Memory cards in practice

Both SanDisk and ATP also sell card readers. SanDisk sell a great CF-only USB or FireWire reader that's perfect for office use, while ATP's reader is tiny and versatile, perfect for field work.

Canon EOS 40D / RAW + JPEG until buffer full
Card		Shots	buffer flush
ATP Pro Max II		14	24.5 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		14	21.4 s
SanDisk Extreme III		14	24.8 s
Apacer Photo Steno II pro 100X		12	42.4 s
Sony MS PRO Duo		14	68 s
Sony MS PRO - HG Duo		14	55 s

For the first part of the test, I used a Canon EOS 40D, set to the highest resolution and RAW + JPEG capture. I kept the shutter button pressed until it slowed down. The internal buffer got full after 12 shots, however, all cards except for the slowest, the Apacer 100x, were quick enough to free up two more shots' worth of buffer before slowing it down. The Sony MemoryStick were used with a MS->CF adapter.

Nikon D3 - Cl (RAW + JPEG) - 20 seconds of shutter actuation
Card		time to buffer full	shots	MB	buffer flush
ATP Pro Max II		7 s	76	350	88.1 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		15 s	97	447	100.4 s
SanDisk Extreme III		5 s	54	249	69.1 s
Apacer Photo Steno III pro 150X		5 s	59	272	73.3 s

Then, the big one. The Nikon D3. I set it to RAW + JPEG mode in full resolution. The shutter was activated for a period of 20 seconds, which really showed off the advantages of the SanDisk Extreme IV. It was fast enough to fill the buffer after 97 shots, compared to the Extreme III, which could only manage 54 shots. Add the buffer into the equation, and the Extreme IV gives you a 15 second burst compared to the Extreme III's 5 second burst. The last column represents the time needed to flush te buffer. Oddly enough, the Extreme III proved to be the slowest. (Remember, you need to take the data recorded into the equation as well.)

Nikon D3 - Cl RAW+JPEG - recorded images and time to flush the buffer
Card		shots	MB	buffer flush
ATP Pro Max II		38	170	39.6 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		80	362	86.1 s
SanDisk Extreme III		30	133	32.2 s
Apacer Photo Steno III pro		31	138	33.3 s

For the next test, I kept on pulling the trigger, so to speak, only until the first slowdown. Again, the Extreme III proved to be the slowest of them all, taking only 30 shots, while the Extreme IV could record 80 shots with ease.

Nikon D3 - Ch (JPEG only), 11.5 seconds of shutter actuation
Card		shots	buffer flush	buffer
ATP Pro Max II		100	98.8 s	not filled
SanDisk Extreme IV		100	98.8 s	not filled
SanDisk Extreme III		60	87.4 s	filled after 6.6 seconds
Apacer Photo Steno III pro 150X		100	98.8 s	not filled

I set the frame rate to 9 fps, JPEG only, and set the camera to capture 100 shots and then finish. Again, the Extreme III was less than impressive, only capturing 60 shots, while the others could manage 100 shots easily.

Nikon D3 - Ch (RAW + JPEG) - 10 seconds of shutter actuation, buffer full in 2.8 seconds
Card		shots	MB	buffer flush
ATP Pro Max II		48	221	52.8 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		57	263	60.4 s
SanDisk Extreme III		36	166	42.5 s
Apacer Photo Steno III pro 150X		38	175	44.1 s

Next test - 9 fps, 10 second burst. Again, the Extreme IV proved to be the best of the bunch, with 57 recorded shots, with the ATP ProMax card a close second, while the two underdogs performed as expected.

Transfer of 1.88GB to/from card using the ATP Pro Max USB reader on IBM ThinkPad T43
Card		to card	from card	94.8 MB transfer to card
ATP Pro Max II		126.2 s	127.5 s	4.9 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		111.9 s	117.5 s	4.5 s
SanDisk Extreme III		172.4 s	134.1 s	7.1 s
Apacer Photo Steno III pro 150X		249.1 s	139.2 s	9.4 s

So, what about transfer to and from the computer? I used the new ATP USB 2.0 reader. Again, the differences are quite apparent, though perhaps less so than in the camera. I also tested the transfer of a small amount of data to the card in the rightmost column.

Transfer of 1.79GB to/from card using the ATP Pro Max USB reader on iMac 2.8 GHz
Card		to card	from card	195.7 MB transfer to card
ATP Pro Max II		151.2 s	92.4 s	16.2 s
SanDisk Extreme IV		141.5 s	94.1 s	15.5 s
SanDisk Extreme III		185.4 s	125.1 s	19.9 s
Apacer Photo Steno III pro 150X		258.3 s	158.2 s	21.8 s

Oddly enough, the results were very different on the iMac, although most cards fared far better than on the IBM. (Did I mention we love Macs?)

Well, this is it. The SanDisk Extreme IV is still the fastest card on the block - it's THE choice if you absolutely need the utmost in speed, as the tests above clearly show.
But remember - these cards are expensive and unless you're a reporter, you probably don't need all that speed. Only buy it if you really need it, otherwise, you're probably better off with a larger, slower card.

ATP again proved that they're capable of producing a very fast card, and although it's not quite as fast as the Extreme IV, it might well prove to be faster using ATP's FireWire reader. Don't worry, we're preparing to test that in the near future, and we'll also test all these cards with the Canon 1Ds Mk III, which needs all the speed it can get due to its ginormous pixel count. Also, we'll be testing them with a direct IDE interface, which should allow for transfers of up to 50 MBps.

And another thing - ATP also produce industrial grade cards, and we're currently performig a long-term test in the Krško nuclear power plant - they'll be subjected to vibration, moisture, temperature changes and radiation. We'll let you know as soon as the test is over, but for now - if you don't need the speed, go for robustness or size or both. Click here for a description of the torture that awaits them.

Other than that, the only real disappointment is the SanDisk Extreme III. While it's a perfectly good card, it's just too expensive for the speed it provides. In other words, buying it wasn't a very wise choice. On the other hand, cards are so cheap nowadays, it's hardly a matter of life and death.

So - buy whatever you need, but if you're buying the Nikon D3 or either one of Canon's Mk IIIs - go for the Extreme IV, it's the only card that's fast enough for these cameras.

Got questions? Ask them in the forum.

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• Followup - Extreme memory card testing in Nuclear Power Plant Krško labs
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