Benefits of type of memory used- SD or CF?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Does one type of memory (CF or SD) have an advantage over the other
in terms of image quality, performance or other?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
news:4302b7cd$0$84031$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net:

> aj wrote:
>> Does one type of memory (CF or SD) have an advantage over the other
>> in terms of image quality, performance or other?
>
> There is no real advantage between the formats for the average user.
> That said, individual models may be better.

>

Thanks Mike--a salesman was trying to sell me a story that the CF memory
gave better quality photos. I'm glad I didn't avoid buying a Nikon D50 on
that basis. Looking forward to getting a 1gig high speed SD Sandisk in the
near future. :-)

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

I don't know what kinda salesman would say that CF provides 'better
picture' quality???

Wow.

T.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"David J Taylor"
<david-taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid> wrote in
message news7CMe.90538$G8.81648@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
> aj wrote:
> []
>> Thanks Mike--a salesman was trying to sell me a story that the CF
>> memory gave better quality photos. I'm glad I didn't avoid buying a
>> Nikon D50 on that basis. Looking forward to getting a 1gig high
>> speed SD Sandisk in the near future. :-)
>
> A salesman to be avoided!
>
> I have a SanDisk Ultra II SD card (for my Panasonic FZ5, as it happens),
> but they are a well-known and reliable brand. The 60X/66X speed provides
> fast downloads to the computer.
>
> David

Oh but the fun you could have with such a moron. ;-)

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

David J Taylor wrote:
> Pete D wrote:
>> "David J Taylor"
>> <david-taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid>
>> wrote in message
>> news7CMe.90538$G8.81648@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
>>> aj wrote:
>>> []
>>>> Thanks Mike--a salesman was trying to sell me a story that the CF
>>>> memory gave better quality photos. I'm glad I didn't avoid buying a
>>>> Nikon D50 on that basis. Looking forward to getting a 1gig high
>>>> speed SD Sandisk in the near future. :-)
>>>
>>> A salesman to be avoided!
> []
>>> David
>>
>> Oh but the fun you could have with such a moron. ;-)
>
> Yes, I had wondered about that as well - get him right into a corner
> with some stupid statements....

I thought it was bad enough that the salesman I had explained to
me that the D70s viewfinder was dark with no battery because
it closes the aperture when the battery is removed.

It was obvious by the DOF that that wasn't the case and it looked
to me like it is the LCD in the viewfinder going dark when power
is removed.

Looking in the front of the lens confirmed that the apeture was still
open.

-Mike

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

John Bean wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 20:17:07 +1000, "Mike Warren"
> <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote:
>> I thought it was bad enough that the salesman I had explained to
>> me that the D70s viewfinder was dark with no battery because
>> it closes the aperture when the battery is removed.
>>
>> It was obvious by the DOF that that wasn't the case and it looked
>> to me like it is the LCD in the viewfinder going dark when power
>> is removed.
>
> LCD???

Yes. The graphic symbols in the viewfinder are generated by a
monochrome LCD similar to the top panel display.

-Mike

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

John Bean wrote:
>>> LCD???
>>
>> Yes. The graphic symbols in the viewfinder are generated by a
>> monochrome LCD similar to the top panel display.
>
> Ah, ok. Why should this make the image in the viewfinder
> look dark?

Some LCDs darken when they are no longer powered. In the
case of the D70S, the LCD has a small signal applied even
when the camera is switched off. Removing the battery kills
this signal.

-Mike

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

John Bean wrote:
> Yebbut... going back to why I queried what you said:
>
>>> I thought it was bad enough that the salesman I had explained to
>>> me that the D70s viewfinder was dark with no battery because
>>> it closes the aperture when the battery is removed.
>>>
>>> It was obvious by the DOF that that wasn't the case and it looked
>>> to me like it is the LCD in the viewfinder going dark when power
>>> is removed.
>
> I still don't see how the LCD displaying the exposure data
> etc. has any effect on the brightness of the viewfinder.
> From the context ("It was obvious by the DOF" etc) it seems
> you were talking about the image not the data display being
> dark.

