So you spent extra money on a good camera. The features promise you can take several photos a second. But you can’t. Or it is not taking the picture you see in the view finder but one two seconds later. Whats up?
When it comes speed your camera is only as fast as it’s slowest link. Some cameras have slower speeds than others. Always check the features of a camera before you buy. Check the maximum shoots per second and if listed it’s save speed. Also the category of the card affects both saving speed and shots per second.
Many people have told me they have a camera that is supposed to take 3 or more shots a second but it doesn’t. The biggest reason is they are not using the card for your camera. (by the way, make sure your using the right type for your camera. Three common types are: xD, SD and SDHC (a high capacity SD). Check your camera manual to see which ones are compatible with your camera. My Canon DSL can use either SD or SDHC. So I use the SDHC for the extra storage space (How much photographs and video it holds.).
Next is the card speed.The older designation for speed is the Commercial x rating. 1X is original CD-ROM speed. (150 KB/sec.) You multiply or divide by 150. 200x will equate to 1 seconds to read a 29.5MB image file . The write speed is a hair faster.
Don’t want to do math? There is an easier and more recent system
The class rating. The SD Association created the speed class rating test which focuses on finding the absolute minimum data transfer rate of SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. The goal of the class ratings is to allow consumers to easily identify cards that meet the minimum required performance based on use or device needs. This makes it easy for your device manufacture to tell you the minimum speed needed.Here are the current markings to denote class rating.
And here is a table show speeds for class rating.
| Class Speed | Guaranteed minimum write speed | X rating equivalent. |
| Class 2 | 2MB/s | 13x |
| Class 4 | 4MB/s | 26x |
| Class 6 | 6MB/s | 40x |
| Class 10 | Minimum 10MB/s |
66x |
I normally use the class system for simplicity. Here are the two cards from above with a red arrow pointing to the class rating on each. Notice the Kingston isa class 4 (4MB/s) and the ScanDisk card is a Class 10 (minimum 10 MB/s) Please not that ScanDisk also marked the speed as 40 MB/s, 4 times faster than the class 10 minimum.
I use class 10 cards for my DSLR camera and my comcorder. The class 4 for I use for my MP3 player and older PHD (Push Here Dummy) cameras that don’t take advantage of the faster cards. Currently when I need cards I only buy the class 10.
Remember, your camera records photos at the weakest part of the system. Use the minimum speed card recommended by your manufacturer or faster.