450D getting "busy"

[Busa_Rush]

When I format a memory card and start shooting the camera responds very quickly but as the card fills up the camera takes a bit longer after each shot to become ready again. It reaches a point where it's taking 7 or 8 seconds before it will take another shot. Camera is set to take hi def jpeg, not jpeg and raw.

The card is an 8GB card with 6.5 to 7GB free, high speed 30 mb/s from 7 day shop and the battery was only 100 shots or so old, so plenty of juice left.

Once I empty the card it's fine again . . .

Any ideas as to what's happening ?

[Simpo Two]

Busa_Rush said:

When I format a memory card and start shooting the camera responds very quickly but as the card fills up the camera takes a bit longer after each shot to become ready again. It reaches a point where it's taking 7 or 8 seconds before it will take another shot.

Surely there's a buffer, so it can take another photo while the first one is being written?

Wonder if it's the card or camera? Try another card, or the same card in another camera.

[Busa_Rush]

Thanks, I tried a different card and it did exactly the same thing, which made me think it was a setting on the camera I'd perhaps messed up. Double checked against the manual and it all appears to be set OK.

[itsnotarace]

Turn off long exposure noise reduction, along with high iso noise reduction. This makes a marked difference in the speed that the buffer writes to the card.

[Simpo Two]

itsnotarace said:

Turn off long exposure noise reduction, along with high iso noise reduction. This makes a marked difference in the speed that the buffer writes to the card.

NR makes a massive difference but the OP says the speed reduction happens progressively as the card is used up... if it was an NR issue it would either be constant or only on certain shots.

[itsnotarace]

You have a D200 IIRC. Turn on both options (under the shooting menu) on your D200 and look through the viewfinder, and you will see the buffer goes from 25 down to 11.

Once you have a number shots in the buffer, and NR is being applied to those shots, the camera can't apply the NR to subsequent photos fast enough. Hence the shutter release will be blocked until the next shot has been written to the card and that buffer space released.

I shoot sports for a (part time) living, trust me on this

[Simpo Two]

Everything you say is true, but it doesn't match the original question

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 10th June 15:20

[itsnotarace]

I think the symptoms are being described slightly incorrectly. Occam's Razor again.

[Simpo Two]

Ah yes, well I admit I never thought of that...

We need a reverse forum, where people post an answer first, then we all have to guess what the problem was

[Busa_Rush]

itsnotarace said:

I think the symptoms are being described slightly incorrectly. Occam's Razor again.

Shall I say it again, more slowly for you, perhaps you've had a hard day ?

As the card fills up . . . the camera takes longer and longer to return from busy until it reaches a point where it takes 6 or 7 seconds and I give up and empty the card.

What else would you like to know ? Anything you think I've missed ?

Anybody else with a sarcastic comment they'd like to make ? Lets get them over with and out of the way so somebody who has a genuine answer might feel like posting it

[mrmr96]

Try this:
When the card is nearly full, try some shots so you know it's going slow.
Then wait for 'busy' to go away and turn the camera off, remove and re-insert the battery and turn it on again.
Then try taking some more shots and see if it's as slow as it was before turning off/on.
Then finally reformat the card, remove and re-insert battery again and take some more shots, and note the speed.

Will be interested to know the results of the above test. (i.e.
1 Fullish before reset
2 Fullish after remove/reinsert battery
3 Empty after remove/reinsert battery)

[HundredthIdiot]

http://www.sdcard.org/developers/tech/speed_class/

"Fragmentation and Speed

The memory of a card is divided into minimum memory units. The host writes data onto memory units where no data is already stored. As available memory becomes divided into smaller units through normal use, this leads to an increase in non-linear, or fragmented storage. The amount of fragmentation can reduce write speeds so higher SD card speeds help compensate for fragmentation."

[Simpo Two]

Thought of that too - but wouldn't formatting sort it out?

[mrmr96]

Simpo Two said:

Thought of that too - but wouldn't formatting sort it out?

Exactly. That's kind of the point of re-formatting.

(note that re-formatting is different from 'erase all'. assume the op has really re-formatted, not just erased all?)

[itsnotarace]

Busa_Rush said:

As the card fills up . . . the camera takes longer and longer to return from busy until it reaches a point where it takes 6 or 7 seconds and I give up and empty the card.

Update camera firmware to latest version, reset all camera settings to default and clear all custom settings, turn off all in-camera noise reduction. Format card within camera.

It's bound to be a setting within the camera itself, or a firmware issue. The camera doesn't care how much data is on the card and you should be able to get the same write speed until the card is totally full.

[Cabinet Enforcer]

Cameras only generally do a "fast format", do a proper "format" in a card reader, then format again in camera and try again.

[Busa_Rush]

Thanks, a few things to try

Edited by Busa_Rush on Thursday 10th June 20:17

[Busa_Rush]

I re-formatted the card last night but this time did a low level format and couldn't reproduce the problem so thank you for that suggestion !

There is still a general slowing I found if the flash is used 50 or 60 times on continuous shooting. I have the standard battery and small internal flash and I guess the battery needs a bit longer to recover or the flash charging circuit it warming up too much . . . but giving it 20 seconds to recover enabled another 10 to 20 shots in continuous mode again. I assume an external flash would cure this, but it's not exactly an issue for a 450d anyway given the intended use.

[Simpo Two]

Busa_Rush said:

There is still a general slowing I found if the flash is used 50 or 60 times on continuous shooting. I have the standard battery and small internal flash and I guess the battery needs a bit longer to recover or the flash charging circuit it warming up too much

Not surprised! Flashes take time to recharge - some cameras will fire regardless and you just get an under-exposed result; other cameras might not let you take the shot until the flash is ready = delay.

An external flash will have much more grunt and therefore do more consecutive shots, but they're really not designed for 60 at 3fps, you'll be giving people epilepsy!