# 1DX Cards



## sanj (Jan 22, 2012)

Help requested..
I will buy the 1DX as soon as I can get hold of one. I want to know which would be the best (speed and capacity) memory card for it? I do wildlife photography and want to reduce buffering time after shooting bursts.
I currently use 5d2 and 7d. Will the cards you advice work on these camera's as well?
Thank you for your time.


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## PeterJ (Jan 22, 2012)

The 1DX uses CF cards as well so they should all work together. Some of this will be speculative until it's released but given its relatively similar resolution to the 7D & 5D2 and same 14-bit sampling there's not any reason to think RAW files won't be in the same order of size at say 25MB. So 25MB x 12fps = 300MB/s and because I believe the fastest CF cards are currently 90MB/s it will really just be the fastest you can afford if you shoot RAW.

For JPEGs there's also no real reason to think they will be much different in size to your 5D2 so you could just work out the above based on the average size of some of your past shoots, it's been a while since I've shot in-camera JPEG but suspect 90MB/s will still be the best choice for that high frame rate, the next choice down of 60MB/s would probably limit it a bit.

As for capacity once again file sizes shouldn't be much different to your current gear, other than if you really like to take burst shots you'll probably go through 50% / 100% more so maybe double what you're currently using. That depends on if you like to wipe duds between shots and/or swap cards in case of emergency, per shot how much capacity you use shouldn't change much.


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## Ellen Schmidtee (Jan 22, 2012)

PeterJ said:


> The 1DX uses CF cards as well so they should all work together. Some of this will be speculative until it's released but given its relatively similar resolution to the 7D & 5D2 and same 14-bit sampling there's not any reason to think RAW files won't be in the same order of size at say 25MB. So 25MB x 12fps = 300MB/s and because I believe the fastest CF cards are currently 90MB/s it will really just be the fastest you can afford if you shoot RAW.



There's a 100MB/s CF card by SanDisk, and Lexar announced a 150MB/s CF card.


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## bycostello (Jan 22, 2012)

dual cf slots so i'd putt two massive ones in there and shoot to one and back up to the other... no more faffing with cards...


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## Dr.Jones (Jan 22, 2012)

If you ask me this is probably the best card you could have. 

http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Pro-SDCFXP-128G-A91-CompactFlash-Card/dp/B004JNZJV4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1327234822&sr=8-6

Depends on your budget of course  It is an quiet expensive memory card.


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## vuilang (Jan 22, 2012)

sanj said:


> I want to know which would be the best (speed and capacity) memory card for it?
> I currently use 5d2 and 7d. Will the cards you advice work on these camera's as well?


You have the wills and wits to decided to buy 1dx.. But not the knowledge that 1dx is using CF cards (as well as your 7d&5dII)?? and need an advice on which cards? SERIOUSLY???


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## tt (Jan 22, 2012)

Depends what you're doing with it (eg video so you want a consistent card, that doesnt drop frames due to dropping the data rate. Or rapid fire shots where you want to clear the data onto the card as fast as it can. 
UDMA7 CF cards - the faster ones may likely not have 8GB versions. So if you've got enough for a 1DX, the capacity is likely dependent on if you like lots of smaller cards, and what file size and how many shots you'll be reeling off. 
As for backwards compatability - you should know what card type the 5D and 7D are - CF. 
It's a legitimate question to ask whether the faster CF cards would be back compatible with the older 5D Mark II. 
You're going to need to get a higher newer card for the 1DX anyway, may as well just try the card on your camera once you get it. If you're not buying right at launch, there'll be threads on this from people testing cards. If you're buying at launch, then check with the dealer, i'm sure they'll be more than happy for the upsell!


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## Ellen Schmidtee (Jan 22, 2012)

sanj said:


> I currently use 5d2 and 7d. Will the cards you advice work on these camera's as well?



IIRC, the 7D had a problem with UDMA 7 cards, and a firmware update was released to fix it. If you buy a UDMA 7 card, as recommended in this thread, I suggest looking through the release notes of the firmware releases to make sure you've have that (or newer, of course) firmware version.


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 22, 2012)

For speed, the above-linked Sandisk 100Mb/s UDMA7 card is the fastest they make. It's 128GB, meaning >4,500 18 MP RAW images on a card. It's expensive - $880 at B&H. 

I prefer smaller cards and more of them (the don't put all your eggs in one basket philosophy), but a pair of those pricey cards in the 1D X should be safe. 

Personally, I think it's best to balance speed, size, and cost. I have a pair of Sandisk 32GB 90Mb/s Extreme Pro cards I plan to use in my 1D X. I was fortunate enough to get them during the heavy discount late last year - $100 each for the pair, they're $218 each now. 

Given the only modest difference between 60 Mb/s and 90 Mb/s in terms of burst size and buffer clearing, I expect the difference between 90 Mb/s and 100 Mb/s to be minimal. Some time back, I empirically tested various Sandisk card speeds and sizes on the 7D and 5DII. In terms of backward compatibility, as stated above make sure that your 7D/5DII firmware is up to date - that fix supposedly applied to UDMA7 cards, but as you'll see in my tests, the older firmware also throttles the 90 Mb/s UDMA6 cards.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jan 22, 2012)

sanj said:


> Help requested..
> I will buy the 1DX as soon as I can get hold of one. I want to know which would be the best (speed and capacity) memory card for it? I do wildlife photography and want to reduce buffering time after shooting bursts.
> I currently use 5d2 and 7d. Will the cards you advice work on these camera's as well?
> Thank you for your time.



The buffer is built into the camera, and buffering time is fixed. A fast card will not change it, but will speed up the process of emptying the buffer. I'd get the fastest CF card available, 16 or 32GB at least. i'd also stick to Sandisk or Lexar rather than going for a cheapie.


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## sanj (Jan 23, 2012)

Thank you friends for your help. Love this forum!
Got some super detailed replies....
Vuilang, am sorry about my ignorance but as you can see, am attempting to learn.


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