SanDisk 64GB and 32GB Extreme Pro 90MB/sec cards
Today I tried out the new SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards in my Nikon D3x, a Nikon D3s and a Canon 5D Mark II and 1Ds Mark III.
The Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 1Ds Mark III both formatted and worked without a hitch with the 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro card. So did the Nikon D3s.
The Nikon D3x formats the 64GB card, but refused to operate with it, flashing a “Cd” error. I hope Nikon clues in here and fixes this. The Nikon D3x did work just fine with the 32GB Extreme Pro card. Update: This was fixed with the January 2010 firmware update, but it came after I returned the card, so I could not independently verify it. The Nikon D3x did work just fine with the 32GB Extreme Pro card.
All the cameras felt speedy with the cards, much more responsive than my 16GB SanDisk Extreme III cards. With the Nikon D3s, once the buffer fills up, the San Disk Extreme Pro was able to maintain what seemed to be twice the frame rate of the Extreme III, a big deal for sports shooters (I didn’t actually time it, but it was substantially faster).
My feeling is that sports and wildlife shooters should be looking at the Extreme Pro cards (assuming a current camera that can make use of them), but most shooters can do just fine with the regular “Extreme” or “Extreme III” or “Extreme IV” cards.
On the flip side, DSLRs might soon be heading towards 30 megapixels, medium format makes humongous files, and these new Extreme Pro cards will be good for years to come, so it’s not a bad idea to get the fastest cards now, especially if you might upgrade to a new camera in the next year.
For your convenience, I’ve prepared a list of these two cards and others of different sizes and speeds at B&H Photo. I personally now stick to SanDisk, because I’ve had no trouble with them for several years now.
