Skip to main content

Second SD and Micro SD card Speed Testing Article

The first article on the speed of the SD cards I wrote was pretty successful. I get quite a bit of traffic from that, so I think people probably find it useful. The issue with writing follow up articles is that I’m limited to what I have on hand to test with (if you have contacts to acquire test cards let me know). It’s been a few months and I did buy 4 extra SD cards (2 types) making it possible to write another article. In addition to those regular SD cards I scavenged around to find any else that would be testable. I eventually found quite a few micro SD cards, and I also have a single new Compact Flash card that I was curious about performance.

The goal in this article, as was in the first, is to see how fast these cards write data. When being used in a camera, the write speed is the most important factor to performance.


The testing process:
I went over this in the first article, but basically I use a built-in Ubuntu Linux utility to test the speed of the cards in an internal USB based card reader I have in my computer. It looks like the process changed slightly because Ubuntu changed the text on a few buttons and labels, so I will just include a quick process below.



– Go into the desktop menu of System >> Administration >> Disk Utility
– “Format Drive” button >> “Don’t partition” list option
– “Benchmark” (Measure drive performance) button
– “Start Read/Write Benchmark” (Measure read rate, write rate and access time) button
– “Are you sure…?” will pop-up, click the final “Benchmark” button

As this this is quite a few months later and the Operating System has updated itself since then, I can’t guarantee the results between the two articles are comparable. However, I used the same process, so they should be. The only different variable of this test compared to the first is that in my camera test video I was forced to use my K-7 camera instead of the K-5 because it is in Arizona being serviced. The video was taken at 320×240 with an old digicam and pieced together at 720P in Kdenlive. Anyways, take note that the K-7 is a 14 mega-pixel (mp) camera as apposed to the K-5 which is a 16mp camera. Multiplying that by five photos per card would make a difference, not to mention the K-5 might have higher card writing speeds because it is newer.

Here is a list of the cards:
– Nokia 512MB Micro SD (from an old Nokia phone)
– pqi 4GB Class 2 Micro SDHC (from a junkie Cruz Reader Tablet)
– Samsung 2GB Micro SD (from my newest smart phone)
– Generic 8GB Class 2 Micro SDHC (from a refurbished smart phone I bought from ebay)
– Generic 2GB Micro SD (Bought this online retail years ago to use in a GPS when 2GB was large and expensive. There is good chance this is SanDisk or Crucial, but I can’t remember)
– Sandisk Extreme (HD Video) 8GB Class 10 SD (B&H was selling them for a good price)
– Transcend 16GB Class 10 SD (wanted more space for video work)
– Kingston 16GB 133X Compact Flash (bought for the Pentax *ist D camera)

The results as screen-shots of the Ubuntu disk utility benchmark:

Nokia 512MB Micro SD

Kingston 16GB 133X CF

Generic 2GB Micro SD

Transcend 16GB Class 10 SD

Sandisk Extreme 8GB Class 10 SD

Samsung 2GB Micro SD

pqi 4GB Class 2 Micro SDHC

Generic 8GB Class 2 Micro SDHC


Here are the maximum, minimum, and average write speeds for all of the cards (as well as average access time):

Minimum Write Rate in MBps / Maximum Write Rate in MBps / Average Write Rate in MBps / Average Access Time in Milliseconds

  • Nokia 512MB Micro SD = 3.0 / 4.9 / 4.7 / 1.5
  • pqi 4GB Class 2 Micro SDHC = 0.97 / 8.4 / 2.3 / 1.4
  • Samsung 2GB Micro SD = 1.6 / 6.4 / 4.0 / 3.1
  • Generic 8GB Class 2 Micro SDHC = -1 / -1 / -1 / -1
  • Generic 2GB Micro SD = 3.1 / 8.8 / 6.0 / 1.2
  • Sandisk Extreme 8GB Class 10 SD = 2.4 / 15.8 / 6.6 / 1.7
  • Transcend 16GB Class 10 SD = 2.5 / 11.2 / 3.2 / 1.7
  • Kingston 16GB 133X CF = 4.3 / 11.8 / 8.0 / 1.4

So what do we generally get from the test? Don’t buy a large off-brand card because you want a large amount of space yet want to save money. That generic 8GB micro SD card wouldn’t even complete the test. We also see the compact flash card is around the same write speed as the fastest SD cards, but has a very high read rate (maxing out USB 2.0 bandwidth most likely). The Sandisk Extreme SD card seems like it would be the best card for cameras because it has a very high maximum write rate and a good average rate.

