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Do I need a class 10 SD card?

W

wags

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
125
I know the higher class numbers mean faster reads and writes, but will I even notice the difference?

I have a Sony NEX-5 and it came with an 8GB class 4 SD card. When shooting RAW + Jpeg the thing fills up fairly quickly. I've been shooting in RAW-only lately so that saves me some space, but I'm still looking at some 16GB cards.

Performance with the class 4 card seems alright, so is class 10 worth the extra $20-$30? Not that it will break the bank, but I'm curious what makes class 10 so magical.
 
It matters when you're using burst mode and that's about it. Some cameras can have 3rd party firmwares flashed to enable higher bitrate video, so you'd need it there too, but I don't believe that's possible with any of Sony's products.
 
I originally had a class 4 or 6 card when I first picked up my Pentax K10D. When i started shooting RAW, that 2GB card just wasn't cutting it anymore, so i upgraded to a class 10 8GB card.

It is not only a whole lot faster when bursting, but it also allows me to preview the pictures a lot quicker than it did with the slower card.

When looking for a new card, don't just assume that just because it is a class 10 card that it will be just as fast as other class 10 cards.

Look at user reviews on newegg to see which ones actually perform up to their given ratings. Some of the class 10 cards are just plain sucky, with some class 6 and even some class 4 cards beating them speedwise.
 
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I've been fine with my Class 6, but I think my next cards will be class 10.
 
If you go with a faster card, you will also offload your photos faster, provided your reader can handle it.
 
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