D7100

Golf007sd

@shutterdancer: The things I keep in mind when it comes to maximizing the speed of saving images to my memory cards is 1) having the right settings for the shot I'm taking...i.e. for fast sport action I shoot 95% of the time in JPG vs. RAW for all other shots 2) getting a fast and reliable memory card I can buy...I have been very happy with SanDisk Extreme Pro 95mb/s line of memory cards.

With respect to the buffer on the D7100....i would say It's on par with the D7000, but no where near the performance of the D4..which as I'm sure we all agree they are in not in the same class thus it is not even fair to compare the two. :P

If you are interested to see what I'm talking about, with respect to the XQD-S on the D4, have a look at this

shutterdancer

@Golf007sd......nice video and you're right comparing the D7100 to the D4 is like comparing a horse and buggy to a Ferrari,but i'm afraid that if I sprung for a D4,we both would be sleeping in the dog house :-))

Golf007sd

Beside the memory card...knowing how your camera will function on a given setting it key in getting that shot. I can assure you that be it my D7000 or the D4...I know how to use the body in getting that shot and having it saved on my memory card.

I'm sure those with the D7100, the more they shot and the more they become familiar with this body, they too will be able to get that memorable shot...which I believe we are all looking forward to see on PAD.

Paperman

Get the fasted memory card you can buy for your D-SLR...period! ...

Why Golf, when a $25 class 10 ordinary Sandisk/Lexar from Walmart is enough for anyone not shooting sports ? Why pay $100-150 for a card ( and you need at least 3-4 ) .. I must have shot 6-8 frames in a row not more than 10 times in the last 5 years . I have never run out of buffer with my DSLRs .

If you are a sports photographer - sure go for it. Otherwise, it is money well wasted.

PB_PM

It's not just while you are shooting that speed matters. If you enjoy waiting for hours while a few hundred pics download, be my guest.

JJ_SO

On small cards we don't have hundred of pics

Without kidding, not everybody fills cards with hundreds or thousand pictures. And while downloading RAW you still need to wait until your RAW converter creates it's previews, so the big benefit of fast cards is while shooting huge RAW files.

Paperman

It's not just while you are shooting that speed matters. If you enjoy waiting for hours while a few hundred pics download, be my guest.

Oh come on, what hours ... I take 400-500 shots, connect the card reader, drag them to hard disk , go get some coffee to enjoy while looking at shots and all is transferred by the time I am back. If I can spend 5 hours shooting, I may spend another 3-5 minutes transferring them. People spend 10-20-30 minutes on photoshopping a singe image.

Not sure but I guess it is the "read" speed during transfer which may be a few times faster than write speeds anyway.

BrucePhotography

+1 on debunking the amount of time it takes to transfer images to a computer. USB 3.0 is well worth it. I am not fond of changing cards in the field so I shoot at least 32gb cards and now I've got one 64gb CF card that I use for shooting raw D800E shots. I enjoy testing equipment so I do alot of testing using a tripod. When I doing landscapes, I use a tripod leveler and take shots for a possible pano. When I'm in the forest, I usually shoot 500 to 1000 shots per day and never have I found the need to complain about the transfer speed. I do find that Bridge on CS6 does take its own sweet time in make previews but with all that detail, I'm not surprised.

Since the raw converter for Photoshop is not out for the D7100 yet and no one seems to know when Adobe Labs will have a beta ready, I can't say if the preview building process will be a problem but I doubt it.

I was surprised how fast the buffer runs out on the D7100. It seems to take only a second on high speed (6fps) so I guess it only has a 6 frame buffer for Raw. Not much -- I was hoping for better but what did I expect of a $1200 camera. Most good lenses are more than that.

Golf007sd

@Paperman: In my D7000 I have two of the SanDisk 16gig 90 MB/s cards. And at the moment they only cost about $40 on Amazon. The 8Gig go for about $24.00. Not really sure where you got the $100-150 price from amigo.

In the end it all comes down to speed, be it in the processes of taking the shot or the time it takes to transfer the files to your computer. I personally feel that the cost of such memory cards are quite affordable, and thus I would recommend new users of the D7100 to get them as well. For those that feel there time can be used in a better fashion then by all means take your time and enjoy the coffee. If you make a pot...I will join you, I love fresh brewed coffee.

JJ_SO

@BrucePhotography: I mentioned in another thread, Capture One is supporting D7100 since yesterday. Of course that doens't help for CS6. Is there still no ARC update?

