Compact Flash cards

[peachy]

I've been using my Rebel XT with a couple cheapie CF cards for a couple years now with no problems... until I started taking lots of photos of kids. I need something that's going to move a little faster. Right now I can get about 6 shots in a row, then my camera needs to pause for a while to catch up and store those photos. I'm missing precious kid-moments!

I need recommendations for a good CF card that's faster than what I'm currently using. However, I don't want to waste money on a card that's faster than my camera can take advantage of (is there such a thing?).

Help??

[inkista]

Rob Galbraith has all the answers you need on this one.

Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD Performance Database

[oldwolf]

Are you shooting in RAW? If so then I'd look at how fast your camera can write the files as well. If you fill up your buffer shooting RAW then it doesn't matter how fast of a card you get, your camera's buffer might be full and it has to clear out the buffer before taking more pictures.

[OsmosisStudios]

This also depends on the camera body: Some have a larger buffer and some clear that buffer faster.

[mattjordan]

The Canon XS (which is similar to the one you are using) can shoot about 5 raw or 514 Jpeg's before the buffer gets filled. You might want to check your manual or the canon site to get the specifics for your camera. I used to have a T1i, and I used to fill the buffer all the time. It really tested my patience. Since I got the 7D the buffer only filled when I shot using the high speed shots, and even then I can get over 20 raw shots before it stops. I tried many brands of cards but for the price I love the Centon Advance cards from Frys.

[peachy]

I am shooting in RAW, so the buffer is likely an issue. Perhaps I just need to wait until I can afford a better body... which won't be any time soon. Thanks for the info, folks!

[oldwolf]

A trick you can try is intermittent burst. Your manual states that you can get 4 frames RAW or 14 frames JPEG before the buffer gets full. So shooting in intermittent bursts will help a bit. An example would be to shoot 2 frames and let go of the shutter release for a second then press the shutter release again for 2 frames, release for a second, shoot for 2 frames until your buffer gets full. You can also just shoot in JPEG doing the same thing and it will let you shoot longer in burst as well.