# SD 5.0 - New Speed Classification



## arcer (Mar 4, 2016)

SD association released a new capture protocol for the next series of SD technology - SD 5.0

Released during CP+ last week.
SD 5.0 will introduce a new series of video speed classification for the near future for high resolution video-taking. The new classification marks the minimum sequential writing speed of the cards, which can be used to classify cards out in the current market also.
V6 - 6MB/s
V10 - 10MB/s
V30 - 30MB/s
V60 - 60MB/s
V90 - 90MB/s

Kind of glad to see new classifications released by SD to act upon the increasing reliance on non-dedicated video camera storage options.
The new classification and new cards will be released in both UHS-I and UHS-II versions, so Canon have reasons to drag their feet again in the card slots. However, maybe we will see UHS-II in 5D4.
The new tech will most likely be released in 2016 Q4 and its capabilities only seem to be unlocked by corresponding new host controllers on the cameras.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Mar 4, 2016)

I never understood why not use the nomenclature "Class 30" but "UHS I U3" . This has confused many people, even those who read forums canonrumors.
With the new V30 nomenclature, the mistakes must end.


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## LDS (Mar 4, 2016)

ajfotofilmagem said:


> I never understood why not use the nomenclature "Class 30" but "UHS I U3" . This has confused many people, even those who read forums canonrumors.



The problem is UHS-x specify also a different interface - and speeds are the *minimum* supported. Actually the card can go faster (maybe when reading it only), but that depends on which interface is supported, an you may need to know it also to ensure devices in your workflow match and don't become a bottleneck. For some people read speed is important also.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 4, 2016)

Card speeds vary, a new card writes at full speed, but once it has been written to, then its write speed drops because the existing data must be erased before new data can be written. That is usually what is specified as minimum write speed.

This confuses people to no end when they see a 95mb/sec card writing at 30mb/sec or often less just after being formatted in their camera. 

There are two types of formatting. A regular format does not erase anything, but marks the FAT table on the card (INDEX) to indicate the card is empty, even though it still contains all the photos. Then, the old data is erased as needed when data is saved.

A low level format, which is optional actually erases the card by writing all zeros. When this happens, the card is in new condition and will write at full speed. Also note that recovering photos is not possible, but you can possibly recover them after a regular format. Running a low level format too often wears out memory cells, but the main issue is the irrevocable loss of your images.


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## AvTvM (Mar 4, 2016)

Finally a meaningful nomenclature! Should have been enforced on those card makers from the start.


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