500..1000 shots a day? In a forest? How long are you sorting afterwards and what are 500 different subjects in a forest per day?

Paperman

@Paperman: In my D7000 I have two of the SanDisk 16gig 90 MB/s cards. And at the moment they only cost about $40 on Amazon. The 8Gig go for about $24.00. Not really sure where you got the $100-150 price from amigo.

Golf, you said D4 in your post - that is what I am referring to . I also use CF cards. You won't get 90 MB/s CF cards for that price. 32 GB currently goes for $137 on Amazon.

PB_PM

It's not just while you are shooting that speed matters. If you enjoy waiting for hours while a few hundred pics download, be my guest.

Oh come on, what hours ... I take 400-500 shots, connect the card reader, drag them to hard disk , go get some coffee to enjoy while looking at shots and all is transferred by the time I am back. If I can spend 5 hours shooting, I may spend another 3-5 minutes transferring them. People spend 10-20-30 minutes on photoshopping a singe image.

Not sure but I guess it is the "read" speed during transfer which may be a few times faster than write speeds anyway.

Of course I was exaggerating. :P Sarcasm must go right over your head.

Golf007sd

@Paperman: Lets get a few things straight, given that this is a D7100 topic, my recommendation was for those that are getting this body or already have it that they should look into getting the fastest memory card possible...hence my remarks above, links and pricing. I leave it to the user/owner of the D7100 which path he or she takes.

My remarks on the memory I'm getting/considering for the D4 was just me speaking out-loud. My apologies for bring something up that has no place in this topic.

Paperman

No problems there. I can't be against going for faster cards for $20 difference. That said, I have seen in the past new extreme fast SD cards being introduced at $169 like prices ( I might have even seen one for $269 a couple of years back ) but I guess those days are over now.

tc88

First, extreme pro costs 2x of extreme. So the choice is between 2x capacity or 2x speed. For a lot of situations, 2x capacity is way better.

Second, whether the camera can use the higher speed of extreme pro. If the camera can't, you are just wasting money on extreme pro. On 5D3 SD slot, I don't think it makes a difference. On D800 SD slot, somebody did a testing and it showed extreme pro to be only 1/3 faster. I wouldn't pay 2x in that case. D7100 seems to have improved the circuit further to utilize extreme pro better.

Third, if one is just shooting JPG, in my opinion, there is no need for extreme pro. The initial buffer lasts much longer, and even when it's full, you should get at least 3fps, and by skipping your tapping on some redundant frames, you can get back to 6fps if needed immediately.

It's all about informed decisions.

JJ_SO

And D800/E is currently the only one with a fast USB3 connection - this is an advantage the reading speed of Extreme pro can benefit of.

And also for long series JPG. Extreme Pro is quicker in writing, so you get some extra shots. Question is only if one needs them.

Paulohn

Sometimes, the price difference, in case of SDs, for instance, is not so relevant.

Of course a Extreme Pro costs twice as much as the 'not so extreme' version. But considering photography is not a cheap hobby, paying USD 70 for the Extreme Pro 32GB or USD 35 for the Extreme III is not much of an issue. (professionals are used to the expenses of the duty)

Even when I don't need at the moment, but if the price seems ok, I get the best option. This way I will not regret sometime in a near future when I need the feature. In case I don't use, well, it wasn't THAT expensive...

Photobug

Just read the early comments on the D7100 on Ken Rockwell's web site. Here is the link to his review:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7100.htm

He made an interesting comments about the color being better than the most recent Nikon DSLRs. He has been very vocal the past 3 months about the color shift if you use NIkon's standard settings. He has identified the color corrections to bring it back to normal and its on his web site. Any way no change in settings for the D7100.

As I spoke several weeks ago, I was impressed with the new D7100 when I checked it out at a local camera dealer. Now that members of this site/blog are getting cameras and leaving feedback I have to catch up. Right now this looks like a great DSLR..

PB_PM

Oh Kenpotwell.... what more can we say?

shutterdancer

Buying the fastest memory cards that you can afford is never a bad idea,however with my first Nikon being a film camera..36 exp give or take,i've never been a believer of putting all of my eggs in one basket,and since moving to digital I have the same mindset.I have been shooting 4GB cards forever but when I ordered the D7100 the other day I ordered ...gasp.. 2.......drum roll....whopping 8GB cards.I've never been one who shoots indiscriminately so 16GB or 64GB cards are overkill and besides swapping cards is quicker and easier than changing a roll of film.

