Customer Reviews

SanDisk SDCFX4-4096 4GB Extreme IV CompactFlash Card

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have used many cards with my D200; mostly the 2GB Extreme III version of this card. These are my first Extreme IV series cards in 4GB. My expectations for this card ran something like, same performance as my 2GB cards, maybe a little faster on computer downloads. I was not disapointed.

One interesting little bonus has shown up with these cards and my D200. While shooting on a long trip across Glacier National Park I averaged 700 shots per battery when using these cards. While using the older and slower cards I averaged 400 shots per card. I have shot thousands and thousands of pictures with my 2GB cards and I average between 400 and 500 per battery charge consistantly. This is the first time I have seen 700+ from a single charge on my D200. More shoots are required to establish the actual performance difference but so far there has been a noticable reduction in battery use with this card and the D200.

With fast shooting high mega pixel DSLR cameras, the CF card can be a major performance factor. Write speeds, capacity, and power consumption all have an impact. The Extreme versions also have a wider temperature range, is impact resistant, and includes recovery software. Why purchase an expensive digital camera only to use a card that cannot keep up?

The Extreme IV cards read/write with a 40 MB/sec sequential read/write speed. These fast write speeds are desirable with large image files especially when uploading to a computer. DSLR cameras often have a buffer which holds images while writing to the card during continuous shots. At some point the card cannot write fast enough, preventing the camera from shooting until the buffer clears enough room for another image. In these cases the camera cannot write as fast as the card, the quick speeds may only be noticeable while uploading images to your computer.

As CF cards continue to decrease in price, they increase capacity. 1GB cards are inexpensive these days, but don't have the capacity I need. Two 2GB CF cards cost about as much and sometimes more than the same model 4GB CF card. Meanwhile the price of two 4GB cards is currently less expensive than the same model 8GB CF card. It appears that the 4GB is the current sweet spot on a cost per GB basis.

When it comes to the price, the trade off partially comes from power consumption. Other model CF cards may use more power to do the same job as this card to maintain a lower price. The Sandisk Extreme IV card's low power consumption means a longer battery life.

Special features of this card include withstanding temperatures from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit (as indicated on the package). Since I live in Texas, I doubt I'll ever have a problem with the card getting too cold. It is nice to know that I could possibly leave the card in a car under the hot Texas sun and it may still work. I've yet to test this scenario, and it's unlikely I ever purposely will.

The high impact rating of this CF card provides protection from accidental drops and falls. For example; if you were to drop this card 10-foot above the floor, this card is rated to sustain the impact without damage.

Additionally, if something should go wrong, this CF card comes with the RescuePRO® Deluxe recovery software. Fortunately I have had no need for the software. For that purpose I cannot give much comment on its usefulness.

I have never had the need to recover my images as CF cards are extremely reliable. However, if you are concerned about reliability, the Extreme IV cards have a dedicated technical support line (1-866-270-5532). Plus it's backed with a lifetime limited warranty outside Europe. The warranty excludes any issues or damages to the card resulting from use in other than its normal and customary manner, misuse, accident or neglect; or improper alterations or repairs.

People generally want to know how many images a card will hold. This is a difficult question to answer and greatly depends on the card, and the camera using it. The number of images this card will hold on my Canon 40D also depends on the settings used. Let me provide a few settings and image counts for an idea of what this card holds.

Shooting Raw w/ISO 100 - 313 images
Shooting Raw w/ISO 800 - 284 images
Shooting Raw + jpg w/ISO 100 - 243 images
Shooting Raw + jpg w/ISO 800 - 214 images
Shooting S-Raw + jpg w/ISO 100 - 366 images
Shooting S-Raw + jpg w/ISO 800 - 321 images
Shooting Large jpeg w/ISO 100 - 1107 images
Shooting Large jpeg w/ISO 800 - 880 images
Shooting Medium jpeg w/ISO 100 - 1815 images
Shooting Medium jpeg w/ISO 800 - 1508 images

Somehow several cards I had came up missing. Needing to replace my missing cards I did some research to find the replacements. When a great warehouse deal on this CF card was listed on Amazon, I decided to make the purchase.

I use both a 2GB and two 4GB cards shooting primarily raw images. Normally I could easily fill the 2GB card quickly, for general use it is adequate though. When I shoot sports action shots I use the 4GB cards instead. There have been many days where I have taken 200-300 pictures without the opportunity to transfer my images. The 4GB card not only gives me more storage space, but also permits me to change the card in a slow moment before it completely fills up. It is truly aggravating to lose a shot because the card filled up. For these reasons I tend to prefer the 4GB cards with my 40D. When considering the card size, one should attempt to balance price, convenience, and capacity. Having one card for all your images may be convenient, but it increases risk of losing all your images if something should unexpectedly go wrong. Having lost several of my cards, obviously this is something I know first hand. Luckily I didn't lose any images as a result.

