Customer Reviews

SanDisk Ultra 16 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card SDSDRH-016G-A11

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The labeling of this item (SanDisk Ultra II 16 GB SDHC card) is very confusing. On the front side it claims a maximum speed of 15MB/sec. At the same time, it is marketed as 'Class-4' (which means a minimum read/write speed of just 4MB/s). To move up to a 'class-6' card from the same manufacturer, you have to buy the SanDisk 16gb Extreme III SDHC card which costs 2-3 times more.

I decided to take a chance with this Ultra II card, even though my new Canon EOS Rebel T1i explicitly requires a 'Class-6' card for video capture. I'm happy to report that the card is fast enough to keep up with my camera, even in burst mode and in 1080 HD video mode.

My own benchmark (see 'Customer Images') revealed that the read speed of this card is consistently fast at 18-19MB/s. But its write speed is strongly dependent on the data file size:
- For small files of 1MB each, the card is only able to write at about 6MB/s. That means it qualifies as a borderline 'class-6'.
- For typical photo files (4-6MB each), the write speed is much faster at around 10MB/s.
- When writing a huge file of 1GB, the card can actually achieve the claimed maximum speed of 15MB/s.

The SanDisk Ultra II may not be a good choice if you want to use it as a ReadyBoost device (frequent writing of smaller file). But when used in digital cameras, this 'class-4' card is just as fast or even faster than other brands of 'class-6' cards (such as the Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6, which levels off at 11MB/s for large files). This makes the Ultra II a great value - especially for those people who prefer to stay with a trusted name brand.

[Update on Nov 18, 2011]
At the time of my original review, this Sandisk Ultra card was marketed as a 'class-4', while the Extreme card was called a 'class-6'. But now the Ultra is called 'class-6' while the Extreme is 'class-10'. I strongly suspect it is just marketing people playing tricks with definitions of 'class-4/6/10'.

I received this item in only a few days even with free shipping. I took it vacation for use in a Nikon D80. I've been shooting simultaneously in RAW and JPEG and didn't want to be limited by my memory card. I will NEVER fill this card up before I get back to a computer download my pictures. It's actually pretty ridiculous how much room there is on the card. I recommend it because it works great and it has a huge capacity. I should also mention that I have never had an issue with a SanDisk memory card. I used a 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II SD card in my Nikon P5000 for the year prior. I could have just stuck with that card but I wanted more space. If you are taking pictures, even when each shutter click records two very high quality copies at the same time, you will be hard pressed to fill this card up.

I bought a set of SanDisk Ultra II 16GB/15MB SDHC Cards at the recommendation of my camera rep. I checked many stores and, IF I WAS ABLE TO FIND this card, (only 1 of 7 stores had it) it's only sold at list price. Fortunately, amazon.com had the SanDisk Ultra II 16GB/15MB SDHC Card in stock and at a savings.

If you're shooting HD video, this disk is ideal. I'm able to film hours and the quality is outstanding. Using the disk over and over has not reduced the quality of the recordings. Another advantage is convenience. I popped out the card, put it in my computer (I use MacBook Pro) and while I was downloading the contents, I put in another card and I'm back shooting in minutes. Save time and money without fear of less than great quality. The disk comes with the SanDisk Micromate for convenience!

This is a fast storage device. I'm using it with my canon s5 and it is perfect. The sotrage of the image is very fast and the image is clean of defects; something I've seem on the older, slower sd's. If you need lots of storage this is the media to buy!

I bought this card for my Nikon D90 before a week-long vacation. I wanted a card large enough for hundreds of images as well as HD video. It certainly held hundreds (actually thousands) of high-quality images as well as HD video (I still had space for several hundred more images by the end of the trip, without ever once having to offload the images)... its read and write speed are lightning fast... it's a joy to use this SD card. Great price as well.

Like other reviewers, I did NOT receive an Ultra II card. I was sent a 16 GB Ultra card. The image is wrong. Beech Camera explained by e-mail that SanDisk does not make a product that is labeled "Ultra II" anymore. I confirmed this with SanDisk as well as other vendors of their product. Beech Camera was responsive by e-mail, and followed up a couple days later by calling me to make sure that everything was okay, and that I was satisfied with the product. Good customer service. Please don't get freaked out when the "Ultra" card shows up. It's the same thing. The description for this product just needs to be updated.

I have several of these for my Canon Vixia FH10 HD camcorder which has transfer rates of 17 megabits per second - about as demanding as you can get and the cards work perfectly

Purchased as extra drive/storage for my dell mini sd slot. Mounted as a D:drive and relocated My Documents to it. Perfect companion for any net/notebook. Gets consistent 15-17mbs read/write speeds. If I had a 2nd slot I'd buy another. Very pleased with the seller also, ordered Thursday, received Monday. diz

The marketing-speak says "featuring fast up to 15MB/s Read/Write speeds", but look closely at the picture of the card and notice the number "4" in a "C" shape. That symbol means this card is rated "Class 4", meaning, by the "SD Association" testing standard only 4MB/s is guaranteed. This card has an inflated price to match the misleading marketing. I suggest you buy a cheaper Class 4 card, or a Class 6 or higher card. Consider instead buying Transcend 16 GB SDHC SD Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

I have been using this card in my Canon Powershot SD790IS. I have a card reader in my computer and have been taking the card out of the camera and reading it directly, not using the download cable. After about 1 1/2 months, I have had a problem with the camera saying the card is locked. I take the card out and make sure it is NOT locked and insert it again. The camera will now write to the card. This is annoying and I hope it is NOT a defect in the card. We shall see with time, but I plan on using the download cable and not removing the card from the camera. From a price and space standpoint it was really good. If anyone else has this problem, just chime in. I will follow up later to let everyone know if this problem is still occuring.