# Cheap CFast 2.0 Cards



## Jopa (Sep 27, 2016)

Have anybody had a chance to deal with Delkin Devices CFast cards? They are twice cheaper than Sandisk / Lexar, but I'm wondering how good are they in a long run?


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## LordofTackle (Sep 27, 2016)

I have no experience with them but I wouldn't try it out. Even the, officially supported, Sandisk cards had problems in the beginning, that could only be solved by some workaround (delivered per update). The only cards that work flawless so far, AFAIK, are the Lexar cards. I use those too. Maybe also the transcend cards (according to TDP).


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## Cthulhu (Sep 28, 2016)

Jopa said:


> Have anybody had a chance to deal with Delkin Devices CFast cards? They are twice cheaper than Sandisk / Lexar, but I'm wondering how good are they in a long run?



My 1dx mk2 came with a free 128gb Delkin cfast, in addition to the 65gb Sandisk. It is noticeably faster, the Sandisk doesn't give me the image corruption error some have run into, but the transfer rate on the Delkin is waaaay faster both in camera and on a card reader.


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## Jopa (Oct 5, 2016)

Cthulhu said:


> Jopa said:
> 
> 
> > Have anybody had a chance to deal with Delkin Devices CFast cards? They are twice cheaper than Sandisk / Lexar, but I'm wondering how good are they in a long run?
> ...



I think the corruption happened with the original (v1) firmware and later Canon added a workaround for the SanDisk issue.

I also went ahead and got a 256GB Delkin for $299, so far so good (1 week usage  ). No problems writing 4k 60p, no corrupted images. Hope it will last. Overall I think it's a good deal, and those cards should not cost more than a corresponding capacity m.2 drive. A 250GB Samsung m.2 is about $100, so $600 for a CFast card is a pure rip off.


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## Jack Douglas (Oct 27, 2016)

Jopa, I'm looking at buying a CFast for video and remembered your comments. Has the Delkin been working out for you?

Anyone else tried Delkin at this point?

Jack


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## Jopa (Oct 28, 2016)

Jack Douglas said:


> Jopa, I'm looking at buying a CFast for video and remembered your comments. Has the Delkin been working out for you?
> 
> Anyone else tried Delkin at this point?
> 
> Jack



Jack, it works very well. No issues recording 4k @ 60p, I didn't notice any dropped frames or anything bad so far. I guess it will last, but that's just a guess  I'm still keeping the bundled SanDisk 64GB as a backup.


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## Jack Douglas (Oct 29, 2016)

Jopa said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > Jopa, I'm looking at buying a CFast for video and remembered your comments. Has the Delkin been working out for you?
> ...



Thanks. I think I'll buy one before heading out in the spring.

Jack


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## ianthem (Jan 3, 2017)

http://www.biwin.co.uk/

I'm trying out these guys with my 1DX II that's coming in, the write speeds only go up to 280 MB/s, but that's still plenty fast and covers 4k60p. I'll report back with their quality, seem to be a similar deal to Delkin & very good if you don't need to invest in getting something capable of 500 MB/s.


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 3, 2017)

ianthem said:


> http://www.biwin.co.uk/
> 
> I'm trying out these guys with my 1DX II that's coming in, the write speeds only go up to 280 MB/s, but that's still plenty fast and covers 4k60p. I'll report back with their quality, seem to be a similar deal to Delkin & very good if you don't need to invest in getting something capable of 500 MB/s.



I assume USD quoted?? I'll be waiting for your feedback since I need them by spring.

Jack


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## leolol (Jan 4, 2017)

I use these 

amazon.com: goo.gl/YhV49l

cheaper Transcend CFX600 (vs the more expensive CFX650) and they work perfectly for all resolutions on my 1dx2.
They are made with MLC memory which is cheaper but not as fast as tlc. Same goes for standard SSD's.


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 4, 2017)

leolol said:


> I use these
> 
> amazon.com: goo.gl/YhV49l
> 
> ...



