SanDisk will ship the fastest SDHC cards it has ever made in September, the company said on Wednesday.
The new cards were designed specifially for the new digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, like the Nikon D90. The SanDisk Extreme III can achieve speeds of 30 megabytes per second, the company said.
SanDisk said the SDHC card makes it possible to record 39 images in continuous shooting mode at 4.5 frames per second with a file size of 6.0 MB JPEG L Fine per image. The cards are also capable of operating in temperatures ranging from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit or -25 to 85 degrees Celsius.
The cards will be available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities and will costs $64.99, $109.99, and $179.99, respectively.
Archive for the ‘photography’ Category
Macworld: SanDisk offers fastest SDHC cards to date
August 27, 2008DIY Macro Studio, Strobist-style
August 22, 2008Following David Hobby’s instructions from the excellent Strobist DVD, I made a homemade light tent for taking macro shots. Cost just a few dollars because I bought tracing paper and poster board for backgrounds. The Strobist DIY softbox article is here.
Building the Light Tent
Starting with an approx. 12″x12″x12″ box, cut windows in 3 sides. Cover the 2 side windows with tracing paper, which serves to diffuse the light from the stobes. The hole in the 3rd side can be covered with paper as well, or used to feed subjects from the bottom. Poster board is cut and placed in the box to serve as a seamless background. Different colors and styles of poster board can be used to vary the background.
Shooting
To shoot, place the strobes 6-12 inches from the windows on the outside of the box. The angle of the box to the strobes can be adjusted to light the subject appropriately. Flashes were triggered with the Elinchrom Skyport Triggers
Sample images
These sample images were shot mostly at 1/250sec @ f8, using the Canon EF 100mm/f2.8 Macro lens
1/250sec @ f/8 - multiple backgrounds
1/250sec @ f/5.6, glossy gray background to show reflections
1/250sec @ f/8
The ghetto light tent
SDHC Memory Card Tests with my Canon XSi
August 20, 2008I ran some tests on the SDHC cards I’m currently using with my Canon XSi/450D
Based on Rob’s page, I’ll be looking for one of these cards for best performance: SanDisk Extreme III 8GB 30MB/s Edition
Update 8/29/08: PNY Optima Pro 8GB results posted. I ordered the PNY Optima Pro 8GB Class 6 card, and am disappointed in the results as it came in tied for last among my other cards. Perhaps the 2GB card Rob tested is better performing. I’ll have to try a SanDisk Extreme III 8GB next.
Update 9/16/08: AData Turbo 8GB Class 6 results posted. This has been the worst card of the bunch. It struggles to complete the 6 RAW shots and pulls off only 8-10 saves in the 10sec test period.
Update 9/23/08: SanDisk Extreme III 8GB Class 6 30MB/s Edition results posted. You can’t beat the SanDisk. It performed as its 4GB brother did – it wanted to get a 7th RAW burst frame, but just couldn’t make it. I’m definitely at the limits of the camera — a faster writing camera could take more advantage of the speed this card allows.
| SDHC Card | RAW Burst | Shots in 10sec |
|---|---|---|
| SanDisk Extreme III 8GB 30MB/s Edition |
6 | 16.5-17 |
SanDisk Extreme III 4GB Class 6 |
6 | 17 |
| SanDisk Ultra II 2GB Class 4 | 6 | 13 |
| PNY Optima Pro 8GB Class 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Patriot 4GB Class 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Patriot 8GB Class 6 | 6 | 12 |
| PNY Optima Pro 8GB Class 6 | 6 | 12 |
AData SDHC 8GB Class 6 |
5.5 | 9 |
Final Thoughts
Fry’s Feedback: The Patriot and AData cards are popular @ Fry’s because of their cost, but don’t provide the best performance.
Class Rankings: Don’t always tell the whole story as there’s wide variation in Class 6 speeds. A good Class 4 card is shown to outperform the cheap Class 6 cards.
Strobist Construction Site Shoot
August 10, 2008
The Equipment Shot: 1/250sec @ f/8, ISO200
This was the first Strobist-style shoot I’ve tried since preparing by getting the few pieces of gear needed and studying the website a well as the Strobist David Hobby’s great tutorial DVD set.
Strobist info:
Strobes used (2):
1) Canon 580EXII on stand as the main front/side light on 1/4-1/2 power.
2) Bare Canon 430EX on stand as a side/rear light on 1/4-1/8 power.
Modifiers: Used a 1/4 CTO and shoot-thru umbrella on the front 580EXII.
Triggers: Elinchrom Skyport trasmitter and receivers.
I exposed for the sky and adjusted aperture and flash strength to dial in the subject exposure.
I should have used more CTO on the flashes (and used them on the rear light as well).
I learned my Canon XSi flash syncs @ 1/250sec, so I can’t shoot faster than that with flash without starting to lose some of the frame.
The Claw Shot: 1/250sec @ f/4, ISO100
Cyber in the Window: 1/100sec @ f4, ISO100
Behind the scenes:
Flash configuration for the equipment shot
Flash setup for the claw shot
Umbrella proximity