The display has a grid which can be switched on as well as focus
and metering graphics. The liquid crystals actually cover the whole
viewfinder. I'm not talking about the display along the bottom of the
viewfinder although I expect its all part of the same LCD panel.

-Mike

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

John Bean wrote:
> Gotcha. It was hard to grasp without seeing one but now I
> understand exactly what you mean - you're looking through an
> overlaid LCD which can of course effect the image
> brightness.

Phew. Yes.

-Mike

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Mike Warren wrote:
> aj wrote:
>
>>Does one type of memory (CF or SD) have an advantage over the other
>>in terms of image quality, performance or other?
>
>
> There is no real advantage between the formats for the average user.
> That said, individual models may be better.
>
> Here are some points to consider:
>
> 1) Does the card need to be compatible with other equipment.
> For example, some laptops and PDAs have SD slots making
> transfer neater since it is not necessary to hang a card reader off it.

Good point, though the SD card readers built into laptops are slower
than a Cardbus 32 bit reader that you put into the Cardbus slot of the
notebook.

> 2) Do you want to use the card in other cameras. Most dSLRs use CF.
>
> 3)Capacity. CF is available in larger sizes. That being said, most serious
> photographers (amateur and professional) would prefer to use 2 or 3 cards
> on a shoot as protection against loss or failure.
>
> 4) It is harder to damage the connections on a SD card slot. It is possible
> to
> insert a CF card sideways and bend the pins in the reader or camera. My
> local photolab has about half their CF readers on their kiosks out of
> commission at any one time due to customers damaging the pins.
>
> 5) Some people like the fact that CF is larger because they are harder to
> lose.

One issue with SD is the problem with the in-camera card readers. We've
seen SD cameras that cannot write to any SD card because the camera
'thinks' that the card has been write-protected. It's a funky mechanism
that reads the position of the little tab for write-protection. CF has
no mechanical write-protection.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

In article <8AHMe.2196$Z%6.1862@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com>,
BJ in Texas <bjtexas@hotmale.con> wrote:
>tlai909@visto.com wrote:
>|| I don't know what kinda salesman would say that CF provides
>|| 'better picture' quality???
>||
>|| Wow.
>||
>|| T.
>
>One that works on commission and the commission is higher on
>the SD... :-)

Well ... he was apparently pushing the CF, not the SD, so reverse
that.

Or -- the commission is higher on the camera which uses CF
instead of SD? (E.g Nikon D70s vs Nikon D50 for two otherwise quite
similar cameras.)

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

In article <11ga1bqjsdh4gd8@news.supernews.com>,
no one <noone@nowhere.nohow.invalid> wrote:
>aj wrote:
>
>> "Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
>> news:4302b7cd$0$84031$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net:
>>
>>
>>>aj wrote:
>>>
>>>>Does one type of memory (CF or SD) have an advantage over the other
>>>>in terms of image quality, performance or other?
>>>
>>>There is no real advantage between the formats for the average user.
>>>That said, individual models may be better.

[ ... ]

>> Thanks Mike--a salesman was trying to sell me a story that the CF memory
>> gave better quality photos. I'm glad I didn't avoid buying a Nikon D50 on

[ ... ]

>I wonder why Nikon chose a different media for the D50 than they use in
>all their other dslrs?

At a guess -- two reasons:

1) The D50 body is smaller, so the SD drive takes up less of the
camera's internal volume, perhaps resulting in pretty much the
same amount of crowding. (You can't shrink the mirror/shutter
assembly without shrinking the sensor, which they did not do.)

2) As the D50 is intended to be an entry-level DSLR, it might be
that they expected more of their new customers to already have
SD cards from previous digital P&S cameras.

My personal preference is for the CF size for several reasons
which have been documented earlier in this thread (or another on the
same subject.)

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---