Customer Reviews

SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF memory card - UDMA 90MB/s 600x (SDCFXP-032G-A91, US Retail Package)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After purchasing my Canon EOS 1DmkIV (10 frames/second) I found the camera would stall in a few seconds using my old cards. Shooting a bird in flight would be suddenly interrupted at the most inconvenient times when the buffer filled, which was quite soon. With this card I can shoot unlimited RAW files at 10 fps without slowing at all. Shotting RAW+JPEG still slows things down after the buffer fills, but never stalls completely. If you need to shoot continuous action with a camera that produces large files, it wil not get any better than this until the next generation card comes along.

Previously on Amazon, I have favorably reviewed CF cards at successively higher standards of capacity and write performance. This is my current champion. It is expensive but enables me to keep a 5D Mk2 pumping out RAWs without the camera stalling while waiting for the buffer to clear. Slower cards (133x, 300x) will stop the camera, but I've never been halted when using one of these 600x cards. A smaller version (e.g. 16GB) would have the same virtue at a lower price, but with RAWs on the order of 25MB apiece, one has to have speed and capacity in the same card. (I did previously buy one of the 16GB versions of this card as a "low-cost experiment," and it's fine for shorter jobs.)

I give four stars instead of five because of a fluky issue with sometimes (only sometimes) having the card not recognized at first when connected to a computer for download. This has happened with two of these cards using two different Firewire readers on three different machines running two different operating systems, and it hasn't happened with the 16GB version or with any other cards, so I think it's a card thing, not a "me" thing. It always works after a few disconnect-reconnect tries, but it does make a fellow nervous. A bit of a mystery, but not one to make me use slower, smaller cards.

I have used two 32Gb SanDisk Extreme Pros in my Nikon D3X for a couple of weeks now. I thought they were adequately fast enough to catch action at a sporting event and was pleased with my purchase at a little over $320 each.

Then a friend of mine showed me his D3X with new Lexar Pro 600 cards and suddenly I was upset for not waiting for the Lexar. He paid about $24 each more for his two cards and they are infinitely faster when writing from the camera to the cards than my SanDisk cards that are supposedly the same speed. He tells me that the difference lies in the chip circuitry in the Lexar cards. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Next time I'll wait...I'm a little disappointed in my purchase decision.

I've been using this card for well over a year now, shooting JPEGs, Raw files, and HD video, and am satisfied with this card.

It is fast, allowing unlimited HD video recording time (well, up to the camera's limit), and continuous Raw w/ JPEG (I use small JPEGs). I used the camera to shoot video for full work days (9 hours), depleting 2+ batteries, and the card worked without any problems, and getting ~75% full. It might be wise to use smaller cards, and change them everytime the battery runs out, in which case one might want to use smaller 8GB or 16GB cards.

Download speed is also fast, though even if the card reader and disk allow downloading at 90MB/s, downloading 32GB would take at least 6 minutes.

This card is expensive, but that's the price of big, fast, and reliable. I'm happy with it.

I bought this Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB CF card to replace a recently-purchased and supposedly equally-fast 32GB Duracell card. With the "bargain" Duracell card, my Sony A350 would slow nearly to a standstill when shooting continuous exposures in RAW format. The camera is capable of 2.5-3 fps if the card will write fast enough to memory, and the Sandisk Extreme Pro card does indeed allow it to do so. The Duracell does not, period...not even close. In addition, while iPhoto recognizes and accesses the Sandisk card while it is still in the camera (just like the original 8GB Sony card), it does NOT recognize the Duracell card...which required the additional purchase of a $40 card reader in order to retrieve my precious vacation pictures. This made the Duracell card even less of a "bargain". Expensive lesson re-learned: you can't save money by trying to save money, or, you get what you pay for!

As with another reviewer here who shoots with a Canon 1D Mark IV, I find the card speeds in camera to be superb ... it is hard to fill the buffer in my normal shooting style which is three frames bracketing and almost continuous shooting for a few minutes at a time. And as another reviewer pointed out, I am going to have to go to USB 3.0 and new ExpressCard readers to take advantage of the download speeds to my workstation and laptops. And I have found 32GB to be excellent for shooting ESPN and Showtime boxing events, another style all together.

I mostly use a Canon 1Ds Mk3, and shoot fashion - studio & catwalk.

16Gb = about 250 images in RAW+JPEG

normally keeping a Transcend 16Gb class six SDHC card in the SD slot and a CF of about 8GB (Extreme 4)

means I get through a couple of SD cards a shoot. They are easy to plug into my Toshiba laptop SC slot

for transfer.

For catwalk shoots with 500-800 shots I would shoot JPEG only. Using RAW the camera slows after 4-5 frames

in high speed shooting mode and also need to change the SD card during a shoot.

The 32Gb Extreme Pro changed things.

(1) I can shoot to one card, and although I now need a CF to ExpressCard adapter for upload, the CF does

not need changing

(2) I can do catwalks in RAW - 2 secs at 5/sec is no problem with the speed of teh Extreme Pro.

I'm also expecting to use this card (and a few more that I will buy - possibly the 64Gb) in my 1Ds Mk4

when I upgrade later this year (it has even higher wrire speed demands but has UDMA 6)

Great product - just hoping the price decline continues so the 64Gb becomes more affordable.

There is not much to say when digital storage works. 32 GB's will store well over 2000 pictures in RAW format with a Nikon D700. Ideal for covering sports events with bursts of action. It loads the shots rapidly and is ready for the next play. The price was too good to be true. So I got two.

Like some of the reviewers, I am using this card with the canon 5D Mk ii. The 90MB / sec speed allows you to shoot at the 5D's maximum rate and not worry about it holding back the camera's onboard buffer. My experience with the card so far has been fantastic - it makes shooting RAW images and HD video with the 5D completely manageable. Don't let the price scare you away - you won't regret the performance this card brings to the table, especially when you're 900+ plus images into a shoot. Highly recommended, and kudos too for the Amazon vendor - I ordered this on a Thursday, and the card showed up on Saturday via registered mail. Awesome!

It is particularly convenient for those who use a professional DSLR camera with CF card - In particular, its high speed allows practically unlimited continuous shooting - 32GB is definitely more than most professionals would ever need!