Maximum writing speed for Nikon D5300 memory card

frank1989

Hi,

Since a couple of weeks I am the happy owner of a Nikon D5300. I have a memory card, but want to upgrade to one with a higher capacity.
I read the technical specifications of the camera, but I don't understand which type of SD-card meets the maximum writing speed of this camera.

I'm interested in the Lexar Professional 400x SDHC UHS-I Card 32GB. Is this a card which matches the maximum writing speed of the Nikon D5300?

Thanks,

Frank

Paperman

Last time I checked cards - and it's been a while - no SD card was able to catch up with continuous RAW shooting of DSLRs. One assumes they would have caught up by now but the DSLR files also got bigger with higher Mps. Basicly, once the buffer is full, every card will eventually stutter and slow down full speed cont. shoot. ( pls feel free to correct if things have changed in the past year )

If you are shooting JPEGs, you should not worry as the buffer will probably be enough anyways . For regular shooting , any class 6 and over card should be enough but wiser to go for a class 10 as they are not more than $20. That is if you are not into continuous full burst shooting.

I get angry every time when I see a Best Buy/Future Shop salesman selling the most expensive & largest SD card on rack - usually over $100 to a first time DSLR buyer saying that is what they need for the camera to work properly.

Photobug

I get angry every time when I see a Best Buy/Future Shop salesman selling the most expensive & largest SD card on rack - usually over $100 to a first time DSLR buyer saying that is what they need for the camera to work properly.

I have also seen this done at Best Buy. People don't know and they listen to the sales guy that is suppose to know is stuff. The last time I saw this happened I spoke up and said yes it would work with that camera but a lower speed would work just as well for normal photography. Consider one that has a medium speed. The young BB associate winced and the couple thanks me. He did not look to happy with me. (The wife hates it when I do this, she just wants to disappear.)

PB_PM

@frank1989 Those Lexar cards are a good buy, in the sense that they have a good price to performance ratio.

That said, as others have noted, there simply isn't a SD card on the market that will let you hold down the shutter in continuous mode and never stop.

Paperman

I have also seen this done at Best Buy. People don't know and they listen to the sales guy that is suppose to know is stuff. The last time I saw this happened I spoke up and said yes it would work with that camera but a lower speed would work just as well for normal photography. Consider one that has a medium speed. The young BB associate winced and the couple thanks me

Just 2 days ago in Future Shop ( Best Buy sister company in Canada ), I was looking at cameras and one guy apparently bought a D3200 for her girlfriend as a Xmas present. The sales guy who sold him the camera pulled the most expensive ( +$120 I guess ) 64 GB card from rack and told him that high end DSLRs needed an SD card like that. I was determined to warn the poor guy but the salesman did not even let him go & pay at check out cashiers -did the transaction right there at his own station. Hope he is reading this :-) and will take it back. I know sales guys make a living on accessories and extended warranty but a $120 card for a $400 camera is a bit pushing it.

I actually once formally complained about a FS sales guy who sold my wife a $100 antivirus software for the $250 netbook she bought. The guy pushed the sale saying the netbooks - due to their limited memory - needed an antivirus software that used little memory. Needless to say I returned both.

PB_PM

Futureshop is driven by commission (even more so than Best Buy), so of course the sales people are going to push high end products. Thus I avoid BB and FS at all costs.

Ironheart

I find the word "No" works pretty well in these situations. But I try to be an informed consumer.
Back to the topic, the D5300 manual states that a class 6 card would be the minimum speed for video, but I usually buy class 10 and have never had an issue (on a D5100) with write speed. I try to spend less than $1/GB.

Photobug

That is a good guideline of $1/GB. Never thought of it in those terms.
Also like the idea of using class 10 cards over class 6.

PB_PM

A fast, high end, class 6 card will often be faster than a cheap class 10 card. Don't let those numbers fool you, check the actual read and write speeds before you buy.

Ade

Yes and no. The Speed Class and the manufacturer reported read/write speeds measure different things.

The Speed Class defines the absolute minimum speed the card will support under circumstances prescribed in the SD specification. Think of this speed as the card's "guaranteed data transfer rate". The Speed Class is useful for video applications which require a minimum speed.

The read/write speeds manufacturers quote represent a looser definition which is the sustained speed. Unlike the Speed Class, there is no guarantee that at any given point in time the card can actually transfer at this speed.

