Why DSLR still use CF card?

SDxx card have equaled or bettered CF card. Is there a good reason why high
end DSLRs still use CF cards? This actually seems like a turn-off, not a
feature.

 

Now there's a compelling reason if I ever read one.

NOT.

 

CF cards? Did I hear some one mention 'em? Excellent for doddery ole
geriatrics like myself. Whilst I'm at it miniaturization really is a mixed
blessing. Pass my cane some one I might just make it to the loo..........

 

The CF card can still be a lot faster... (90Mbytes/sec for the latest
CF, vs 35Mbytes/sec for SD)

And since the CF card interface is a plain PC hard disk interface, you
can use a passive adapater to connect the card to the PC and use it
without the speed limitations of a USB or Firewire connection.

But it is otherwise true that this advantage is becoming less important
over time, and the SD card is climbing its way up the SLR family.

 

I think one significant reason is that many purchasers are repeat buyers
- they already HAVE CF cards. IMHO - best route is to make a camera
capable of using CF and SD.

 

That's news to me.

Pray tell, how many revisions of the SD card specs will it
take to reach the capacity limits of the CF card, and how
many incompatible or problematic changes will that cause?

Except for the read-only tab (which is of little use in
cameras) there is nothing an SD card can do better, and lots
it can do worse. Try handling SD cards in thick gloves, just
for fun.

-Wolfgang

 

For the same reason they stick to film-era optical viewfinders I expect.
Regards Mike.

 

: On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 01:10:42 -0700, james wrote:
:
: > SDxx card have equaled or bettered CF card. Is there a good reason why
: > high end DSLRs still use CF cards? This actually seems like a turn-off,
: > not a feature.
:
: I think one significant reason is that many purchasers are repeat buyers
: - they already HAVE CF cards. IMHO - best route is to make a camera
: capable of using CF and SD.

But the only reason for SD is to re-use the space reserved for the CF slot. So
(quite understandably) only the largest cameras have both.

Bob

 

sd cards are immune to bent pins since there aren't any pins to bend in
either the card or the card cage. yea i know, you've been using cf for
decades and never had a bent pin. go ask a camera repair shop how often
it occurs. it's funny how the first thing they do when a customer has a
problem with a camera is look into the slot. you don't see them doing
that with sd.

sd cards are more resistant to moisture than cf since there are no
holes along the bottom.

sd card cages are physically smaller which means smaller and lighter
cameras (which a lot of people want) or more room for other stuff in a
same size camera (which other people prefer). they're also less
expensive which means the cameras can be less expensive as well (or the
same price with more features).

sd cards are vastly more popular, which means prices are lower,
especially when they go on sale. i rarely see cf cards on sale, but i
often see sd cards practically given away for free.

 

Perhaps he'd reached his level of incompetence as a sales clerk.....

 

What does it matter to you? You don't even own a camera that uses any card
format.

 

Except for those times that you are on an extended photo trek and you run
out of storage space. Then you realize ... Hey! Those SD cards that I have
in my MP3 player for songs and GPS for supplemental maps have about 20G of
extra room! I can always replace all those map files and song and
audio-book files later. What I can't replace is this moment in time for
these photos of rare plants and animals that I may never find nor see
again.

I've had to do this before so I know how handy it can be having extra SD
memory in your other always-take-along devices.

 

The also takes longer to change than a CF card. (Assuming you include
the time it takes to find it.)

BTW have you noticed any time difference in writing the buffer to the card,
between CF & SD?

 

Not a smart thing to post.
Hope Murphy doesn't rear his ugly head.

 

That occurred to me. I have not noticed any real difference between UDMA and
an ordinary CF card.

 

I agree. I have Extreme II and Extreme III UDMA, and I too see no
change in speed. Haven't used the Extreme Pro yet( a bit too expensive
). But then again the buffer of my camera is too slow to make use of
the new standard. So essentially, I see no difference between the two
cards. However, I plan to purchase anew camera soon with a faster
buffer and UDMA standard, and then I'll expect to see some difference.

As far as the difference between SD and CF, never having used SD, I
can't speak intelligently about that, except that I purchased a compact
SLR for my wife, who is photographically challenged, and uses a micro SD
card. Since I do all the changing, size is a factor, and I'm not
thrilled with the micro card. In particular storing a filled card in
the field. They're so small, they're easy to lose, even with the card
reader that I use as a storage unit since it is less likely to get lost.
I suppose the SD would be only slightly better.

 

Based on your recent exchanges about cameras, you are only qualified
to offer an opinion about the exact make and model camera that you
own. You should not make recommendations for "any camera".

It does work both ways, doesn't it?

 

It does, as should be clear if you actually read what I write,
instead of dashing off a silly off-point response.

--
Best regards,
John

Buying a dSLR doesn't make you a photographer,
it makes you a dSLR owner.
"The single most important component of a camera
is the twelve inches behind it." -Ansel Adams

 

To enrich the manufacturer?

 

Mine would, but I eschew Canon.