when used in the 7D.

On the 5D3 the difference between the two cards is even a bit larger.


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## Richard8971 (Aug 30, 2012)

LetTheRightLensIn said:


> Richard8971 said:
> 
> 
> > I am wanting to purchase a new card for my 7D. I currently have the Sandisk Extreme (400X) 16GB card and want to upgrade to a 32GB. Should I get another 400X card or upgrade to the Extreme Pro (600X). I don't care so much about upload/download time from the card to my PC, but will my camera benefit from the increased speed? Thanks.
> ...



Well, for $450 bucks for the 1000X I don't think so. I was thinking of the 600X 32GB Extreme Pro from B&H for $130.00 over the 400X Sandisk Extreme 32GB for $80.

I was just curious IF the speed "increase" was noticible between the Sandisk Extreme 16GB (400X) and the Sandisk Extreme Pro (600X). If it wasn't, then I wouldn't waste my money on it. I will just get the Sandisk Extreme 32GB (400X).

Thanks again.

D


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## kaihp (Aug 30, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> LetTheRightLensIn said:
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> > Richard8971 said:
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B&H
and Adorama have the Lexar 1000x 32GB's on sale for less than $140 (sale ends tomorrow)

YMMV.


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## Richard8971 (Aug 30, 2012)

kaihp said:


> Richard8971 said:
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Thank you!  I ordered one from Adorama.

D


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## fotoray (Aug 30, 2012)

Seems to me that the Lexar 1000x is UDMA7 compliant - but is the 7D is UDMA7 compliant? 7D certiainly is UDMA6 compliant, but I don't think v2 firmware made 7D UDMA7 compliant. Even though the Lexar 1000x may be the fastest card available, the 7D may not be able to take advantage of the faster speed. 

http://www.lexar.com/products/lexar-professional-1000x-compactflash-card?category=213


http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/professional_cameras/digital_slr_cameras/eos_7d#Specifications]
[url]http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/professional_cameras/digital_slr_cameras/eos_7d#Specifications[/url]

I have been using SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB cards on my 7D since they came out and have been happy with them. Since upgrading to the 7D v2 firmware I have notice some improvement in burst speed.


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## Studio1930 (Aug 30, 2012)

I just ordered six of the 16GB cards yesterday (for my 1DX and 1D4). Great price! ;D



kaihp said:


> B&H
> and Adorama have the Lexar 1000x 32GB's on sale for less than $140 (sale ends tomorrow)
> 
> YMMV.


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## Rienzphotoz (Aug 30, 2012)

fotoray said:


> Seems to me that the Lexar 1000x is UDMA7 compliant - but is the 7D is UDMA7 compliant? 7D certiainly is UDMA6 compliant, but I don't think v2 firmware made 7D UDMA7 compliant. Even though the Lexar 1000x may be the fastest card available, the 7D may not be able to take advantage of the faster speed.
> 
> http://www.lexar.com/products/lexar-professional-1000x-compactflash-card?category=213
> 
> ...


I have SanDisk 16GB 400X UDMA (60mb/s), 600X 16GB UDMA (90mb/s) and the Lexar 64GB 1000X UDMA7 (145mb/s) ... after the initial burst rate (at 8fps) the number of shots I can take in a stretch with 1000X UDMA7 card is much more than the other two cards. Conclusion: 7D with firmware v2 gives better burst rates with a 1000X UDMA7 CF card than the other CF cards


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## Timothy_Bruce (Aug 30, 2012)

Rienzphotoz said:


> I have SanDisk 16GB 400X UDMA (60mb/s), 600X 16GB UDMA (90mb/s) and the Lexar 64GB 1000X UDMA7 (145mb/s) ... after the initial burst rate (at 8fps) the number of shots I can take in a stretch with 1000X UDMA7 card is much more than the other two cards. Conclusion: 7D with firmware v2 gives better burst rates with a 1000X UDMA7 CF card than the other CF cards



what means "much" more ?


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## photophreek (Aug 30, 2012)

Firmware 1.2.5 for the 7D made the 7D UDMA 7 compliant. So FW 2.0 is UDMA 7 friendly. A test I read recently(where I read about the test escapes me right now) rated the Lexar 1000x, 150mb/s cards as the top in terms of speed.


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## fotoray (Aug 31, 2012)

Just looked on Amazon at cost of Lexar 1000x 32GB card. One card for $130, or a two-card pack for $300. 

Interesting that it is $40 cheaper to buy two copies of the single card than to buy the two-card pack. : ????? 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lexar+1000x&sprefix=lexar%2Caps%2C254


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Aug 31, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> LetTheRightLensIn said:
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I think B&H still has them on sale for one more day, I think they are around $135 or something, certainly not $450.


