SD Memory cards...

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snowwaz

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Warren
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Guys, looking for a bit of advice.

I'm currently exploring my new toy; Canon 550d, and have purchased a couple of 32gb class10 memory cards from ebay. New, but not a branded make. Took the kit to our local bird sanctuary today and every photo is corrupt.

Really disappointed so wondered if it's best to stick with the branded makes or do i have an issue with my camera??

:(
 
you could try to format the card in the camera then try the card in a different camera if possible.

i may also be that you card reader can`t handle the cards

one bit of advice if you going to do payed work invest in sandisk or another branded make, you cant risk it on a payed job

Cheers Steve
 
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Does it do it with all the cards?

If so, then the only way to know whether it is the camera or the cards is to try a branded SD card. :shrug:

And 32GB memory cards. :eek: Are you planning a lot of video? :shrug:

If not, then as you have found out, memory cards can corrupt, (and any brand can, though it's less likely with a well known brand) and the bigger the card, the more there is to lose in one go.
 
I got a couple of 16GB Duracell SDHC Class 10 from 7dayshop a couple of months ago to replace Trancend Class 4. Gone from 28 frame burst to 49 frame even though the 550D is rated at mid 30's. Less than £20 each at the time. Highly recommended for card and source.
 
snowwaz said:
Guys, looking for a bit of advice.

I'm currently exploring my new toy; Canon 550d, and have purchased a couple of 32gb class10 memory cards from ebay. New, but not a branded make. Took the kit to our local bird sanctuary today and every photo is corrupt.

Really disappointed so wondered if it's best to stick with the branded makes or do i have an issue with my camera??

:(
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Buying unbranded cards isn't a good idea - having said that I didn't want to spend lots of money on cards either so went for 8GB Transcend Class 10 cards on Amazon - still very cheap.

As an amateur I can't afford to spend ££ of £££ on a memory card - if you want a card that probably won't let you down then go for an expensive one.Even then all cards can fail so....>!

Anyway don't buy 32GB cards - if you have lots of smaller ones then even if one fails you haven't lost all your photos -!
 
Thanks for the quick replies gents.

I think i really need to drop down to a 16gb class10 branded card as the staple diet for my 550d beast..!

But a bit more information..! the cards were delivered today instantly dropped into the 550d and formatted. I also have a G9 which had the same treatment, so both cameras were taken on the visit.

The results were then checked on the cameras but once home the cards removed and inserted direct into my Toshiba laptop...the 550d photos were all corrupt, the G9 produced a bunch of quality images, (pity i didn't take them)..!

I really do need to invest as i have landed my first job, ok it's not too high profile, but taking some industrial photos for an Asbestos company for promotional material.

So apart from the Duracell any other brands that would jump out as reliable??

Cheers
Warren

(Steve, thanks for the offer.):thumbs:
 
snowwaz said:
Guys, looking for a bit of advice.

I'm currently exploring my new toy; Canon 550d, and have purchased a couple of 32gb class10 memory cards from ebay. New, but not a branded make. Took the kit to our local bird sanctuary today and every photo is corrupt.

Really disappointed so wondered if it's best to stick with the branded makes or do i have an issue with my camera??

:(
Click to expand...

No issue with the camera it's the cheap cards! For a camera like the 550D you would need at least a (Sandisk Extreme 30mb transfer rate class 10) I got the 8 gb one for around £20 from amazon before that I went through 3 different types 2 of which claimed to be class 10 but they were more like class 4.
 
Not aimed at anyone but why pay a small fortune for camera/lenses and use cheap cards, it's like putting remoulds on a Formula 1 car
 
SussexBlue said:
Not aimed at anyone but why pay a small fortune for camera/lenses and use cheap cards, it's like putting remoulds on a Formula 1 car
Click to expand...

I second that!
 
SussexBlue said:
Not aimed at anyone but why pay a small fortune for camera/lenses and use cheap cards, it's like putting remoulds on a Formula 1 car
Click to expand...

Thanks for the opinion. Everyone has their own.:suspect:

I have learnt my lesson and will in future be more selective in my purchases.
 
swaping the same sd card between cameras can cause issues, i have never done this but have heard that it can cause issues. did the images go crupt after you swap the card between the cameras

Cheers Steve
 
snowwaz said:
The results were then checked on the cameras but once home the cards removed and inserted direct into my Toshiba laptop...the 550d photos were all corrupt, the G9 produced a bunch of quality images, (pity i didn't take them)..!
Click to expand...

Have you tried connecting the camera to the computer? If you can see them on the camera, then there is a chance they could transfer via camera.

snowwaz said:
So apart from the Duracell any other brands that would jump out as reliable??
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Duracell may be a famous name, but for Batteries, not Memory Cards. Not that I have heard anything bad about them, but I've heard nothing good about them either. :shrug:

Lexar, Sandisk are the main high quality brands. Transcend, Kingston, Integral and PNY stand out as names I recognise as flash memory manufacturers.

I only have experience of MyMemory, Lexar and Sandisk. I had occasional corrupted images with MyMemory cards during high speed bursts, but no problems with Lexar, and especially Sandisk as I've had and use them the most.
 
steve_lyt said:
swaping the same sd card between cameras can cause issues, i have never done this but have heard that it can cause issues. did the images go crupt after you swap the card between the cameras

Cheers Steve
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No sorry Steve, each camera had a it's own card that was only taken out of the camera when back home and inserted into the laptop.