If the temperature ratings or the Rescue Pro recovery software is an important feature for you, the Extreme IV is the card to get. Otherwise, consider purchasing the Sandisk Extreme III CF Card with many of the same features and save some cash. The Ultra II cards are also available; however they are an older, slower technology. The current price difference between the Ultra II and the Extreme III cards is not that much.

Overall, I do not notice the benefits of this cards speed over the Ultra II when used with the 40D. With twice the capacity, I benefit from quick upload speeds when transferring my images. The other benefits between this and the Ultra II are not necessarily a big plus for me. There is no doubt in my mind the Extreme IV cards are better than the Ultra II though. I like having the recovery software too. Even though this card was more expensive, I am happy with my purchase.

PROS:
Reliable
Fast read/write
Impact resistant
Low power consumption
Backed by a lifetime limited warranty
Recovery software included

CONS:
None

First this is a great card for action digital photography... I'm using this with a Canon 30d and love it, but...

I am writing this review to possibly save would be buyers from an issue I had here on Amazon.

I purchased a "new" Sandisk Extreme IV 4gb card from one of the other sellers here on Amazon, trying to save about 15 bucks instead of just buying it new from Amazon.

Well, it turned out the card I received had all the packaging, labeling, and markings, and appeared in every outward way to be a Sandisk 4gb Extreme IV, but it was actually a 512mb card manufactured overseas and NOT by Sandisk. Unfortunately for me, because I didn't buy it from Amazon I was out my purchase price.

While most sellers are probably honestly selling a new or a used card, I was conned by a very motivated scam artist, so be careful who you buy this card from. Like I said, my card was advertised as being "new" and it looked EXACTLY like the real thing, but it definitely was NOT genuine.

Twice as fast as the Extreme III.... you'll need the fast, firewire reader from Sandisk to achieve that, though... these robust cards last many years, get the fastest so they will work in your future cameras! It comes with a CD containing RECOVERY software should you screw up. What a great price! Holds 247 RAW images from the Nikon D200 or THOUSANDS in .JPEG form.

This product met all my expectations and more. The fireware reader is necessary though. The reader increases read speed by at least 5 times. Amazing speed with this card.

I purchased this card in the hope that it would allow more shots to be taken in burst mode. I set up a Nikon D300 to shoot continuous mode, raw format, 12 bit depth, 1/500 second, f4 with auto ISO off, manual focus and made shots with Extreme IV, Extreme III 8 GB and Ultra II 4 GB cards. I made shots until the camera buffer filled and the shot rate paused. The Extreme IV allowed 19 shots, the Extreme III 18 and the Ultra II 16. I repeated the test 5 times with each card and got the same results. The only thing I found that affected the number of shots was file size. Dark subjects can be compressed more and as a consequence the buffer can hold more shots before the shot rate slows.

I used a SanDisk imagemate card reader to upload 200 shots to my computer from each of the cards. The Ultra II took 5 minutes 20 sec, the Extreme III took 4 minutes 5 seconds and the Extreme IV took 3 minutes 50 seconds. My card reader may not be fast enough to take full advantage of the Extreme IV read rate.

For me the additional one shot in continuous mode is not worth the price differential between Extreme III and IV. For ordinary shooting that doesn't involve continuous shooting in RAW mode, the Ultra II is good enough for me.

I have never had a problem with SanDisk cards the Extreme IV does come with recovery software. In my opinion it comes down to a question of whether or not the extra performance is worth the price differential.

I have had this CF Card for five months, and it has performed perfectly. Very fast, lots of storage, and zero problems. I have a Canon 400D (XTi) and this card writes 10mb RAW files as quick as the camera can make them.

Comes with a soft padded case, and w/ the reader bundle I purchased, the reader has similar great performance. The firewire reader has two benefits in my mind, one is the performance, which is very fast; and it doesnt use a USB port. It came with recovery software that I havent used, but its nice to know its there.

This thing is awsome! With my 40D I have shot at 6.5 fps 170 frames in a row! The card is increadibly fast! No complaints.SanDisk 4 GB Extreme IV CompactFlash Card ( SDCFX4-4096-901 )

the extreme IV on a d300 with the battery grip is perhaps too fast of a combination. it makes the camera spit out captures like a cobra. if you don't need this level of performance, have a camera with a lower frame rate and a smaller buffer, an extreme IV is overkill. other than that it's a great card, very reliable so far. 4 stars since it's still a bit pricey. no real difference between this and lexar's UDMA 300x, so get whichever one's cheaper.

After 4 months I got "Err 2" on my Rebel XT. I was able to get the pictures off the card, but now neither my PC or camera even recognizes that there is a card loaded. I'm going to try to work with San Disk to replace it. Wish me luck.