Thanks for that. I assume I could buy from Canada but to check availability I went to Amazon.ca and .... check this price!!

https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=256GB%2C+CFast2.0%2C+SATA3%2C+MLC It never ceases to amaze me.

Jack

EDIT: I bought 128GB for roughly $120 CAD at the time. The price pretty much doubled within weeks when I decided to buy more, so I didn't.


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 4, 2017)

Remember, I'm a beginner, please.  What is the difference between fps and p?

Jack


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## Freddell (Jan 5, 2017)

leolol said:


> I use these
> 
> amazon.com: goo.gl/YhV49l
> 
> ...



MLC is much better than TLC. If you get MLC cheaper, be happy. For SSD, write throughout is 8x better on MLC. Read perf is similar. 
Just try to copy a disk image to TLC and you will get it. Then u will understand that 95% online reviews are misleading.


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## Jopa (Jan 10, 2017)

TLC is the slowest with worst endurance:
http://www.speedguide.net/faq/slc-mlc-or-tlc-nand-for-solid-state-drives-406
http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/flash-data-center-advantages,2-744-2.html
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-slc-mlc-and-tlc-nand-flash.html

While the speed may not be a problem (370M*B*/s is still much higher than 800M*b*/s), the endurance is quite important - I don't want my pics/movies to get corrupted one day


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## Pascal Parvex (Feb 5, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Remember, I'm a beginner, please.  What is the difference between fps and p?
> 
> Jack



FPS stands for frames per second. P stands for progressive footage, i for interlaced. The latter is more or less no longer used.


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## Jack Douglas (Feb 5, 2017)

Pascal Parvex said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > Remember, I'm a beginner, please.  What is the difference between fps and p?
> ...



OK, but it seems that fps and p are the same in the way they are used??

Jack


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## Jopa (Apr 14, 2017)

Ok folks those Delkin Devices cards are garbage. $300 wasted, congrats to myself.
"Movie recording has been stopped automatically" getting this error every day, the card now can't keep up with the bitrate. Apparently it degrades over time pretty quickly. 
DO NOT BUY!


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## Jack Douglas (Apr 14, 2017)

Jopa said:


> Ok folks those Delkin Devices cards are garbage. $300 wasted, congrats to myself.
> "Movie recording has been stopped automatically" getting this error every day, the card now can't keep up with the bitrate. Apparently it degrades over time pretty quickly.
> DO NOT BUY!



That's too bad! Thanks for posting this to help all CR folk!!

Jack


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## Jopa (Jun 22, 2017)

Another update guys. Formatted the card and it's working again, no errors. Some people say all cards (even top brands like SanDisk) need to be re-formatted sooner or later. I personally never had this problem before, and I'm not sure now if the card is bad or not... It's still kind of a bummer if you shoot an important video and it stops suddenly when you less expect it. Maybe it makes sense to re-format the card every time before shooting an important event? Puzzled...


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## Jack Douglas (Jun 22, 2017)

Thanks for the update.

Jack


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## hbr (Jun 22, 2017)

Jopa said:


> Another update guys. Formatted the card and it's working again, no errors. Some people say all cards (even top brands like SanDisk) need to be re-formatted sooner or later. I personally never had this problem before, and I'm not sure now if the card is bad or not... It's still kind of a bummer if you shoot an important video and it stops suddenly when you less expect it. Maybe it makes sense to re-format the card every time before shooting an important event? Puzzled...



I format my cards every time I start a new photo session.

Brian


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## pwp (Jun 22, 2017)

hbr said:


> Jopa said:
> 
> 
> > Another update guys. Formatted the card and it's working again, no errors. Some people say all cards (even top brands like SanDisk) need to be re-formatted sooner or later. I personally never had this problem before, and I'm not sure now if the card is bad or not... It's still kind of a bummer if you shoot an important video and it stops suddenly when you less expect it. Maybe it makes sense to re-format the card every time before shooting an important event? Puzzled...
> ...



