Vector One Photography wrote:
For those of you that have used CF, SD and/or SDHC, what do you find the differences.... other than the size.   Find one more staple, less failures, etc. 

Seems most cameras are getting away from using CF cards and I'm wondering if that is a good or bad move.

And again, thanks.

my 5dmk3 uses compact flash. i prefer it. i like my memory cards with a little meat on them.

L A U B E N H E I M E R wrote:
my 5dmk3 uses compact flash. i prefer it. i like my memory cards with a little meat on them.

Why?


You can't break/bend pins with SD.
Most laptops have an SD slot.  Almost none have a CF.
Many tablets have an SD slot.  NONE have a CF.
Eye-Fi only comes in SD.


The only benefits of CF is capacity (not much) and speed (again, not much but critical for some applications).

Good Egg Productions wrote:

Why?


You can't break/bend pins with SD.
Most laptops have an SD slot.  Almost none have a CF.
Many tablets have an SD slot.  NONE have a CF.
Eye-Fi only comes in SD.


The only benefits of CF is capacity (not much) and speed (again, not much but critical for some applications).

SD cards are smaller and easier to lose.

Chris David Photography wrote:
I prefer the size of the CF as its harder to lose vs SD. Circuitry wise SD is much simpler -9 points of contact vs 50pins on the CF which theoretically makes it more reliable. In the past I've had more SD's fail on me on only after a year of use - corrupting data.
CF readers can get issues of bent pins which can be a pain but I'd take that over corrupted data.

I have never had bent pins yet.

Jerry Nemeth wrote:

SD cards are smaller and easier to lose.

How ridiculous.

If something is important, you won't lose it.
Besides, an SD card is approximately half the size of a CF card.  But if you put it in its case, it's exactly the same size.  If you lose something like that, it's you, not the fact that it's small.

Oh, and SD is also about half the price of CF for any given capacity and speed.

DougBPhoto wrote:
my first cameras were all CF so I came to believe and assume they were the best.

Once I got a D7000 I had to try one, and while I hated the camera and returned it, I kept the card and decided to try using it in my D300s.

Well, I got more used to them and liking them, then by the time I got a D700 I was frustrated that it did not have a SD slot.

At this point, I think they are awesome, and once I got to the professional grade cards, I found them to be just as good as CF....  better if you consider they now cost much less.

Similarly, I had the D70-D2x-D700 and was using CF cards all along.  I was a little bummed that SD cards were for the cheap cameras, and were so much less expensive and far more available than the CF cards I had to buy.

Then, when I got a D800, which has one of each slot, I've used a CF card exactly ONE time in it.  Of all the cards I've ever had, all my microdrives failed (expected) and one CF card has failed.  All the SD cards I own still work just fine, even the super cheap brand no one has ever heard of.

And it's nice how the Nikon, Sony and FujiFilm cameras I own can all use the same exact media.  Plus my Zoom and TASCAM sound recorders.  SD is pretty much standard in all devices these days except for the highest end video cameras and DSLRs.

Good Egg Productions wrote:

How ridiculous.

If something is important, you won't lose it.
Besides, an SD card is approximately half the size of a CF card.  But if you put it in its case, it's exactly the same size.  If you lose something like that, it's you, not the fact that it's small.

Oh, and SD is also about half the price of CF for any given capacity and speed.

It's not ridiculous!  No one intends to lose a SD card.
I am very careful with my SD cards.  I use them for my camcorder and smaller cameras.

The F-Stop wrote:
Can't say much about differences aside from the electronics data sheet comparrisons... They do have speed differences n bus size differences.

AJScalzitti wrote:
CF cards are more durable and often made to higher standards, but that isn't a guarantee or anything.  More its SD cards are made as cheaply as possible and if you really want you can get CF made to commercial/industrial/DoD standards.

This is only half truth. 

Yes, there are a multitude of companies making cheap SD cards that can, and do fall apart very easily, but for the most part if you stick with a real (not counterfeit) name brand memory card they can be just as tough and durable as a CF.

Good Egg Productions wrote:
Regardless of type, size, speed designation... fuck all that.

Just put the REAL transfer speed right on the card. 

The fastest right now is UHS-3, but I've seen transfer speeds quoted as 90MB/s and 280MB/s and UHS-1 Class 10 seems to be all over the place for speeds.  233X, 466X,

I get that each class is represented by a minimum, but I don't need all that.  Just tell me how fast the card is in MB/s, something I can understand.  All that 1000X stuff is based on CD read speeds of 150KB/s.  Let's please do away with that.  Or divide by 100 and round.  So 15MB/s is a new baseline.  Or just print the damn transfer speed ON THE CARD.

Since my Camera is slow..speed of the card is not an issue.

I use CF's and SD cards.

Good Egg Productions wrote:

Why?


You can't break/bend pins with SD.
Most laptops have an SD slot.  Almost none have a CF.
Many tablets have an SD slot.  NONE have a CF.
Eye-Fi only comes in SD.


