Does a really fast memory card really matter or is it just hype? I aim to find out. I currently have a couple of top-shelf Transcend memory products in for review: a 16GB UDMA 7 1000x CompactFlash card; and their RDF8 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 card reader. The CF card is one of the fastest currently available. With UDMA 7 technology and Video Performance Guarantee (VPG), it’s rated for 160 MB/s read and 120 MB/s write speed – perfect for sports photographers and videographers who need maximum speed and reliability.
Why buy a 1000x memory card, you ask? Honestly, it shouldn’t make any difference for landscape, studio and portrait photographers. But sports photographers and photojournalists who shoot a lot of high-speed bursts in RAW mode, and videographers who shoot full-HD video, need to make sure they don’t sabotage their gear with a slow memory card. What point is there in using the fastest, bestest cameras if your CF card causes a bottleneck? Photographers who’ve missed a critical shot because they’ve filled their camera’s buffer know what I’m talking about. A fast memory card might be the difference between getting the shot and going home empty-handed.
Fast memory cards also mean faster transfer rates when you download to your computer – as does a faster card reader like the RDF8 USB 3.0 reader Transcend sent us. Being able to dump your photos faster can add up to a lot of time savings for event photographers who shoot hundreds or even thousands of photos in a day. And time is money, right?
Ok – full disclosure: I don’t really worry about how fast my memory cards are. With fast DSLRs, card speed usually isn’t that important – the word, “usually,” being a critical qualifier. I admit – I have missed photos with top-of-the-line pro cameras because I’ve filled my buffer during a long burst. So I’ve often wondered how much practical difference a faster memory card might actually make. Now, thanks to Transcend, I can do some careful testing and find out. I plan to test the Transcend 16GB UDMA 7 1000x CompactFlash card in a few different DSLRs to see how much difference it actually makes for shooting high-speed still photo bursts, and for full HD video.
How would you like me to test the Transcend 1000x CF card and USB 3.0 card reader? Is there anything in particular you’d like me to do with it?
For more information on the Transcend 16GB UDMA 7 1000x CompactFlash card, the RDF8 USB 3.0 card reader, and other Transcend memory products, please visit the Transcend Web site.
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