Like i say, i had 3 of these cards. Looks like they might be ok in the G9 but the 550d seems a little more selective of its food..!!
 
redhed17 said:
Lexar, Sandisk are the main high quality brands. Transcend, Kingston, Integral and PNY stand out as names I recognise as flash memory manufacturers.

I only have experience of MyMemory, Lexar and Sandisk. I had occasional corrupted images with MyMemory cards during high speed bursts, but no problems with Lexar, and especially Sandisk as I've had and use them the most.
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Will start trawling the web for the best deals then on some 16gb class 10 Lexar or Sandisk cards...

Thanks for the info...;)
 
I picked up two sandisk 8GB SDs off of clasifieds here for 15 quid delivered - which is an option worth exploring (tho its not open to the oP til you get 25 posts and 60 days membership)

personally i try to stick to sandisk or lexar , though i do have some kingston and jessops own CFs ive never had a problem with

but as others have said any card can corrupt so the key lesson is that you are better off with 4 x 8GB than you are with one 32GB
 
big soft moose said:
I picked up two sandisk 8GB SDs off of clasifieds here for 15 quid delivered - which is an option worth exploring (tho its not open to the oP til you get 25 posts and 60 days membership)

personally i try to stick to sandisk or lexar , though i do have some kingston and jessops own CFs ive never had a problem with

but as others have said any card can corrupt so the key lesson is that you are better off with 4 x 8GB than you are with one 32GB
Click to expand...

Can't wait to start looking through the classifieds here, but like you say i'm new to TP and just finding my feet.
 
SussexBlue said:
Not aimed at anyone but why pay a small fortune for camera/lenses and use cheap cards, it's like putting remoulds on a Formula 1 car
Click to expand...

You buy the expensive camera for image quality and the features- the cheap memory card isn't going to provide worse quality pictures!!!
 
I just picked up 2 x 16gb and 2 x 8gb Class10 Lexar pros from MyMemory for £29.99 and £15.99 respectively, which was the cheapest (inc delivery) I could find last week, form a reliable seller.

I noticed how many retailers are still selling the older class 6 version for a similar price
 
Yep thats what happens a lot on ebay now sadly, also i bet they wouldnt hold 32gb of info on them.

I purchase sandisk as you can type out the serial number on the card into sandisks site and they email you back to let you know if the card is a genuine one or not.
 
lucky_13 said:
No issue with the camera it's the cheap cards! For a camera like the 550D you would need at least a (Sandisk Extreme 30mb transfer rate class 10) I got the 8 gb one for around £20 from amazon before that I went through 3 different types 2 of which claimed to be class 10 but they were more like class 4.
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nothing wrong with having a class 10 card but on a 550D it won't have any advantage over a class 6 card because the low FPS and limited buffer means it won't be nessesary.

Of course you will get faster data transfer to your computer which is nice.

One thing to note is that like you say, lots of companies will label their cards class 10 but speeds will vary a lot from brand to brand - the more expensive cards like the Sandisk extreme class 10 series will perform faster than my transcend cards for instance - but a faster card wouldn't benefit you unless you shoot a lot of video or have a camera like the 1D IV!
 
Dexy101 said:
Yep thats what happens a lot on ebay now sadly, also i bet they wouldnt hold 32gb of info on them.

I purchase sandisk as you can type out the serial number on the card into sandisks site and they email you back to let you know if the card is a genuine one or not.
Click to expand...

Now i like that idea. There are just so many 'quality' memory suppliers on the web, finding that you might have purchased a fake memory card is just not cricket..!
 
Echo what others have said - stick with a brand like Sandisk or Lexar and buy from a reputable source as there are a lot of fakes out there.

Just be grateful that SD is relatively cheap - big, fast CF cards cost a bloody fortune! :(
 
i have had a few corrupt images on a lexar 4GB, about 10 were lost all raws, card was formatted in the camera..

i will never use anything larger than 8GB because of the corruption risk.

the cards were lexar premium series ones
 
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Are the pictures still viewable in the camera?
You have not said.

The reason I ask this, is because, I have had trouble with cheap card readers not reading the data correctly in the past. Usually get a report like "card not formatted" etc from the PC.

When I got my 550D, I invested in a couple of Sandisk 16gb class 6, which were not cheap, but still going strong a year later.
 
@Drewpyfz6
the images are viewable on the camera but only as thumbnails, when i try to view a single image on the camera it says image not supported.

I'm guessing it's the cheap memory card, so have ordered a 16gb Sandisk.
 
i use sandisk extreme 60mb/s cards been good so far. premier ink are good place to get from or ebay.
 
I'm going to echo what a few people have said on this thread in and ask why people are prepared to to spend a good deal of money on the camera and lens, only to cheap out on the only way the images are recorded? It's effectively the film in the digital age, except with dodgy film you'll probably get an image of sorts, with a dodgy memory card you'll quite possibly have nothing.

I have tons of Sandisk SD cards of various ages, and only one has ever caused me problem, and that was dirty contacts - no problems since a quick clean.

In life you get what you pay for in general. In photography you get what you pay through the nose for, with very few exceptions.
 
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You really can't go wrong with Sandisk as long as it's a Sandisk and not a fake. There are a lot of Sandisk fakes out there. I use Sandisk Extreme class 10 (30mbs) in a Canon 550D in video mode with no problems. Many class 10 cards are rated at only 20mbs. PNY and Transcend cards fall into this category.
To avoid problems which occur at the most inappropriate times stick with a brand name from a trusted supplier.
 
A rule of thumb I use when buying memory is: always buy from a trusted supplier. No matter what the brand is or the amount of money I'm spending, I make sure my memory comes from a trusted supplier.
 
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