SDHC card to suit Sanyo video camera @ 16Mbps

[ctr123]

Hello,

I have a quick question that also might benefit others: I have purchased a Sanyo VPC-CG100 camera that states it records at "1920 x 1080 (60fields / sec., 16Mbps)" (which I think is megabits per second). Using a converter it = 2MB/s, so does this mean that I need an SDHC card with a minimum sequential write of at least 2 megabyes per second? Would any class 10 card allow me to make full use of HD video? I called Sanyo support, but it proved fruitless.

Cheers.

 

[sminlal]

Your calculations are correct, and what this means is that a "Class 2" card should, in theory, be sufficient (Class 2 = guaranteed to write at least 2MB/sec). I'd probably stick with Class 4 or better just to be on the safe side, though.

A Class 10 card won't get you anything extra in terms of recording the video, but it would probably be able to download the results to your computer faster.

 

[ctr123]

Your calculations are correct, and what this means is that a "Class 2" card should, in theory, be sufficient (Class 2 = guaranteed to write at least 2MB/sec). I'd probably stick with Class 4 or better just to be on the safe side, though.

A Class 10 card won't get you anything extra in terms of recording the video, but it would probably be able to download the results to your computer faster.

Interesting. So if this is the case, is there an unfounded hype (for consumer model video cameras) to use class 10 SDHC cards to record full HD video? Or does this camera simply offer lower quality recording, which is relative to the write speed needed?

 

[jsmakkar]

Going by this Sanyo Link http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_cg100/spec.html
It says " SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card (Up to 32 GB SDHC Memory Card), SDXC Memory Card (Up to 64 GB SDXC Memory Card)"
They are talking of only SDHC and SDXC

 

[ctr123]

Can anyone recommend either the transcend ultimate 16gb or the Sandisk Extreme (30mb/s read speed) 16gb SDHC cards (both class 10)? The price difference between class 4/6/10 is not much - so which card would be better relative to the price difference of around $10 extra (for the Sandisk)?

(Granted, my camera will not utilise the extra speed - I want something long-lasting, reliable etc).

 

[sminlal]

Interesting. So if this is the case, is there an unfounded hype (for consumer model video cameras) to use class 10 SDHC cards to record full HD video? Or does this camera simply offer lower quality recording, which is relative to the write speed needed?

Even the latest highest-end consumer cameras that support full 1080p60 video only require a write data rate of about 3MB/sec. The AVCHD 2.0 standard that covers 1080p60 video specifies a maximum data rate of 28Mbits/sec. This is because consumer devices such as BluRay players and TVs have to be able to play these movies, and specifying a higher data rate would require them to be more expensive.

It's only when you get into niche areas where the data rates go above that. For example there are firmware hacks for Panasonic's GH-2 camera that can take it up into the 100's of Mbits/sec range. This kind of thing can give better quality for scenes with a lot of detail and movement, such as a waterfall that fills the frame or tree leaves rustling in the wind.

But if you're just shooting standard consumer video formats, Class 4 cards are really all you need. The nice thing about the "Class X" rating system for SDHC cards is that it's a guarantee of minimum WRITE speeds, which is exactly what you need to know for choosing a card that will work for a given purpose in your camera. Older SD cards were usually sold on the basis of READ speeds, which are usually at least twice as fast as write speeds - so that made it difficult to know for sure if a card would be up to snuff.

If you shoot with a still camera and you want higher burst rates with large RAW files, you'd probably want a faster card so that the camera's buffer will empty out quicker. That kind of shooting generates a lot more data per second than a movie does because the data is uncompressed. But for video Class 4 is fine, unless you want something faster so to minimize download speeds. Just remember that not all card readers can keep up with a fast card.

 

[ctr123]

Best answer selected by ctr123.

 

[ctr123]

Thank you very much for clearing things up. I chose a Transcend 16gb class 10 card for $30 and hope that this will prove to be a decent choice.