SD card for D7100

[2Btoo]

Chaps,

My D7100 works nicely, but the SD cards in it came from my old D80 and are starting to feel a little small. 2x4Gb is not so much when pictures rock out at nigh on 10Mb a pop (and much more for RAW).

So I need some new cards. But what sort? I thought that SD cards were SD cards, right? Like memory, you stick stuff onto them and then read it off them. But life's not so simple (it never is) and there is a plethora of cards out there to choose from. Of course the interweb can help with lots of data and numbers but how much difference does it all make in the real world?

Putting it another way, I am looking at one of these (SanDisk Extreme Pro 16Gb Class 10 U3) for £25:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSDXPA-016G-X46-...

Or one of these (Kingston 16Gb UHS Class 1/Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card) for £6.94:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Class-Class10-Fl...

Will I notice any difference between them?

(I am aware that the D7100 is supposedly crippled by a tiny internal buffer. I think I've filled the buffer about 6 or 7 times since I bought the camera and, while it's annoying, it's not a biggie. A faster card will empty the buffer more quickly but on this basis I don't think I need to pay shedloads for balls-to-the-wall performance, although something quicker than the things I bought in 2010 would be nice.)

All advice welcomed - either on whether the Kingston cards linked above are very suitable for what I want and the bargain they look like or whether there is a better choice. Or if someone can help me out with a very simple guide to what's good and what to look for in an SD card then that would be ace!

Thanks in advance!

[Simpo Two]

I guess it comes down to speed and brand.

For the sake of a few £ I always use Lexar, if for no other reason that everyone else uses Sandisk and I like to be different

[ian in lancs]

Lexar are shutting up shop so sandisk is the way to go.

ETA http://www.lexar.com/Farewell.html


I did some basic testing on a D800 and convinced myself the speed is a camera limitation rather than the card. Buying fast cards is pointless. The faster speed might be exploited reading them with a computer but unless 100's of big files it'll be insignificant.

[rich888]

Fakes are rife in the SD card marketplace so just make sure you buy a genuine card and not a cheap dud, I tend to avoid eBay for SD cards and ensure if buying from Amazon that the card is 'Dispatched FROM and sold BY Amazon' and not a third party market seller.

Personally I favour Kingston mainly because they have been in the memory game for a very long time and SD cards tend to be relatively cheap nowadays.

I tend to buy class 10 32GB or 64GB SD cards because I sometimes use the video facility on the cameras and video eats memory, plus of course SD cards have a limit on the number of times they can be written to.

EDITED TO ADD:

I've just checked the cards I'm currently using and the Canon 5D3 is using a 32 GB Sandisk Extreme class 10 SD card rated at 45MB/s and the Sony RX100 M3 is using a 32GB High Performance Class 10 PNY card rated at 80MB/s, I think the choice of cards being used is down to what was available on the day at my local PC World store who were also quite competitively priced.

[Simpo Two]

ian in lancs said:

Lexar are shutting up shop so sandisk is the way to go.

ETA http://www.lexar.com/Farewell.html

Seems an ideal opportunity to get some then!

[toohuge]

On my D7200 - very similar to the D7100 - I use 2 Sandisk Extreme Pro 95mb/s class 10 cards, I think 32GB each or so. They come up for sale on Amazon from time to time, I think I paid about 20 each last time I bought some. Super fast cards and never seem to slow the camera down.

[Fubles]

Sandisk extremes for all of my cards, Canon 60d, 2x gopros, car and bike dashcams. I like them and they work well, not had any issues at all nut all have been bought from Amazon.

Sometimes worth keeping an eye on them for a few weeks, the prices fluctuate a bit.

[thebraketester]

I always use Kingston. I find they give slightly better sharpness.

[Simpo Two]

thebraketester said:

I always use Kingston. I find they give slightly better sharpness.

Aha, the Kingston Supersharp (TM)!

[thebraketester]

Simpo Two said:

thebraketester said:

I always use Kingston. I find they give slightly better sharpness.

Aha, the Kingston Supersharp (TM)!

Shucks. I thought I was bound to get at least one bite.

[Simpo Two]

thebraketester said:

Shucks. I thought I was bound to get at least one bite.

I sometimes use monochrome cards. It saves having to convert from colour to BW, and the files are smaller so you get more photos on.

[2Btoo]

thebraketester said:

I always use Kingston. I find they give slightly better sharpness.

Well that's good - I've ordered the Kingston cards.

I'll report on the increased sharpness. Thanks for the recommendation.