# Cards for 6D



## HenryB (Aug 20, 2013)

I just bought a 6D (along with an SL1 as a second body) and could use advice on best memory card. I certainly don't want to overbuy beyond expected write speeds but also don't want to be foolish and not take full advantage of the camera. Real concern is write speed...I can drink coffee when I upload. New to the Forums and thanks!


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 20, 2013)

Get UHS-I compliant cards. I think 45 Mb/s would be fine.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Aug 20, 2013)

The main thing is to understand the limitations of SD cards. Once they have been written to and filled, the write process becomes very slow. This is because a block must first be erased before the camera can write to it, so a 45MB/sec write speed might drop to 10 MB/sec.
Read the details here, they are honest about telling you.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/828325-REG/SanDisk_SDSDRX3_016G_A21_16GB_SDHC_Memory_Card.html

The card can be refreshed by doing a low level format, and that option is offered in the camera. Doing a regular format merely marks and data in the card as being available for over writing, and that's a slow process.

I'd buy the fastest UHS-1 card I could afford, because I'm not going to do a low level format frequently, its a very time consuming process to write 0's or 1's to every memory cell.
I'd also have two cards that were low level formatted, and keep writing to one until it was 75% or more used (without erasing images or doing a regular format). Then I'd swap them and low level format the used card before using it again. for me, this means 64GB cards.

If slow write speed is not a issue, then a low level format can be ignored.


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## thgmuffin (Aug 20, 2013)

I've been using these and they have been absolutely amazing!
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=917689&is=REG&Q=&A=details


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## PureShot (Aug 20, 2013)

i have the same sony and i bought this one http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/824140-REG/SanDisk_SDSDXPA_032G_A75_Extreme_Pro_32_GB.html
the speed are increase a lot, is very important for me in my studio 
http://www.studio-photo.ca/


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## scottburgess (Aug 20, 2013)

If you are asking which card will give the highest burst rate, or give you fast downloads, you may look at the test figures in Rob Galbraith's CF/SD/XQD database here: 

http://www.robgalbraith.com/multi_pagee519.html?cid=6007

Since the 6D hasn't been specifically tested yet with these cards, I suggest you look at the 5D Mark III and 7D series as well as any card reader you use with your computer (if you do use a separate reader or are considering purchasing one).

Many pros I know use Lexar Professional or SanDisk Extreme Pro cards for their combination of high burst rates, low failure rates, and durability. They also come in high capacities, something you'll need if you shoot much on a given day. But if these are out of your price range, there are lots of other choices. Generally you get what you pay for, at least from what I've seen.

To estimate capacity required, you can guess that typical file size might be around 25MB with your 6D (the size varies considerably depending on settings and subject) and multiply that by your largest number of shots in a day with your previous digital camera. And if you're a good engineer, you'll pad that figure by ten percent.  [When I stepped up my maximum shots per day doubled, so take that with a large grain of salt!]

And yes, SD cards are typically slower than CF. Sorry 'bout that. As Rob's tests show the manufacturers' ratings mean little when compared to real world performance. In my view SD card slots are a drawback of many current cameras.

Hope that helps a little.


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## ecka (Aug 20, 2013)

Any decent UHS-1 SDXC card should be fine and I think that 64GB cards are the sweet spot in price/capacity these days, so it's around $50 (40-60).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/903022-REG/Transcend_ts64gsdxc10ui_64GB_SDXC_UHS_1_Card.html


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## HenryB (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone!


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## Rocguy (Aug 20, 2013)

I have to say I've not paid much attention to my card before. But I've been slightly disappointed in the burst rate of my 6D a couple of times before. But I mostly do not shoot in quick successive shots so it hasn't been that big a deal. This thread made me look at my card. It is a Sandisk with a 30mb/s speed. So I think I might be upgrading soon! I have to say thanks since I learned a little something. Thanks! 8)


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## lopicma (Aug 20, 2013)

I have been using these cards and getting them on sale in the $12+/- range.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/917689-REG/sony_sf16ux_tqn_16gb_sdhc_uhs_1_memory_card.html


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## dgatwood (Aug 21, 2013)

scottburgess said:


> If you are asking which card will give the highest burst rate, or give you fast downloads, you may look at the test figures in Rob Galbraith's CF/SD/XQD database here:
> 
> http://www.robgalbraith.com/multi_pagee519.html?cid=6007
> 
> Since the 6D hasn't been specifically tested yet with these cards, I suggest you look at the 5D Mark III and 7D series as well as any card reader you use with your computer (if you do use a separate reader or are considering purchasing one).



The 6D supports UHS-I, so it should easily be several times faster then either of those when used with a UHS-I card. The only Canon DSLR cameras that support UHS-I are the 6D, the T4i, the T5i, and the SL1. None of the Canon cameras on the list linked above have SD card performance that is even remotely comparable to the 6D.


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