@photobug....no offense to you sir,but i've never put too much stock in a camera review from someone who has never put his hands on the camera.

BrainBeat

To those of you who are still having this conversation about memory cards maybe you should start a threat about it and leave this to discussions about the D7100 . That is unless you can at least make it relevant to the camera.

Anyway to continue my impressions of how the camera, tonight I had a concert to shoot and I am very pleased with the quality of the results. This venue was luckily well lit and I could freely move around and use flash (I would have gone without if I had know to borrow a 70-200 F2.8 but had to use my kit 50-200). The exposure and focus seemed to nearly always spot on. The crop mode helped getting nice and close which I am sure would have helped me not putting off the subjects. The only real unfortunate thing was I got a lot of red eyes from using the flash but that should not be much of a problem. Having 2 wheels and lots of buttons is certainly a lot more efficient or at least it will be once I remember when they all are and can feel for them without looking.

I can say for certain if I had done this job a few weeks ago with my current set of lenses and my D5000 that I would not have gotten likely half as nice photos as I would have both had to use iso 3200 which is noisy and has poor colour as well as I would not have gotten as tight shots. Now I just need to start investing in some more lenses.

Photobug

Shutterdancer said:

@photobug....no offense to you sir,but i've never put too much stock in a camera review from someone who has never put his hands on the camera.

Look closer. He wrote a preliminary review and posted it. He did get his D7100 and has only modified part of his review.

Photobug

Shutterdancer........Oh, no disrespect taken.

I totally agree with you about not putting much faith in someone who has not used a camera and writes a review.

PB_PM

Just for laughs, I noticed that the D7100's DXO mark was lower than the D5200. I don't put to much weight behind DXO mark scores, but it is what it is.

JJ_SO

After I had an interesting mail conversation with DxO today, I find that company even more, hmmm, funny?

Today I got the MB-D15 and I like to tell some things about before it's manufacturer (Made in Chiopyna) starts to flood eBay with 40$ copies

Really good:

the grip is bigger than MB-D11 (D7000's grip) and currently comes at the same price, I paid 261 $
"Bigger" means it has about 5mm broader grip and the curve for the fingertips which also is to be seen at MB-D12 and not so much on MB-D11 - it sticks better to the fingertips. (it's a shame I use Manfrotto plates, the grip feels really great)
The dials sound a bit hollow, but are reacting well defined
AE-L/AF-L button is better to push than MB-D11's
The 2 wheels for the camera-connector screw are also better tightening
The tripod thread is about 8-10mm more to the center weight and not so close to the rear as it is on D7100 body - better balance on tripod
The rubber cover of the EN-EL14 holder is better to remove when I need the power cable adpater
The fit is excellent - no wobbling like the first MB-D11 I got afterwards exchanged by Nikon.

Don't know if good or bad:

The shutter-button lock is harder to turn

I don't like so much:

the "crown"-form of the jog-knob so much, but this can be said for all MB-D1x
Battery holders of MB-D11 don't fit - and it's not much, so it was done on purpose. To me it would be extra-value to use both pair of holders for both grips as voltage, number of batteries and connection are the same

What I miss again:

Connection to power cable as socket
Arca Swiss adapter as bottom plate (one may dream...)

I also tried to measure fps with and without grip power. But have to say, since I'm not a photogunner I didn't use as fresh set of duracells, only freshly charged eneloops and the difference is 1.8 volts more. So, probably duracell users get a fraction more fps.

With JPG Large/fine, AF off, Manual mode 1/320 and open aperture I got 38 shots of 13.6MB each in 7 seconds = 5.4 fps. 545 MB saved in 7 seconds = 78MB/s

That's an average, after maybe 30 shots the speed went down as others already reported. I shot the moving digit of my watch and when I switch from one to the next frame, some of them are closer and others further.

Then I removed the battery pack and EN-EL14 delivered the power for 36 shots in 6.8 seconds: 5.3 fps

I'd say, pretty much the same - I have no chronometer to get more precise results.

JPG medium/fine deliver 8.4 MB. With that setting the camera kept shuttering without interruption, 91 shots in 15 seconds: 6 fps continuously. 760 MB saved in 15 seconds = 50.6 MB/s

Any questions, before I delete the sequences?