# 5Dlll CF/SD



## Leopard Lupus (Mar 4, 2012)

Hello CR!

As many others, I will be investing in the 5D mk lll. 

The only question I have, and have not been able to find the answer of, is why exactly did Canon choose to use a combination of two different card formats for a single body? I think it's great we have a 5D with a dual slot, but is there an advantage to having both, or restrictions? Do we know yet?

Thanks in advance!


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## niccyboy (Mar 4, 2012)

The 1ds mk2, 1dsmk3, 1d mk2, 1d mk3, 1d mk4 also has this combo...

I am glad it is coming to this level of camera... not just the top camera


Especially considering I had a card die on me recently... a backup would have been nice.


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## DJL329 (Mar 4, 2012)

niccyboy said:


> The 1ds mk2, 1dsmk3, 1d mk2, 1d mk3, 1d mk4 also has this combo...
> 
> I am glad it is coming to this level of camera... not just the top camera
> 
> ...



And the 1D X is Canon's first and only dSLR that has 2 CF slots, so to expect the 5D Mk III to also have 2 CF slots would have been unrealistic.

The advantage to having an SD slot is that you can have a cheaper backup. It's also easier to locate an SD card in an "emergency" (run out of space on a trip, have a card fail, etc.) or even to share between cameras.


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## fotoray (Mar 5, 2012)

Leopard Lupus said:


> Hello CR!
> 
> As many others, I will be investing in the 5D mk lll.
> 
> ...



I read in one 5D3 review (link below) speculation that 2 CF slots would not fit into the camera body size that Canon had settled on. If so, this choice was not for a technical reason. I wish it had 2 CF slots, as I have a good supply of them, but don't have any SD cards - and wouldn't buy them for any other reason. Having two slots is a new idea for me, so I will have to give it a try once my 5D3 arrives. 

http://blog.planet5d.com/2012/03/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-hands-on-what-isnt-in-the-canon-press-release


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## Kernuak (Mar 5, 2012)

The CPS rep yesterday was of the opinion that the SD slot was used, so that there was an upgrade path from the lower end crop cameras. I also commented (as others here have), that it's easier to get an SD card in an emergency, as they tend to be sold everywhere, even if they aren't good quality.


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## marekjoz (Mar 5, 2012)

I'm also glad they are not both CF. Beside the reasons given above most new laptops have SD card reader. I already was in the situation, when I left home a CF card reader with USB cable.
I would rather look at this as an add on - better to have +SD, than one CF only.


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## fotoray (Mar 5, 2012)

marekjoz said:


> I'm also glad they are not both CF. Beside the reasons given above most new laptops have SD card reader. I already was in the situation, when I left home a CF card reader with USB cable.
> I would rather look at this as an add on - better to have +SD, than one CF only.



Good point about laptop SD interface; reduces what you have to haul around in the field.


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## Murray M (Mar 6, 2012)

*5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*


Which CF and SD cards are best? What are best strategies?

1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?
2) Is it best to always have the SD card shadow the CF card as backup?
3) If so, do you record Raw to CF and Jpeg to SD--or Raw to both?
4) Or do you find it's better to reserve the SD card as "extra space"?
5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?
6) Any other thoughts on best strategies for operating systems with dual CF and SD cards?

I'll use it for photo and video in a studio.


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*

1) What does optimally mean? Do you mean write to the card as fast as possible? Then yes, because of course UDMA7 is going to be a lot faster than a cheap CF card. But the other fast (but not fastest) cards will still work great.
2) Depends on what you want, and if you need high speed writing. If so, you'll need to have a card that can keep up pretty close to the CF card.
3 & 4) I've never shot with a dual card, so not sure what I'm going to do, haven't thought about it much yet.
5) Ah...what are your needs? Do you need to flush out the burst mode buffer as fast as possible? Or do you take a couple of shots a second at most? If the former, it might make sense, if the later, any of the reasonably fast cards should more than suite your needs.


