SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package)

by SanDisk

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002O3MVYO
• Item model number: SDCFX-016G-A61
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #6 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Accessories > Digital Camera Accessories > Memory Cards > CompactFlash Cards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

This Sandisk Extreme CompactFlash Memory Card provides 60 MB/second read/write speeds, and is UDMA enabled. You'll see it takes more than a great digital SLR camera to bring your ideas to life.

SanDisk engineered its Power Core Controller to take whatever your camera's buffer can dish out. By distributing image data across the card more rapidly and efficiently, this card delivers professional performance with less wear and tear.

Best-in-class quality assurance starts with memory components designed from the ground up for shock and vibration resistance-and sealed with RTV silicone coating for added protection against moisture and humidity. Rigorous stress-testing procedures further assure these cards perform under pressure, inside and out, even in extreme environments.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

267 of 267 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best SanDisk I've Used So far, December 11, 2009

By 

PD (Southwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

I started in 2005 with the Ultra II series and have continually sold & upgraded as my needs dictated. I'm now using a Canon 5D Mark II which has HD video (I think we all know that by now), but the camera also creates a 30mb RAW file every time I snap the shutter. So, write speed is very important. I WAS using the Extreme IV series cards (45mb/sec), and even with the slower 4fps in the 5D2, the camera would hang after a few shots to write the data. Now with these new 16gb Extreme cards I get to hold down the shutter button and record WAY more images before the buffer starts to hold things up. What an improvement! This new series is worth every dollar. Remember, faster cards also give you longer battery life since the data writes faster, so that's another plus to these new Extreme cards. They are UDMA level 5 which is nice (the 5D2 handles up to 6). BTW, UDMA simply means that the card does a lot of the file processing, which gets you faster write speed. Non-UDMA cards make the camera do all the work when writing images to the card. If you have a UDMA-enabled camera, by all means get UDMA-enabled cards.

One last thing to help clear confusion on the card naming format: the 133X and 300X and all that simply means the speed that the card can write data. SanDisk doesn't use that prominently in their marketing, they tend to say "30mb/sec" or "60mb/sec", like that. Lexar uses the ###X format all the time. So when shopping around, keep this in mind:

SanDisk Ultra II: 15mb/sec (the original version) - Lexar calls it 100X (this older model SanDisk is NON-UDMA)
SanDisk Ultra II: 20mb/sec (the updated version) - Lexar calls it 133X (this older model SanDisk is NON-UDMA)
(Thanks Uri for the correction in Comments!)
SanDisk Extreme III: 20mb/sec (the original version) - Lexar calls it 133X (this older model SanDisk is NON-UDMA)
SanDisk Extreme III: 30mb/sec (the updated version) - Lexar calls it 200X (this discontinued model SanDisk is UDMA enabled)
(Thanks David for the correction in Comments!)
SanDisk Extreme IV: 45mb/sec - Lexar calls it 300X (The discontinued SanDisk Ducati line is also 45mb/sec and UDMA enabled)
SanDisk's New Extreme: 60mb/sec - Lexar calls it 400X
SanDisk's New Extreme Pro: 90mb/sec - Lexar calls it 600X

Hope that helps understand all of this!

UPDATE (12-29-2009): I also wanted to mention that I've owned nearly 15 SanDisk CF cards since 2005 and I have never had ONE fail on me. I learned a trick from a pro: after you COPY (not MOVE) your images onto your PC, always format the card IN-CAMERA before you shoot again. Don't use Windows to delete your images off the card. The CF cards get grumpy for some reason (no matter what brand you use). I've shot 20,000 images on four different camera bodies, and never one card failure in four years.

UPDATE (3-30-2011): My two 16GB cards sre still my workhorse memory, use them almost daily, not one failure. This 60mb/sec line of cards is probably the best value for your buck, you get speed, reliability and storage room for not a lot of money (ha, you'd think I work for SanDisk, lol! Just a happy customer.)

UPDATE (7-12-2011): I did it... I splurged for a red/gold SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF memory card - UDMA 90MB/s 600x (SDCFXP-032G-A91, US Retail Package). Wow, the write and copy speeds are even faster, amazing. It's been my main card these past couple months. But honestly, the red/black Extreme cards that are reviewed here are fast enough (even for video) and MUCH more affordable. As always, SanDisk cards are as stable as ever. Again, just make sure you COPY from the card to your computer, never delete images off the card using your PC. Then, format the card IN-CAMERA before each new use, and your cards will work and last a very long time. I know, I already wrote this in my first update, I can't stress it enough!

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Will it work for a Canon 7D?, January 15, 2010

By 

Lrn2Go (Oklahoma City, Ok) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

Okay, so when I recently purchased a new Camera (a Canon 7D, 18 mega-pixel stills + 1080p video camera) and I was convinced I needed the SanDisk Extreme Pro 90mb/s card to take full advantage of the 8 pictures per second burst rate this camera had to offer... then... I started looking at the prices for those cards. *wince*

So, after I'd picked my jaw off the floor, I came across this card. It's still UDMA (where the card does some of the processing, not just the camera, resulting in better speeds), still faster than any of the older Extreme (and Ultra) series cards including the Extreme IV's by a noticeable margin, and my money buys me much more storage space, at significantly lower cost. But... would it be fast 'enough'?

Well, I was still hesitant... but at almost 1/3 the cost (and since having no memory card makes my camera a little useless), I decided to pull the trigger. I dropped it in, fired it up, and put it to the test. I was expecting shutter lag... or the dreaded "busy" light flashing at me when I really let it fly on full speed. Much to my pleasant surprise, this never happened! I was able to rip away at full speed without any issues at all.

If you're thinking about buying a memory card for this camera (or another high-megapixel DSLR) and you want as much memory AND speed as your dollars can afford, with out sacrificing camera performance... this series of card is for you. I, personally, see no reason to require the MUCH more expensive Extreme Pro for use in this camera... well... unless you have money just burning a hole in your pocket. :)

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast way to boost speed of your DSLR, November 5, 2009

By 

Busy Executive (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

I had been using SanDisk Extreme III (30 MB/s) in my Nikon digital SLR, and while they were reliable and so on, I was never able to get the full high speed frame rate Nikon promises. Instead of the 5-7 frames per second, I was getting more like 2-3.

Switching to the 60MB/s fixed that problem, and now I'm getting the full performance my camera is capable of...at least 5 fps under most conditions.

Interestingly, I also purchased a smaller card capable of 90MB/s, and saw no real difference, so I'm considering the 60MB/s version ideal - nice, since it's much less expensive than the faster cards.

Recommended if you need the best frame rate out of your camera.