So even if a Class 6 card lists a higher read/write speed than a Class 10 card, the fact remains that the Class 10 card "guarantees" a higher minimum data transfer rate than the Class 6 card.

kyoshinikon

I swear by sandisk which makes some of the best cards in my opinion. You can get cards up to 95mbps which should be more than enough for your D5300. In fact I'd say it is overkill. a 45mbps should be great. All cards I know of that are 45mbps are Class 10 cards

tylerb120

I'd just like to take a second to clear something up that's been previously mentioned in this thread. Best Buy employees have not worked off commission since the 70's/80's if you've heard otherwise, it's completely false information.

I work at a best buy here in Illinois, in the Digital Imaging department and personally have never done what some people here have claimed. I don't get a bonus, or any cut of what I sell. I just enjoy helping current and budding photographers get what they need, whether that's the $12 8gb card, or the $100 95/mbs card.

I can understand and believe that certain associates probably reach for the highest costing card, but not because they get a commission but simply because in most cases, they don't really know what they are talking about, so they associate an expensive DSLR with needing an expensive SD card. I'm very lucky to work at a location where not only I, but the other associates in the Digital Imaging area of our store are very knowledgeable and only look to get folks what they need, and not empty their wallet. Just wanted to clear that up, cheers :-)

Parke1953

I think you should buy the best card you can. I like the smaller cards and i think you should get 300 or 400 pics (not sure what your file size is) on a 16 gig card with a D5300. I got a SanDisk Extreme Pro 16G SD 95MB/s card at BestBuy for $25 (on sale).

PB_PM

I'd just like to take a second to clear something up that's been previously mentioned in this thread. Best Buy employees have not worked off commission since the 70's/80's if you've heard otherwise, it's completely false information.)

Maybe not direct commission in the sense of a car salesmen, but there are bonuses for selling some products (or volume). If that wasn't so, employees would not push you to mention their name to the cashier.

tylerb120

I'd just like to take a second to clear something up that's been previously mentioned in this thread. Best Buy employees have not worked off commission since the 70's/80's if you've heard otherwise, it's completely false information.)

Maybe not direct commission in the sense of a car salesmen, but there are bonuses for selling some products (or volume). If that wasn't so, employees would not push you to mention their name to the cashier.

As I stated in my original post, I work at best buy currently. There aren't any "bonuses" or commission, at all. Literally nothing.

PB_PM

Must be different with Best Buy in Canada.

Ade

Sales Associates ("product specialists") at Best Buy Canada are non-commissioned. But, they are still in sales, meaning there is still pressure from managers to meet daily/weekly/monthly sales targets for the store, and part of the way to meet targets is via upselling.

No company would tolerate salespersons who doesn't generate sales, whether commissioned or not. If you're seen by managers as not actively contributing to the sales targets, then your Best Buy career will likely be on the short side.

Photobug

I got to agree with Ade...+1 based upon my experiences over a long time at multiple BB locations.

kyoshinikon

Any of the best buy's Ive visited in the pact 2 years have had a stellar salesperson. While I personally prefer Samy's or a dedicated camera shop. The employees at best buy (in cameras) are always helpful.

johnk4007

Here's the link to a Youtube video that compares a Scandisk Extreme Pro to a Transcend SD card. All of the technical stuff is explained and the video shows photos of comparison output for each card. I couldn't do the technical explanation justice, The video makes it clear what needs to be considered in terms of write speed and what the cards, what the cards actually achieve, what the camera actually achieves, and the impact of compression on the output. It really is clear. I hope this helps.

johnk4007

No link so search for Mindpower009 on YouTube. Good luck.

johnk4007

Well a further look on YouTube and from Camerarec Toby comes a comparison between several cards. The test was with the lens cover on (no variation). There's a chart at the end that shows whats best. On top is the Scandisk Extreme Pro Class 10. Writes 22 shots in 10 seconds for both JPEG and RAW. Most of the others were half the speed in RAW. Also tested was the Eye-Fi SD card that includes a WiFi capability. A Scandisk Extreme Pro 32GB will cost about $95 dollars. More expensive but fast. Camera buffer speed seems to be the limiting factor.Page 238 of the full manual shows that a 128GB card is listed as suitable.