After the standard benchmark, I composed a video to demonstrate actual write times for each card in a DSLR camera (a Pentax K-7):
The camera was set to a 5-frame bracket mode of 14 mega-pixel RAW files, which should total around 75 mega-bytes.

Here are the approximate write times for each card:


Approximate time in seconds to write 5 RAW frames (75MB).
  • Nokia 512MB Micro SD = 20
  • pqi 4GB Class 2 Micro SDHC = 19
  • Samsung 2GB Micro SD = 11
  • Generic 8GB Class 2 Micro SDHC = 21
  • Generic 2GB Micro SD = 13
  • Sandisk Extreme 8GB Class 10 SD = 4
  • Transcend 16GB Class 10 SD = 4
  • Kingston 16GB 133X CF = NA

Final thoughts:

  • The SanDisk Extreme 8GB SD cards and the Transcend 16GB cards are around the same price. It’s up to you whether absolute speed or storage space is more important. I like both companies and think they offer a quality product from my past experiences with them. At least with my older K-7 camera the higher total speed of the SanDisk isn’t noticeable in a 5-frame bracket. More extensive testing would be required to see if there is a real-world difference.
  • Don’t buy or use cheap micro SD cards because you will pay dearly in performance. If you are in a pinch, they will work in a fashion. Say you ran out of memory card space on your main card and was able to use your phone’s card with an adapter you just happened to have in your camera bag or something…
  • An above average compact flash card has similar performance to one of the better SD cards available in the computer based test.
  • Older expensive cards are consistent with their performance. That 2GB micro SD card I remember paying a decent amount of money for isn’t too bad compared to the cheap junk ones I’ve acquired over the years bundled with devices. However the Samsung micro SD that came with my newest phone is alright. No match for a dedicated class 10 SD card though in real world performance.


Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Nikon Z5ii Announced and My Thoughts vs the Original Z5

The Nikon Z5ii was announced recently. I haven't actually used this new camera myself, so keep that in mind. This is going to be mostly me looking at the specs and comparing it to the original Nikon Z5, which I've been using for a few years now. The original Nikon Z5 camera. Overall, the original Z5 isn't a bad camera. I've gotten it to a point where it works how I want it to and it's reliable for what I do.  My main use case is often anime and comic conventions, going there and taking photos of people in cosplay. I usually use the 40mm f/2 lens on the Z5, and it works well for that.  First-person view using the Nikon Z5 at an anime convention. Nikon Z5ii vs Z5: The Spec Sheet Comparison  Nikon has a handy comparison section on their Z5ii page, so let's break down some key differences based on that and my experience with the original. Nikon's website comparing the Z5ii and the original Z5 specifications. First up, the sensor. The Z5ii gets a backside-illumi...
Read more

Xenvo Smartphone Lens Kit Overview

I recently took a look at the Xenvo "Ultimate Smartphone Lens Kit," an add-on system designed to enhance your phone's camera capabilities. I purchased this myself; it wasn't sent to me, and I wanted to share my experiences using it. The kit aims to give you both wider angle shots and detailed macro photos using a clip-on lens system. Let's see what's included and how well it works. The Xenvo "Ultimate Smartphone Lens" Kit packaging. What's in the Box? Opening the box reveals the core components: the lens system itself, which consists of a 15x macro lens and a 0.45x wide-angle lens attachment. It's important to note that the wide-angle piece needs to be screwed onto the macro lens to function correctly; using the wide-angle part alone doesn't really produce a usable image. Inside the box: the lens, case, and accessories. You also get a plastic clip mount to attach the lens assembly to your phone. Alongside the lenses, Xenvo includes severa...
Read more

Nikon D3500 Hands-On And Opinion

Today we are taking a look at the entry level standard F-mount Nikon DSLR in their line-up. This is the latest iteration in their D3000 series of cameras started in 2009.  With lower cost DSLR we can expect certain features like FP sync not being included as well as fewer direct control dials and other buttons. For this iteration it comes with a 24.2 megapixel DX (APS-C) sensor with a sensitivity range of 100 to 25600.  My video on the camera. Get the Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera through my links: Amazon.com , BHPhotoVideo.com , Used on KEH.com , Walmart.com , and eBay.com As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases!  The D3500’s sensor is visible in cleaning mode. There is no shake reduction in the camera, but the kit lens does have VR. The standard optical viewfinder has 95% frame coverage with a 0.85x magnification.  The DSLR focusing system is the 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection giving you a detection ran...
Read more