SD Memory Dilemma

Phoebian

Phoebian

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Colin
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Hey guys, just starting off in photography and wondering whether I should buy 2 x 4GB Kingston SDHC @ £7.20 each or 1 x 8GB Kingston SDHC @ 11.76 (With a view I guess to make that 2 x 8GB in the future, not sure how close in the future)

Thank you in advance.
Colin.
 
I'd go for the 2x option...if an 8gb card fails then you've lost everything...and it costs 12 notes to replace. If one 4gb goes it only cost a tenner and you've only lost max 4gb of work.
 
It is better to have smaller capacity cards and change them more often in case of a memory card failure. On the other hand though it is nice to have the extra capacity on your card when you need it. If you're not professional then losing photos is just annoying.

As long as you buy decent quality cards then the chances of a card failure are minimal.
 
I've been using 4x4GB cards and it does get annoying changing cards lots. If your out doing event type photography or video definatly go for 1 larger card. If not then I'd stick to 2 smaller ones.
 
-Rob- said:
It is better to have smaller capacity cards and change them more often in case of a memory card failure. On the other hand though it is nice to have the extra capacity on your card when you need it. If you're not professional then losing photos is just annoying.

As long as you buy decent quality cards then the chances of a card failure are minimal.
Click to expand...

i use two smallish Xd cards...256 and have a 1Gb...very slow on my camera

you can do the maths as the man...men ..say but loss of shots is hard to endure..
 
Hey guys,

Thank you all for your input. I think its safe to say everyone prefers 2 cards rather then 1 (which makes sense really).

I have decided to go with 2 x 8GB purely because I think £11.76 each there a bargain and also have a life time warranty with Kingston. Ill probably not fill up 8GB since I'm just starting out but at least they are there for in the future.
 
Thanks for the post, I have also been considering what to get for my first DSLR camera which should hopefully arrive some time this week.
 
Phoebian said:
I have decided to go with 2 x 8GB purely because I think £11.76 each there a bargain and also have a life time warranty with Kingston.
Click to expand...

I've never really understood this lifetime warranty thing :rules: ... if I use a product until it fails (i.e. it's dead) then surely it's come to the end of it's life and is therefore out of warranty :shrug:

If this isn't the case then who's/what's lifetime are we talking about? Mine?
 
Bristolian said:
I've never really understood this lifetime warranty thing :rules: ... if I use a product until it fails (i.e. it's dead) then surely it's come to the end of it's life and is therefore out of warranty :shrug:

If this isn't the case then who's/what's lifetime are we talking about? Mine?
Click to expand...

The product itself has a life time warranty. Kingston obviously feel their product is so well build it shouldn't have any issues in say 10 years time.

Obviously in 10 years time a 8GB SD card will be obsolete, it will most likely be worthless, if you think about it you wouldn't bother with the hassle of getting a new 125MB memory card replaced under warranty you would either buy a new one for the price or upgrade.

However compared to some manufactures 1 year, if in 1 year and 1 days time my memory card becomes faulty I would have to folk out on a new SD card. At least if something happens with my card in 5 years time its still worth it, and the manufacture is still trading, I could get it repaired for free.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't buy it solely on the basis I can get a new £11 memory card in 10 years time lol. I work in IT and Kingston are a good reliable memory manufacture, I hope their SD cards are up to scratch.

EDIT: Although come to think of it, most warranties exclude Wear and tear associated with normal use. So I'm not too sure any more as to what you class as normal use and how long the SD card should last under "normal" use.
 
OMG I am a dinasaur, I still have 2 x 256MB's :lol:

Note to self: Need to upgrade before new camera arrives :D
 
I have 2 x 8GBs. I'm totally paranoid about being stuck somewhere fabulous without at least an acre of memory! And it still amazes me quite how quickly I can fill up a card. I know they say quality over quantity, but I need the quantity to improve the quality!
 
May I ask what are your thoughts on the quality of SD cards?
Recently I purchased a SanDisk SDHC card 4gb with the number 2 on it from my local supermarket for £5 and I have seen similar size cards for much more
Do the cheaper cards mean poorer image quality? and the number 2 presumably speed related (of taking photo or transfer to pc)??
Thanks in advance
 
Doc,

The number 2 you have on your SD Card I believe relates to the class or the write speed. More information click here

SD Class v Write speed (MByte/s)
2 = 2.0 MByte/s
4 = 4.0 MByte/s
5 = 4.8 MByte/s
6 = 6.0 MByte/s
10 = 10.0 MByte/s

I don't believe the image will be poorer quality on cheaper cards, its just they are possible not as reliable or robust as the more popular makes.

Personally id stick to Sandisk, Toshiba, Kingston etc and stay clear from ebay, lots of fake ones from china are on there.
 
Thanks Colin for the info and link - clearer now
 
Here we go again :p

It used to be use 2X 512 rather than 1GB. Then 2X1GB rather that a 2GB. Personally I prefer one bigger card. :)
 
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