Sandisk 8GB Extreme III versus Extreme IV

I am in the market for a few more Sandisk compact flash cards, and I thought I would run through a quick test to determine if I should purchase the Sandisk Extreme III or the Extreme IV lines of compact flash cards. The only way to find out, since speed is the differentiator between the two lines, was to put them to the test.

I setup my Canon EOS 1DsMkIII camera on manual mode, continuous high speed shutter, and clicked away. Here is what I learned.

20 shots from the first shutter release until the 20th frame was fully written to the card (red light stopped illumination)

Sandisk 8GB Extreme III = 25 seconds

Sandisk 8GB Extreme IV = 18 seconds

Ok, so I thought I would stress the cards just a little bit more.

30 shots from the first shutter release until the 30th frame was fully written to the card (red light stopped illumination)

Sandisk 8GB Extreme III = 38 seconds

Sandisk 8GB Extreme IV = 25 seconds

This test was one of those informal tests that aren't all that scientific, but somehow give you satisfaction that you accomplished a goal for the evening. What did I learn? I learned that the Extreme IV cards are worthwhile for me to continue to have in my bag. This speed in crease comes at nearly double the cost, however. I would like to wait until Sandisk comes out with 16GB Extreme IV cards, but I am not sure how much longer I can wait.

Your mileage may vary.

Comments

[pearson1]

IP: 208.107.50.220EMAIL: dpearson@sio.midco.netURL: http://www.dean-pearson.comAndy,On the second test, did you mean 30 shots from the first shutter release until the 30th frame was written ?Dean Pearson

[Andy Biggs]

IP: 76.31.35.156EMAIL: andybiggs@gmail.comURL: http://www.andybiggs.comyeah, my bad. corrected. pretty easy error to spot!

[hkruse]

IP: 87.60.8.111EMAIL: hans@hanskruse.comURL: http://www.hanskruse.comI bought two 8GB Sandisk IV cards for my new 1Ds mkiii. In high speed it will shoot until 14 raw pictures and then slow down. After that it takes about 8-10 seconds to empty the buffer of about 270MB in my test. The raw file size vary a lot with this camera (from 20 to 30MB). I needed the speed for some bird shooting in Spain and in Sweden in the next weeks.

[Andy Biggs]

IP: 76.31.35.156EMAIL: andybiggs@gmail.comURL: http://www.andybiggs.comI wish Extreme IV cards were less expensive, though, as I would like to buy a bunch of them!