Memory card advice

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Cobbler72

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I have just taken the plunge and ordered a Canon 60d.

Can anyone give me some advice on what size memory cards people use with this? I want to experiment with video but will mostly be shooting raw on the best quality it offers.

I also believe that I need a certain speed card to to use with video?

Any advice on size/make/speed to get me going would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
I use several 8GB Transcend Class 10 (dark blue label) without any problems for RAW and Video with my 60D.

Tried cheaper 'class 10' cards from 7dayshop (their 'professional' range) they're fine but a little slower, don't get as many shots out in a burst of RAW and they take longer to copy to the PC.

I still prefer several smaller cards instead of one large one, on the basis that it's not all lost if one of them goes missing or gets corrupted, but maybe I'm just old fashioned.
 
Is it the 'Class' I need to worry about for speed?

How much video would I get on 8gb?
 
Cobbler72 said:
Is it the 'Class' I need to worry about for speed?

How much video would I get on 8gb?
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you need at least class 6 (I use 10) and you can hold 4 gB or 12 minutes of video whichever comes first.
 
Cobbler72 said:
Is 12 minutes some kind of maximum regardless of card size then?
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NO. It is a legal limit (also different regions have different rules) . Anything that records over 12 minutes is considered a Video Recorder. Also, The 4GB is the FAT32 file system limit on the card. Max file is 4gB in length. I know it is a mess. FAt32 file system is patented by Microsoft.

It is possible to record more than 12 minutes. check out "magic Lantern" firmware.
 
Sandisk Ultra or Extreme here (class 10) - extremes write at 45mb/s while ultras write at 30mb/s. I wouldn't go under 30mb/s personally, even that can be a little laggy at times and I don't even shoot video on my 60d.
 
Just to be clear, the camera will record more than one 12 minute clip per card if there's space - so an 8GB card could hold up 24 minutes of video in at least 2 separate files.

Canon also make reference to allowing the sensor to cool when recording video, as heating occurs and has a negative effective on image quality. This may be another reason why the camera doesn't automatically split it's recordings into 12m/4GB chunks.
 
I got a SanDisk 32gb extreme 45mb/s for about £20; warranted I've got in a 600d and don't do much video but it does well.
 
Thanks. I think that this can be summarised as

At least class 10 but then fastest card I can afford? Correct?
 
I had some Duracell 16Gb Class 10 SDHC cards for a 60D and for use in a 5D3 and they are fast and reliable enough. I haven't used them much for video although the wife has the same card in her 650D and she's used them a few times for videos of the kids. The 650D uses around 350Mb per minute from the size to length ratio but that may be different for a different body.

I got the Duracell cards from 7DayShop for a good price and they work perfectly well with all the bodies I've used them in. They are fast for uploading with a USB3 card reader and very reliable in the camera.
 
sandisk extreme cards are around £16 for a 16gb, i beleive the 32gb ones are around £20 on mymemory

The class system is flawed, there's no official ruling / regulation to define class speed, and so you can't always use it as a guide.

you need to worry about the write speed more than the class.
 
One final word of warning - use a reputable supplier - E-bay is fuller of fakes than a silicon booby convention! Far better to spend a few quid more and go to Amazon (NOT the marketplace, unless you know and trust the seller) or 7dayshop. You can sometimes get good deals on the high street but go armed with a note of web prices for reference. Few shops will match web prices but it may be worth asking if they can get close.

Personally, I now stick with SanDisk cards - I've had a card fail (with un reshootable pics - a guest at the party I had taken pics at had died in the meantime :( ) and it's not a nice feeling having to tell people that you can't give them the prints you promissed.
 
mattbeee said:
Just to be clear, the camera will record more than one 12 minute clip per card if there's space - so an 8GB card could hold up 24 minutes of video in at least 2 separate files.

Canon also make reference to allowing the sensor to cool when recording video, as heating occurs and has a negative effective on image quality. This may be another reason why the camera doesn't automatically split it's recordings into 12m/4GB chunks.
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The issue of letting the sensor cool is definitely one to be aware of. A friend recently spent a day shooting video on his 60D using a 32gb card, as time went on the camera was recording shorter and shorter video clips before it automatically stopped. He noticed that the camera was getting a bit hot but kept shooting assuming he could edit the short clips together. However when he got home he took the card out and it basically disintergrated! It seems that the card overheated to the point where it failed structurally, he had been abe to recover any of the footage (it was a paid shoot). So be aware of overheating when shooting video and uses a few different cards.
 
I have a mix of Sandisk Ultra/Extreme and some Class 10 Transcends. Never had any issues with these. Capacity wise I have a mix of 2GB though 16GB (though only the ultra are 2GB as that's all the D50 will take).

I got them all from MyMemory.co.uk. The transcend cards are all registered and proven genuine by Transcend, meaning I get the full warranty. I think I did the same for the Sandisk but not 100% sure.
 
Georges said:
NO. It is a legal limit (also different regions have different rules) . Anything that records over 12 minutes is considered a Video Recorder.
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NO. The EU classify anything that can shoot 30 minutes, or more, as a video camera (and charge a higher rate of duty).


Georges said:
Also, The 4GB is the FAT32 file system limit on the card. Max file is 4gB in length. I know it is a mess. FAt32 file system is patented by Microsoft.
Click to expand...

YES. 4GB is a file size limit, and HD video hits that 4GB limit after about 12 minutes, hence that limit. You can easily shoot for more than 12 minutes, if you shoot at 640x480.
 
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