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## Murray M (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*

I'm curious about the write speeds of the 5DM3--I'd like to avoid paying for speed I can't use. At the same time, I hate waiting on the camera when the talent is ready.


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## DJL329 (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



Murray M said:


> 1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?



Canon's "Feature" list simply states that a "UDMA CF card" is required (fifth bullet-point down):

*Outstanding shooting performance: up to 6.0 fps continuous shooting using a UDMA CF card.*

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii#Features


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## nikespex (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



Murray M said:


> 5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?
> 
> I'll use it for photo and video in a studio.



I had many of these same questions yesterday so I did some research. One thing that I took away is that most modern CF cards should be capable of keeping up with the video. So long as it can write 15MB/sec it should be fine for video - no need to buy an ultra high end card for video.

For photos, speed comes into play when you're shooting bursts. Once the 5D Mark III's buffer fills up, the speed of your CF card will determine how quickly you can get back to shooting. Found a great demo illustrating this in action here:
Lexar Professional 600x CompactFlash Cards


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## fotoray (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



DJL329 said:


> Murray M said:
> 
> 
> > 1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?
> ...



This only means that you need an UDMA card *IF* you need 6 fps. You can use other CF cards and if speed is not needed - like when shooting landscapes. So UDMA isn't "required"


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## Murray M (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



nikespex said:


> Murray M said:
> 
> 
> > 5) Is faster better no matter what--or is there a point where I'm wasting money?
> ...



Awesome info--great video--thanks!


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## Old Shooter (Mar 6, 2012)

Another point, you can get SD cards with WiFi... If you were shooting an event you could have JPEG's transmitted to your assistant's laptop for display or on-site sales...

Also, if you are trying to get every bit of performance out of the FPS... A "regular" CF card gives you 65 JPEG's, or 13 RAW, or 7 RAW+JPEG... A UDMA 7 card gives you 16,270 JPEG's (LOL! Would the shutter melt?), 18 RAW, or 7 RAW+JPEG... This little tidbit is not going to interest landscape shooters in the least! ;D


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 6, 2012)

CF cause 5D/ii users already have a stash of them... 

SD cause it is cheaper and you can get them even at Gas stations if you are out hiking and need memory...

Can't complain too much about it.


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



Murray M said:


> Which CF and SD cards are best? What are best strategies?
> 
> 1) Is it true that the 5DM3 needs UDMA-7 CF cards to work optimally?
> 2) Is it best to always have the SD card shadow the CF card as backup?
> ...



UDMA 6 is enough for Video.

If you are a hobbyist, does not matter, however if you are shooting once ain a lifetime event, I'd be mirroring the cards ...


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## DJL329 (Mar 6, 2012)

*Re: 5DM3: Which CF/SD cards?*



fotoray said:


> DJL329 said:
> 
> 
> > Murray M said:
> ...



Yes, however the OP didn't ask for the _minimum_ requirement for a CF card, he asked what would work _optimally_, which for the 5D Mark III is 6 FPS.


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## CanineCandidsByL (Mar 6, 2012)

No way to know whats optimal until people can test throughput with a few cards of different types.

My base plans are...
1. to get the SDXC cards. San disk has 64GB 90Mb/sec cards which match my existing San disk CF cards. If there is a speed advantage I'll team the cards with data being written alternately (every other picture). Thus, no backup, but higher throughput and I can shoot twice as long. Since I shoot in bursts, if a card dies I loose every other picture, but still retain some of every group.
2. If there is no speed advantage of option #1, I'll still get the same SDXC card and shoot with the data being mirrored to both at the same time...when I get enough cards
3. If there is no speed advantage of option #1, I'll use existing cards (smaller slower) and save JPG to SD and RAW to CF. I might do this at other times, such as when I need quick access to the files during or immeadently following the event and I don't have time to convert from RAW to JPG.