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## Rienzphotoz (Aug 31, 2012)

Timothy_Bruce said:


> Rienzphotoz said:
> 
> 
> > I have SanDisk 16GB 400X UDMA (60mb/s), 600X 16GB UDMA (90mb/s) and the Lexar 64GB 1000X UDMA7 (145mb/s) ... after the initial burst rate (at 8fps) the number of shots I can take in a stretch with 1000X UDMA7 card is much more than the other two cards. Conclusion: 7D with firmware v2 gives better burst rates with a 1000X UDMA7 CF card than the other CF cards
> ...


It means after the 7D buffer fills up at the initial 8fps burst mode:
with 400X UDMA (60mb/s) I get 2 more shots before I have to wait for 2 seconds for the next shot
with 600X UDMA (90mb/s) I get 3 to 4 more shots before I have to wait for less than 2 seconds for the next shot
with 1000X UDMA (145mb/s) I get 7 more shots, before I have to wait for the next shot for 1 second
These are approximate numbers based on my last week's photos taken of a running Oryx in the desert.


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## Timothy_Bruce (Aug 31, 2012)

Rienzphotoz said:


> Timothy_Bruce said:
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Thank you that is what I were looking for.


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## Richard8971 (Sep 2, 2012)

LetTheRightLensIn said:


> I think B&H still has them on sale for one more day, I think they are around $135 or something, certainly not $450.



I looked at Lexar's website and the suggested retail price is $450.00. I didn't bother to do a search, I figured the cards for what they were would be outside of my price range, thank God for sales!


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## Richard8971 (Sep 11, 2012)

Just a quick update. My new Lexar 32gb 1000X card showed up today from Adorama ($139.00) Gotta tell you, I love this card. With the V2 firmware, it opens up a whole new world of responsiveness and speed to my 7D that I never before thought possible. It was well worth getting the new card (and installing the new V2 update). 

I am very impressed with Lexar's new line of 1000X cards. This won't be the last card I buy from them!

D


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## Richard8971 (Sep 11, 2012)

Oh and just FYI, it looks like Adorama and B & H have the 32GB 1000X cards on sale again for about $128.00. Guys this is a steal! 

Adorama : http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF1K32.html?sub=forum&utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=rflaid64393

B&H : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/841566-REG/Lexar_LCF32GCTBNA1000_32GB_CompactFlash_Memory_Card.html


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## kaihp (Sep 11, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> Just a quick update. My new Lexar 32gb 1000X card showed up today from Adorama ($139.00)


Mine still says "backordered" at B&H and I ordered on Aug 30th as well. I emailed B&H about delivery time they sent back a zero-value answer ("usually ships in 3-9 days". Sure, that's for new orders. What about MY order?)


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## Rat (Sep 11, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> Guys this is a steal!


I bet - here in Europe, cheapest I can find is _double _that price and importing them is not much cheaper unless I buy a dozen or so in one go


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## K3nt (Sep 11, 2012)

Rat said:


> Richard8971 said:
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I haven't tried the 1000x cards so can't comment on them, but I find these buggers hard to beat for price/performance: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duracell-32GB-Speed-ProPhoto-CompactFlash/dp/B005THGNCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347356753&sr=8-1

I ordered 2 just to test them because they were so cheap, I find I rarely use anything else. My CF card collection now consists of:
1x Kingston 32GB 600x
2x Duracell 32GB 600x
1x SanDisk Extreme 8GB 400x
1x SanDisk 8GB 200x

I was a bit reluctant to buy the Duracells but I haven't had a single problem with them.


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## Rat (Sep 11, 2012)

K3nt said:


> I haven't tried the 1000x cards so can't comment on them, but I find these buggers hard to beat for price/performance: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duracell-32GB-Speed-ProPhoto-CompactFlash/dp/B005THGNCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347356753&sr=8-1


Thanks for the tip - apparently, mr. Galbraith is pretty happy with 'em too. Surprising no-one mentioned this site to the TS yet, has a comprehensive list on the 7D. I got myself a few Transcend 400x's (with udma 7 support ) which are a little cheaper than the Duracells still, very happy with those. However, the Lexar 1000's are a _serious_ lot faster than what we shoot with


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## xps (Sep 11, 2012)

I tried the Lexar CompactFlash Card (CF) Professional UDMA 1000x 32GB (LCF32GCTBEU1000) - 200 Euros in Europe. Very fast. Downloading and uploading with an cardreader was faster than 70MB/s.

Last, I bought the Transcend CompactFlash Card (CF) 400x 32GB (TS32GCF400). Only 48€, about 50Mb/s.

But @ my Eos 7D, the speed for saving the pics was nearly equal.