Acknowledged best practice with CF & SD will certainly be the same for CFast. Format in-camera every time before a new session. Your image files from the previous shoot should already be downloaded and backed up.

You can cherry-pick from here:
http://tbexcon.com/us/2012/10/24/memory-card-best-practices-15-things-you-should-already-be-doing/
https://digital-photography-school.com/8-tips-for-maintaining-your-memory-card/
https://fstoppers.com/gear/95-tips-take-care-your-compact-flash-cards-2633

-pw


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## Jopa (Jun 22, 2017)

Interesting, thank you. I really never bothered to re-format my cards before.


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## Pookie (Jun 22, 2017)

Jopa said:


> Interesting, thank you. I really never bothered to re-format my cards before.



Wow, it's the only way I "erase" all of my cards.


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## ethanz (Jun 22, 2017)

I bought the 128GB Delkin card and while I've only used it a few times, I have not had a problem with 4K video or images on it. I do re-format after every use/downloading images.


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## Jack Douglas (Jun 22, 2017)

pwp said:


> hbr said:
> 
> 
> > Jopa said:
> ...



Been carelessly doing bad things and getting away with it ... but not anymore, thanks.

Jack


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## raptor3x (Jun 22, 2017)

Jopa said:


> Have anybody had a chance to deal with Delkin Devices CFast cards? They are twice cheaper than Sandisk / Lexar, but I'm wondering how good are they in a long run?



I've used the regular Delkin CF cards in the past with no issues. My guess is that they're just rebranded Lexar cards like the Komputerbay cards.

One a side note, it looks like Komputerbay is selling CFAST cards now for 1/3rd the price of the equivalent Sandisk/Lexar. 

256 GB 3700x for $280, not much more than their regular CF cards.


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## Pascal Parvex (Jun 24, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Pascal Parvex said:
> 
> 
> > Jack Douglas said:
> ...



No, they are not related.


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## Jack Douglas (Jun 24, 2017)

Sure would help to have an explanation suitable for a dummy.  I did look into this a while back and it didn't make sense to me, now I've even forgotten what I learned then.

Jack


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## Bane (Aug 1, 2017)

Jopa said:


> Another update guys. Formatted the card and it's working again, no errors. Some people say all cards (even top brands like SanDisk) need to be re-formatted sooner or later. I personally never had this problem before, and I'm not sure now if the card is bad or not... It's still kind of a bummer if you shoot an important video and it stops suddenly when you less expect it. Maybe it makes sense to re-format the card every time before shooting an important event? Puzzled...


Can you update us about video performance with this card? Do you have more problems now when you, I guess, format your card more often. Thank you.


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## Bane (Aug 1, 2017)

leolol said:


> I use these
> 
> amazon.com: goo.gl/YhV49l
> 
> ...


Have you tried 4K60p with CFX600? Does it work and do you have any issues?


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## Jopa (Aug 1, 2017)

Bane said:


> Jopa said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So far so good. I still don't format it every time, but only before I need to shoot something really *important*. Every quarter should be also perfectly fine. No more errors while shooting 4k 60p. Seems like a decent card after all, especially for the money.


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 1, 2017)

Would someone be kind enough to look at this link: 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00LL4QUX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AUAODZIY13WRB&psc=1

It's much better if I buy from Amazon.ca (not .com) to avoid USD/customs involvement etc.

Not sure why they don't have 256 GB but I will inquire. Thanks.

Jack


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## unfocused (Aug 1, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Would someone be kind enough to look at this link:
> 
> https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00LL4QUX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AUAODZIY13WRB&psc=1
> 
> ...



From what I can tell, (quick Internet search) the CFX600 was introduced as a higher capacity card and the CFX650 as a faster transfer rate card. It looks like the Transcend site no longer mentions the CFX600, so they may have been discontinued, thus the lower price. I do have one (64GB) and have not had any problem with it (so far).


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 1, 2017)

unfocused said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > Would someone be kind enough to look at this link:
> ...