That's just my plan based on untested theories, but they will get refined as things become more certain.


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## jcr918 (Mar 8, 2012)

*Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

I currently have two 32Gig class 10 SD 20mbs memory cards that work great for my canon t3i. 


My question is am I going to need a different type of memory card for the 5D mark III , If so any recommendations on something that's not crazy in price that's 32Gigs or higher, 

Also how will this dual card slot work ? will I be able to control where I want my raw images to go to and jpg files ?


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## briansquibb (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

The 5DIII takes 1 CF card and 1 SD card, therefore you can use your existing SD cards in single card mode or get a CF card for dual card mode.

If you want more info go to the Canon site and download the manual for the 1D4 which has the same arrangement


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## jcr918 (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

What about the speeds ? will the SD cards I have be good enough ?


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## briansquibb (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*



jcr918 said:


> What about the speeds ? will the SD cards I have be good enough ?



If you are going to do a lot of continuous shooting then perhaps not, if you are going to do 3 or 4 continuous and the stop then yes

I am not able to help with video use


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## Old Shooter (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*



jcr918 said:


> What about the speeds ? will the SD cards I have be good enough ?



From poking around on the Canon USA site, and pouring over the specs, it appears to me that the CF card is sort of the primary. All of the burst data references a CF UDMA card...

The best performance is obtained from a UDMA 7 card; but that is going to cost you some money...

The only SanDisk UDMA 7 is their 128GB priced at $800... Lexar makes smaller UDMA 7 cards, here is a 32GB for $274...

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

You didn't mention whether you were strictly a stills shooter or a video person...

Hope this helps!


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## wickidwombat (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

I have about a dozen of these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330394641784?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
they are reasonable price and have never had a problem with any

usually write raw to the CF and jpg to the SD


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## jcr918 (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

I am mainly a shooter very rare will I do video


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## CanineCandidsByL (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*

In responsing to a different memory card issue, I responded thinking that you could use a mode similar to the 1 series, where picture writes are alternated (pic 1 to card 1, pic 2 to card 2, pic 3 to card 1, etc). On cameras that support it, you can empty the camera cache faster.

Does anyone actualy know if this is possible on the 5dm3?

It will certainly help when Canon publishes the user manual.


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## kennykodak (Mar 8, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*



wickidwombat said:


> I have about a dozen of these
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330394641784?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
> they are reasonable price and have never had a problem with any
> 
> usually write raw to the CF and jpg to the SD



+1


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## scottb (Mar 8, 2012)

So for someone who is not invested in any CF or SD cards, which route would it be better to go if I'm not concerned about doing too many burst shots but will be doing video?

It seems like the SDXC cards are as fast as CF cards and the SD cards are a newer technology.


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## Warninglabel (Mar 9, 2012)

I'm going to try the eye-fi card with the I pad and see how well it works together. I read some where you can do raw on the CP and jpeg on the SD card at the same time, which would be cool


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## wickidwombat (Mar 9, 2012)

Warninglabel said:


> I'm going to try the eye-fi card with the I pad and see how well it works together. I read some where you can do raw on the CP and jpeg on the SD card at the same time, which would be cool


yep or visa versa if you want the raws going over the eye-fi
i'm interested to hear how you go with the ipad link


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 9, 2012)

*Re: Question About Dual Card Slot & Memory Cards For 5D Mark III*



kennykodak said:


> wickidwombat said:
> 
> 
> > I have about a dozen of these
> ...



Another +1 to these cards, I've got 2 of them, work awesome. Holds ~1000+ per card on my 5d2, depending on exact circumstances. Awesome!


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 9, 2012)

Here is another option: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=diesdcf&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

Get this and you only need to buy are SD cards.... and still have Dual slot capability in the 5d3


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## WoodysGamertag (Mar 11, 2012)

*Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

With the 5D3 arriving in about two weeks I thought I'd order a compact flash card for it. I'm new to them and not really sure what I need.