The only benefits of CF is capacity (not much) and speed (again, not much but critical for some applications).

i like the tactile quality.

SayCheeZ!  wrote:

The F-Stop wrote:
Can't say much about differences aside from the electronics data sheet comparrisons... They do have speed differences n bus size differences.

This is only half truth. 

Yes, there are a multitude of companies making cheap SD cards that can, and do fall apart very easily, but for the most part if you stick with a real (not counterfeit) name brand memory card they can be just as tough and durable as a CF.

Not last time I looked, CF cards are available for industrial applications all the way to DoD spec.  Now most of us would never buy those but they are available should the need be there.  If you are talking about comparing a Sansdisk SD vs CF I suspect they are pretty close in durability.

Vintagevista wrote:
The cost is a little daunting for the CF's 

I have to use it in my D300 - I have a primary and a backup.

But the biggest issue for me is availability - you can rush to a ton of places to get good quality SD cards - You go looking for a extra CF card on the fly - and you'll be on the road a while..

I have had exactly one SD card start going all wonky in 8 years - out of many dozens I have used.

Adorama and Bandh are always having sales on CF and SD...just bought combined 128g

L A U B E N H E I M E R wrote:
my 5dmk3 uses compact flash. i prefer it. i like my memory cards with a little meat on them.

Interesting. My 5D3 uses both CF and SD, and I set them to mirror. I keep a 64GB SD in the camera at all times, swapping only the CF. That minimizes the chances of card writing failures--and minimizes the problem of arriving on location before discovering the card wallet is sitting back home on the desk.

I prefer to handle the SD as little as possible, because it IS that much smaller, and it's more fragile relative to physical breakage.

Robb Mann wrote:
Im having trouble finding proof of this in an authoritative chart form, but my understanding is that CF cards are more forgiving in very hot and very cold climates. Certain CF cards can operate in conditions well below freezing and close to boiling, and will not loose data even in arctic conditions. SD cards may not operate reliably in those conditions.

Otherwise, speed increases with each year, so unless youre shooting 4k video at 120fps you should find a fast enough card in either camp.

I like cameras that have a dual card setup - CF/SD.

Oh, I forgot to mention that bit, thanks Robb.  I was REALLY absent-minded in my younger days(getting better!), and have put my fair share of cards through the washer and dryer.  I've had most of the CF cards still work after going through the dryer, and the SD cards only worked if I caught them before they hit the dryer.

Of course, this was also back in the days when you needed a microdrive to get sizes over 512MB, and everybody that shot digital was carrying around several cards.  I can thankfully say that since capacity increased to where I only need to carry one card and a spare, I have never washed them, no matter how dirty the pictures were

Robb Mann wrote:
Im having trouble finding proof of this in an authoritative chart form, but my understanding is that CF cards are more forgiving in very hot and very cold climates. Certain CF cards can operate in conditions well below freezing and close to boiling, and will not loose data even in arctic conditions. SD cards may not operate reliably in those conditions.

ummmmmmmmm they all operate well below freezing. we have cameras in canada you know?
I shot all day with both CF and SD card cameras year after year at Winterlude with temps (daytime) as bad as -24C.  When it was not below freezing?   we left the ice because they closed down.  You wont lose data in arctic conditions with any of these devices.  And its not just high-end DSLRs. People have been using SD in P&S cameras forever. I still have the 64MB and 32MB SD cards my kids used to use. both still work long after the cameras hit the bin. Did my kids ever have to ask me if they could use their camera on a cold day? nope. I took a vivitar P&S to Iqaluit in winter once.  It took shitty pics but it took shitty pics here in the summer as well. Walking North after work  towards the pole, did I worry the card would fail? no. I worried the shitty ass batteries would drain after 3 shots just like they did in the city.

Schlake wrote:
I'm astounded at the things I've read in this thread.  The difference is size.  The bigger the card, the better.  If you don't know why, then I have homework for you.  Put on a pair of mid-range gloves, such as these http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc- … NF%20BLACK and then change out your flash card in a good strong wind, 30 mph or so.

ummmm I use gloves like that and worse and have no problem changing out cards of either type.  actually the SD are easier because I just push in and they pop out. but the diff between the two is minimal. I can manage the button push on CF no problem.  Also...changing cards means you are out all day.  Because you put a fresh card in before you stepped into the cold right?   So even if you are out 14 hours you are (at most) changing once.  Most people with good gloves like the ones shown can take a glove off for five seconds to change a card and put the glove back on.  Even with the temp below zero and strong winds.  You face away from the wind while you change.  If the environment is that extreme (high winds and cold) that you cannot take off a glove or just use the liner for a few seconds then the fact that you run out of room on a card is probably the least of your worries.  If you have to shoot in extreme conditions all day you are probably a pro and have a proper weather-sealed camera with two card slots.
Or a cheapskate like me who still takes the single card jobbie out in harsh conditions even with 2 card options sitting on my shelf.  I shot for years with single slot cameras and changed batteries more than I changed cards outdoors in the winter.