Thanks for the comment. Does this give 4k 60p capability and does it appear to be a worth grabbing price or are there other similar value options. Is 128 too small to bother with or would 2 X 128 still be worthwhile. Right now I'm in the experimental phase and don't know a whole lot, as must be obvious. 

Jack


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 1, 2017)

This on the Biwin site: 

Welcome to BiWin. Our cards are currently limited edition due to their great popularity. Please email [email protected] to enquire as to whether we can fulfill your order in the timeframe you require. Thanks so much for your patience.


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## ERHP (Aug 1, 2017)

I've been using the Delkin CFast 2.0 256GB cards since about two months after I got my 1DX MK II. So far zero issues. If you are in SoCal, you can visit their plant in Poway, CA.


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## unfocused (Aug 1, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Thanks for the comment. Does this give 4k 60p capability and does it appear to be a worth grabbing price or are there other similar value options. Is 128 too small to bother with or would 2 X 128 still be worthwhile. Right now I'm in the experimental phase and don't know a whole lot, as must be obvious.
> 
> Jack



I really don't know, I only use my 1DX II for stills and it is adequate for that. 

This is the article I found from the time when the cards were first introduced: 
https://www.eteknix.com/transcend-introduces-the-cfast-2-0-cfx650600-memory-cards-for-4k-video-recordings/

As I said, I think they discontinued the 600 model and I suspect the lower prices are the result of dealers clearing out their stock.


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 1, 2017)

unfocused said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the comment. Does this give 4k 60p capability and does it appear to be a worth grabbing price or are there other similar value options. Is 128 too small to bother with or would 2 X 128 still be worthwhile. Right now I'm in the experimental phase and don't know a whole lot, as must be obvious.
> ...



Thanks. They responded with a definite no to 4k60 but wrote nothing more. Googled and read and it sounds like 4k30 would be OK. Is roughly $105 USD a decent price for just a second card (128 GB) for the Cfast slot? Any suggestion on a good performing but not overly expensive CF card? With the 6D I lived in the SD realm so now only have a friends 8GB card and like you I've traditionally shot stills but what a shame not to do some video. 

Jack


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## Cthulhu (Aug 2, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> unfocused said:
> 
> 
> > Jack Douglas said:
> ...



For stills? Sounds like a bargain to me. These things run at $300 +or-


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 2, 2017)

Cthulhu said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > unfocused said:
> ...



As mentioned, no previous CF or Cfast experience. I'm thinking rather than spending on a bigger (maybe 128) CF this could be a cheaper option and still give me the same capacity?? Would there be any trade off? I'm guessing the CFX600 cards they are selling are discontinued.

Jack


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## Cthulhu (Aug 2, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Cthulhu said:
> 
> 
> > Jack Douglas said:
> ...



No trade off, on the 1dx mk2 cfast is the way to go. It'll open up your fps to 14 - it's limited to 12 on CF - and the buffer so that you never have to worry about it. I started shooting action sequences as raw + jpeg and it's made my life so much easier, I almost always have a decent file immediately and it made culling infinitely faster.
I honestly don't understand why they don't offer a 2 cfast option, at least as an upgrade.


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## Jack Douglas (Aug 2, 2017)

Cthulhu, when you record both, I thought it slowed to 12?? If not I like that idea.

Jack


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## Cthulhu (Aug 2, 2017)

Jack Douglas said:


> Cthulhu, when you record both, I thought it slowed to 12?? If not I like that idea.
> 
> Jack



Yes, that is why I'm mind blown that to this day you can't have two cfast slots.


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## ethanz (Jan 13, 2018)

Just as note about CFast cards (may or may not apply strictly to Delkin): Yesterday I was shooting and had "Error 70" pop up on my 1dx2. Removing the battery did not solve the problem. I swapped the Cfast cards and that got rid of the problem for my shooting. However, the Delkin card I had in the camera still gives that error. According to their website, you need to do a "deep format" for not just their cards but other cfast cards too. https://www.delkindevices.com/fix-cfast-card-stops-canon-1dxmii-camera/ I'm trying it now and will see what happens.


