256mb SD cards for a digital camera?

[K B]

Hi,

I was about to order a 5m pixel digital camera (Nikon 5200) and was
after a fast, reliable, 256mb SD card. I've heard that for digital
camera use, fast write speeds are important, and some cards don't have
this (I might also make use of the cameras movie mode, which is 640
x480 at 30 fps, so I guess it has to be fast for that, too).

Looking at the reviews of some cards, some of the cheaper brands seem
a bit unreliable, so I've looking at brands which I THINK are pretty
good for a good price, particularly the Integral 256mb card, but also
PNY, Kingston and Lexar. Anyone any opinions on which cards are fast
enough and reliable?

Thanks in advance

 

[kony]

Hi,

I was about to order a 5m pixel digital camera (Nikon 5200) and was
after a fast, reliable, 256mb SD card. I've heard that for digital
camera use, fast write speeds are important, and some cards don't have
this (I might also make use of the cameras movie mode, which is 640
x480 at 30 fps, so I guess it has to be fast for that, too).

Looking at the reviews of some cards, some of the cheaper brands seem
a bit unreliable, so I've looking at brands which I THINK are pretty
good for a good price, particularly the Integral 256mb card, but also
PNY, Kingston and Lexar. Anyone any opinions on which cards are fast
enough and reliable?

Thanks in advance

Most brands are quite reliable, though many people neglect
to format the card in the camera which should always be done
if/when possible.

There is no "brand" to get a faster card, they all sell
differently speed spec'd cards. I suggest at least a 40X
card and futher, that you ought to get one larger than
256MB. 256MB might do fine if you're only using compressed
JPEG saving mode, but if that's the case then you don't
necessarily need a really fast card either.

Then again, there are expected "averages" too, what users
are reporting to get from the slowest cards, cards too slow
to be rated as "high-speed". In that vague lower-speed tier
the Kingston and Sandisk cards are usually reported to be
slower than Lexar, and PNY can vary widely... BUT, the far
safer bet is to buy a card with the "(nn)X" speed rating.
There not expensive at all anymore, for example $45 will get
you 512MB 60X,
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-155-257&depa=0