What SD card are you using for GPS/Cameras?

[Casey]

I'm in the market for a new SD card for my point and shoot camera, and also for the GPS that I'm planning on buying soon. What size/speed/brand are you using for GPS? Does the type of SD card need to be different for the GPS and the camera?

 

Any good links to good deals on them? I've been checking Amazon, lots of different choices with different capabilities..I'd appreciate some reccomendations and advice. GPS will more than likely be a Garmin. Camera is a Cannon.

 

Thanks in advance..

Casey

 

 

[rhadd1]

Kingston 2GB class 6 works great in a Canon. I would not know about a GPS since I am still running a Garmin SP3. I would not go slower than Class 6. Anything 4GB and larger is SDHC and needs to be compatible with what device you are using it in.

[xbubblehead]

Garmin 550 with a Sandisk 4 GB - always in the GPS.

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS with a Crucial 2 GB - always in the camera.

 

However, I can interchange them with no problems.

 

 

[Twisties]

For the camera speed class might be an issue. I use speed class 6, but my camera is not a p&S, and has larger file sizes than yours. The issue comes in trying to take a bunch of shots fast. Your camera buffer memory will clear faster with a faster card... at least with some cameras, so you can shoot again sooner. It also helps download time when you put the pics on your computer, although that is less critical.

 

I can't think of any reason to worry about speed class with the gps. Those things are glacial anyway.

 

As someone else noted already, at 4 gB and larger these cards are SDHC, not SD. Your device must be SDHC compatible to use the larger SDHC cards. Most anything made in the last 2 years is likely to be SDHC compatible, although it may not specifically say so. If your pc is older, you can buy an SDHC card with a usb device to convert.

 

Sandisk rates their cards in mb/s rather than speed class. There is a Wikipedia page that has the equivalencies. Note that Speed Class's are rated for minimum speeds and Sandisk rates maximum transfer speed, so you can not directly compare.

[Selden]

I don't think brand makes much difference, but aim for class 6 for photo use, although it's probably not critical for a point and shoot. If your computer doesn't have a card reader slot, consider a card+reader combo. Amazon is hard to beat for service, price, and selection.

[Casey]

Thanks for the replies. They've sparked a few more questions. After learning about the difference between SD and SDHC, I researched my camera. It's not compatible with HDSC cards, so I'm limited to SD. I've got a Canon SD550. Probably 4 years old.

 

I found a 4GB SD card (Transend}. I currently have a SanDisk UltraII 1GB. Some more research tells me that the 4GB Transend will work in my camera. I'd like to be able to take videos on my camera that'll last 5-10 minutes. Not so worried about the photo capacity.

 

Are the Garmins SDHC compatible? Not sure which model I'm aiming for yet.

 

Thanks again for the advice.

Casey

 

 

 

[Selden]

Watch out -- 2gb is the "official" maximum size for SD, although some cards with 4gb capacity are available. even a 2gb card holds an awful lot of photos.