Sandisk Extreme 60MB per second? Is there a cheaper option?


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## Fleetie (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Good question. I was looking at scan.co.uk where I got the 32GB card for my 7D when I bought the latter, and I found to my dismay that they don't even SELL 32GB CF cards any more!!! :-O

They WERE a lot cheaper than camera shops for the same cards.

16GB is no good to me for a 5D3.

So where in the UK is best/cheapest to get a good 32GB card without getting ripped off, anyone?


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## WoodysGamertag (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Amazon UK has them but I have no idea if their UK pricing is competitive. Do we need "Sandisk Extreme Pro" 90 MB per second?


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## Fleetie (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*



WoodysGamertag said:


> Amazon UK has them but I have no idea if their UK pricing is competitive. Do we need "Sandisk Extreme Pro" 90 MB per second?


Ah, that doesn't look too bad. Thanks.

I'll probably go for the 90MB/s, then there should be no wondering "What if...?".


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## WoodysGamertag (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

After about 15 minutes of google searching I found my answer.



> The new 5D III also has high-speed continuous shooting, allowing you to catch up to six frames per second, while recording up to 16,270 continuous JPEG images to a UDMA mode 7 card in a single burst.



So now I know I want UDMA 7. In the Sandisk line that means "Extreme Pro" not just "Extreme". 

On a related note, I wonder if having a slower SD card in there will slow down the camera if you're writing to both. I bet it will.


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## Fleetie (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Cool, thanks again.


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## WoodysGamertag (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Just as an FYI I'm seeing that not all Sandisk Extreme Pro CF cards are UDMA 7. Some are UDMA 6. The Lexar Professional 1000x cards all seem to be up to the spec.


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## docsavage123 (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Before jumping in and getting an over priced SANDISK, try one of the Kingston or Transend offerings off Amazon, they work great on my 7D are a bit slower than the LEXARS I use but could save you a fortune. If they do the job then its a steal, if not fast enough its a good cheap backup card.

Just a thought 8)


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## samueljay (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Yeah Lexar have just announced those 1000x CF cards which are a faster speed than the SandDisk Extreme Pro. I think SanDisk will have to bring out some nice new high speed CF cards soon to stay competitive  SanDisk Extreme Pro Happy Fast Speed maybe?  I bought a SanDisk Extreme 32GB (60mb/s) card when I thought I was going to buy a 5D2 haha! Bad idea, so I'll just use that until they release their new high speed cards 

As for cheaper options, you always could, but CF cards are probably the cheapest thing you're going to buy for your camera, and definitely the most important since they actually hold your images, why skimp there?


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## docsavage123 (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

Ive not skimped but never had a failure, my 5d is not that quick and works well with them. I use my LEXAR 200's and the they keep up in the 7D well, I had my fingers burned with SANDISK and not off ebay but Amazon, had real ones that failed and some fakes which I was amazed about in the past. So after a genuine failure of a real SANDISK I tried Kingston and never looked back with those. Video on the 7D works well on them.


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## aZhu (Mar 11, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*

I guess some of the major things to consider when choosing the appropriate card would be:


-Will you be taking a lot of burst shots? If so, speed would help clear the buffer faster

-Is the transfer speed from card to computer a big issue?

-Will you be doing a lot of HD Video in ALL-I compression?

-Being that a 128GB sized card would be really convenient, would it make more sense to have multiple 32GB cards? Just in case the 128GB card gets corrupted or lost/stolen.


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## samueljay (Mar 12, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*



docsavage123 said:


> Ive not skimped but never had a failure, my 5d is not that quick and works well with them. I use my LEXAR 200's and the they keep up in the 7D well, I had my fingers burned with SANDISK and not off ebay but Amazon, had real ones that failed and some fakes which I was amazed about in the past. So after a genuine failure of a real SANDISK I tried Kingston and never looked back with those. Video on the 7D works well on them.