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## privatebydesign (Jan 13, 2018)

ethanz said:


> Just as note about CFast cards (may or may not apply strictly to Delkin): Yesterday I was shooting and had "Error 70" pop up on my 1dx2. Removing the battery did not solve the problem. I swapped the Cfast cards and that got rid of the problem for my shooting. However, the Delkin card I had in the camera still gives that error. According to their website, you need to do a "deep format" for not just their cards but other cfast cards too. https://www.delkindevices.com/fix-cfast-card-stops-canon-1dxmii-camera/ I'm trying it now and will see what happens.



Sandisk have said the same about their CFast cards for years. https://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17370/~/cfast-2.0-full-format-and-refresh-tool


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 14, 2018)

Coincidentally, just two days ago I noticed one of my photos displaying that funny piece of coloration at the bottom, like part of the photo reproduced in weird colors. I believe it was in the card Canon shipped and not my 128GB Transcend. First for me since my camera got the update early on.

I've been toying with getting a 256 from: 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B017YOX6Y6/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

Anyone have any info on these guys?

Jack


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## ethanz (Jan 14, 2018)

Jack Douglas said:


> Coincidentally, just two days ago I noticed one of my photos displaying that funny piece of coloration at the bottom, like part of the photo reproduced in weird colors. I believe it was in the card Canon shipped and not my 128GB Transcend. First for me since my camera got the update early on.
> 
> I've been toying with getting a 256 from:
> 
> ...



Wow, Jack. That price is unbelievable. I've never heard of them though.


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## Talys (Jan 14, 2018)

Jack Douglas said:


> Coincidentally, just two days ago I noticed one of my photos displaying that funny piece of coloration at the bottom, like part of the photo reproduced in weird colors. I believe it was in the card Canon shipped and not my 128GB Transcend. First for me since my camera got the update early on.
> 
> I've been toying with getting a 256 from:
> 
> ...



Yes, Super Talent is known in the PC industry for making decent quality, though second-tier, SSD drives. They're in the same category as A-Data, with top tier OEMs being companies like Samsung, Intel, and Crucial. If you check reviews of their SSD products, you'll see that they're generally quite favorable, and they're a little cheaper than big name brands. 

Around 2015, I purchased a couple of Super Talent SSDs just because they were amazingly priced from some distributor, and they haven't had any issues.


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 14, 2018)

I've been ever so close on that card and am watching the price. I did read whatever I could find and it seems a worthy gamble. If I get it I'll post.

Jack


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## Cthulhu (Jan 17, 2018)

Talys said:


> Jack Douglas said:
> 
> 
> > Coincidentally, just two days ago I noticed one of my photos displaying that funny piece of coloration at the bottom, like part of the photo reproduced in weird colors. I believe it was in the card Canon shipped and not my 128GB Transcend. First for me since my camera got the update early on.
> ...



This is cheap because it's lower quality/speed. Might be enough for 1dxmk2 requirements, but will drop frames if used with a pro video camera. Some cfast cards are no faster than a cf card.


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## jolyonralph (Jan 17, 2018)

Cthulhu said:


> This is cheap because it's lower quality/speed. Might be enough for 1dxmk2 requirements, but will drop frames if used with a pro video camera. Some cfast cards are no faster than a cf card.



That's a CFast 1 card, not a CFast 2.0 card. 

It may still be faster than the equivalent Compact Flash card though.


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## Jack Douglas (Jan 17, 2018)

jolyonralph said:


> Cthulhu said:
> 
> 
> > This is cheap because it's lower quality/speed. Might be enough for 1dxmk2 requirements, but will drop frames if used with a pro video camera. Some cfast cards are no faster than a cf card.
> ...



I'm pretty clueless on memory but the Transend CFX600 128 GB I bought really cheap does 4K60 when it wasn't supposed to so maybe there is a fair amount of variation. It was a better deal than a fast CF and faster, I'm sure.

Jack


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