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## xps (Sep 11, 2012)

In an german photomagazine a test was published last month: (MB/s writing/ MB/s reading)
1. Lexar CF 32 GB (U1000) (78/108)
2. Lexar CF 32GB Professional (...U400)(58/87)
3. Transcend CF Ultimate 32GB (62/82)
4. Lexar CF 32GB Professional (...U600) (54/84)
4. Transcend CompactFlash Card (CF) 400x 32GB (TS32GCF400) (55/78)


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## adhocphotographer (Sep 11, 2012)

Great info guys, thanks!


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## Richard8971 (Sep 12, 2012)

Rat said:


> Richard8971 said:
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Why can't you just have a friend here in the States buy one (or more) stick them in an envelope and mail them to you?

Have them mark the package "sample" or "gift" with a zero dollar value for import/export purposes... We did that all the time with eBay and sending items overseas without too many issues.

D


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## wild1photo (Sep 12, 2012)

I own the Lexar Professional 16GB 1000x cards UDMA 7 (150 MBs) and San Disk Extreme Pro 16GB UDMA 6 (90MBs) and have 5D mark III and 7D with the 2.0 firmware upgrade which enhances frame rate for the 7D. 

In testing: Both cameras were set at 1/800 f 2.8 using the new 16 -35mm L II lens. Also using camera settings of high speed continuos shooting. AI servo mode with shutter release, being priority over focus, for both first and second images, which will give you highest frame rate. In the field others may be using focus priority or equal priority between focus and release, then frame rate will go down as camera searches for focus longer before releasing shutter. Which means burst will be longer due to lower frame rate.

In testing on 7D, I found no difference in frame rate, or number of shots till buffer is full, between using the Lexar and the Sandisk memory. Shooting RAW I get 8 fps and the buffer is full after 28 shots (3.5 seconds of shooting). Confirms what Canon says that the 7D cannot exploit the UDMA 7 higher transfer rate of the Lexar and will transfer at UDMA 6 rate regardless of using faster rated card.

However on the 5D mark III, I was expecting to see a difference before the buffer was full between using these two cards. The 5D mark III is supposed to exploit UDMA 7 and be able to transfer files at higher rate. In fact I bought a couple of the Lexar cards wanting longer burst rate when shooting birds in flight. Using the Sandisk I got 22 exposures (aprox 3.5 seconds) Well the surprise was on me Lexar got the same fps and burst of 22 exposures. No difference between the two cards. I repeated this experiment several times and got the same results. 

Other surprise, the 5D mark III by Canon's spec should only get 13fps with the Sandisk UDMA 6 card and 18 fps with the Lexar UDMA 7 card and I am actually getting 22 fps burst rate for either card.

Based on this test, when using these two cameras there is no benefit in getting the newer cards. I am hoping for the benefit, when they upgrade the firmware for the 5D mark III, like they did for the 7D, which increased the burst and frame rate.

Irony is the 7D gives me same burst until buffer full at 3.5 seconds that the 5D Mark III does. However I get higher frame rate with 7D of 8fps vs the 5D mark III at 6fps. 

In the field when Autofocus is likely to be more priority, I am anticipating will be speed of the new 5D mark III autofocus system that will help keep frame rate high while 7D frame rate will drop as it searches longer for focus. 

Positives: 

a) Currently no need to upgrade to faster more expensive cards for either 7D or 5D mark III

b) Getting higher burst rate on the 5D mark III than what Canon claims it should using either card.


Cheers

Wild1


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## Rat (Sep 12, 2012)

Richard8971 said:


> Why can't you just have a friend here in the States buy one (or more) stick them in an envelope and mail them to you?
> 
> Have them mark the package "sample" or "gift" with a zero dollar value for import/export purposes... We did that all the time with eBay and sending items overseas without too many issues.


Customs actually sample mail and if they find taxable stuff, you get billed anyway - and that happens more and more lately. They apparently read forums like this one too ;D Worse, USPS loses a lot of mail, is my eBay experience - I've found no other country postal service to be this unreliable. And that's ok if there's just a few bucks in the envelope, but $130 is another story. 

Anyway, sooner or later someone I know will actually make the trip so yeah, I'll ask someone to bring a card or two. If I don't pick up one myself next year. But I still think those gargantuan price differences are pretty dumb.


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## kaihp (Sep 13, 2012)

kaihp said:


> Richard8971 said:
> 
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> > Just a quick update. My new Lexar 32gb 1000X card showed up today from Adorama ($139.00)
> ...


Crap. I just got notice from B&H that my Lexar cards, ordered the same day as Richard, are delayed until 21. September, and only 1 week for shipping is not enough to reliably get them to China.
Now for Plan B.


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