Wow! How crazy! That's a shame about the real one failing! I'm just wary of cheaper memory options as in the past I've found it not worth the small saving in money for the headache in case something went wrong.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 12, 2012)

*Re: Which compact flash card do I want for a 5D3?*



WoodysGamertag said:


> Amazon UK has them but I have no idea if their UK pricing is competitive. Do we need "Sandisk Extreme Pro" 90 MB per second?



I use the 16GB 60mb/sec cards with my 5D MK II. I'll buy larger and faster ones if the price drops, but some of the really big and fast ones cost $$$.

I remember buying a 85mb card back around 2000. They cost about $160 as I recall. That reminds me of my next door neighbor who dropped in while I was assembling a new computer in about 1997. I had installed a 250mb hard drive, but the first 1gb hard drives had just hit the market and ere selling for $2,000. He told me he had just bought one, and it was the last new hard drive he would ever need. A bout two years later, I built my next system with four 13gb hard drives in a raid array, and it cost a fraction of what he paid.

That taught me to be patient and wait until the price and capacity reaches the sweet spot. I can fill up four or more 16gb cards in one night when I have a heavy fingered assistant taking too many shots rather than just anticipating the right moment to take one. I really don't care how many shots he takes, its the processing and sorting them later that is the real work.


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## Cali_PH (Mar 12, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> Here is another option: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=diesdcf&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
> 
> Get this and you only need to buy are SD cards.... and still have Dual slot capability in the 5d3



As someone who's got a lot of SD cards, I was hoping they'd add the SD slot for the 5DmkIII. And i don't do video or long bursts so I'm thinking my SD's will be fine for now.


Thanks for the link, I've been thinking about picking one of those up if I upgrade to it! I'm going on a big trip, would love to have the security of backup files.


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## MichaelVBruno (Nov 14, 2012)

*Re: 5Dlll CF/SD Compact Flash versus SD Cards on Canon 5D Miii*

Having spent hours perusing the user manual, the Canon website, the available CF and SD cards and the forums I have decided on the following professional configuration for my Canon 5D Miii memory card setup.

I will use a 16GB Eye-Fi card in the SD Slot. Only "L" JPEGS will be written to this card.
I will use a 32GB 1000x LEXAR CF Card in the CF Slot. RAW Images will be written to this card.
I have also purchased a 15ft miniHDMI to HDMI cable for previewing images on my HD TC/Monitor.
I also purchased a backup (secondary) 32G CF card, as one card usually remains full for a while during post processing in Lightroom, so its useful to have a second card available.

I purchased all of these items in Nov 2012 on a local South African online store that more or less mirrors the Amazon store for South African customers, and all told it cost me just less than $1000.
Please see copy of the invoice attached, with exact part numbers listed.

Using this setup I can readily accommodate the following desirable's:
1. Fastest CF read capability to download RAW files for post processing.
2. Live WiFi dump to laptop (without a WiFi router present) for full screen image previews during my shoot.
3. Quick camera body controlled previews on an HDMI monitor via cable.
4. Wireless file transfer of at least the JPEGs from the Eye-Fi SD card to my desktop PC. 
5. I only shoot RAW in professional situations, and I don't mind using a cable to download off the CF card under those conditions. In fact, I would rather cable transfer my precious RAW files than have them wirelessly transferred.
6. The 1000x LEXAR cards will give me the fastest continuous / sustained write speed for fastest fps during action shooting.
7. The 1000x LEXAR cards will give me the boost in read speed during cable wired RAW file uploads to my PC.
8. I hope to be able to find an andriod app for my motorola/samsung tablet that will live view the Eye-Fi JPEGS during the shoot. I find that giving the model access to the images live really improves their confidence, as well as allows them to adjust facial / postures dynamically during the shoot.

I will update here on the success of this setup once all my toys arrive in 2 weeks from the USA.


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