FYI...a great deal on 1TB CFx Type B cards...

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MotoPixel

MotoPixel

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The CineD site is offering 1TB Angelbird AV Pro SE cards for $179 + Shipping for a limited time. They are the same cards being offered directly from AB for $299...which I confirmed upon receipt of the card I ordered as I already have a couple. Checked in both Z9 and Z8 and they will record until full in the Z9 in 8K60 RAW High quality setting, though I did get a hot card warning in the Z8 at 16min. This was in 91F ambient outdoors. I did not test any stills bursts as that is not a concern for me.
 
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As I understand it the card speed requirements for video are less than the requirements for shooting 20fps RAW for still photography. If I recall correctly you need something like 800 something sustained write transfer speed for video while high speed RAW single images need 1400 sustained write speeds for optimal results.

I don’t know the rated speed for these Angelbird cards. I have also not worked with them and i have no opinion about their quality. It is my impression there are a number of high capacity CF B cards on the market aimed at video use but they may not be the best if you shoot a lot of 20 fps RAW stills. There seems to my observation to be a big price difference between cards optimized for video versus cards optimized for high frame rate stills.

My interest is still photography and i frequently shoot at 20fps RAW with Z9. I almost never shoot video. For my kind of work I have been advised by many on this site and elsewhere to stick with certain proven quality cards, specifically Prograde Cobalt and Delkin Black. I have followed that advice and have never had a problem with any of those specific cards.

Thank you MotoPixel for posting this information.
 
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Yes, I have the same understanding and just ran a quick test in both my Z9 and Z8 shooting compressed RAW at 20fps. With both cameras I was able shoot 56-57 images before the buffer filled and burst rate dropped to 12fps which then seems to be sustainable until the card fills. Releasing the shutter for a little under 2 seconds clears the buffer and I could resume at 20fps.

As I said, for myself and I suspect many others, that's overkill for my needs with video performance being the performance bar that defines my purchase requirements. For CFx cards, I've exclusively used AB cards since ordering my Z9 when it was released and have had zero issues. My needs are met and I've saved enough money, easily over $1000 on the 8 cards I own, to offset the cost of some of my video gear (Resolve Studio/Speed Editor, Micro Color Panel, DeckLink 4K mini, etc).

I have no relationship with the company beyond being a satisfied, "value-oriented" consumer.

Cheers!
 
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Thanks again MotoPixel.

It has been some time ago that I saw test results conducted on card speed and performance. I thought that Thom Hogan published those test results but I could be wrong.

From what I recall of those tests they measured how long the camera would continue shooting 20 fps RAW before slowing down. They tried that in several RAW formats including one that was more highly compressed. What I recall from those tests was that the Delkin Black and Prograde Cobalt cards ran the longest before slowing down. I also recall that if they used the most compressed RAW format the cards would not slow down at all.

I have in the past had a pretty heavy trigger finger when shooting RAW and on one occasion I managed to fill a 165gb card in a few hours of shooting. I have since learned to temper my enthusiasm if for no other reason than to cut the time culling images of shots that had no hope of generating keepers. :mad::mad::mad:

the other thing the study addressed is the tendency of cards to fail or overheat. The Black and Cobalt cards did the best there.

Of course technology advances and the cards made today may not be the same as cards tested two or more years ago. At this point I have a sufficient supply of CF B cards. I would be interested in seeing more recent tests and evaluations.

Again I have never used Angelbird cards. I have no opinion on their quality but think they have a cool name. :):):):)
 
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Please be specific about which version of Angelbird cards you are referring to. There are four versions - and performance is quite different. some are designed for a lower price while others are designed for peak performance with video and high speed bursts. If you buy the wrong version, you will experience overheating or you might be paying for something you don't need.

Here is what I saw on the Angelbird site:

  • AV Pro SE has a minimum sustained write speed of 800 MB/s - not fast enough for sustained bursts or higher res video - 512 GB and 1TB
  • AV Pro SX has a minimum sustained write speed of 1480 MB/s - fast enough for bursts and video but more expensive - 160 GB and 330 GB
  • AV Pro has minimum sustained write speed of 1300 MB/s - more expensive and fast enough for most burst shooting and video but borderline for 8k video - 2 TB and 4 TB
  • AV Pro XT Mk2 has a minimum sustained write speed of 1480 MB/s - fast enough for bursts and 6k and 8k video but more expensive - 660 GB and 1320 GB

There are plenty of people that don't need a high performance card. But if you are going to be shooting bursts with high frame rates, using pre-release capture, using auto capture, or shooting 8k or 6k 60p or 120p video, the high performance cards are needed.
 
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EricBowles said:
Please be specific about which version of Angelbird cards you are referring to. There are four versions - and performance is quite different. some are designed for a lower price while others are designed for peak performance with video and high speed bursts. If you buy the wrong version, you will experience overheating or you might be paying for something you don't need.

Here is what I saw on the Angelbird site:

  • AV Pro SE has a minimum sustained write speed of 800 MB/s - not fast enough for sustained bursts or higher res video - 512 GB and 1TB
  • AV Pro SX has a minimum sustained write speed of 1480 MB/s - fast enough for bursts and video but more expensive - 160 GB and 330 GB
  • AV Pro has minimum sustained write speed of 1300 MB/s - more expensive and fast enough for most burst shooting and video but borderline for 8k video - 2 TB and 4 TB
  • AV Pro XT Mk2 has a minimum sustained write speed of 1480 MB/s - fast enough for bursts and 6k and 8k video but more expensive - 660 GB and 1320 GB

There are plenty of people that don't need a high performance card. But if you are going to be shooting bursts with high frame rates, using pre-release capture, using auto capture, or shooting 8k or 6k 60p or 120p video, the high performance cards are needed.
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Not correct. The se cards can, in fact, handle 8k60 video. Source, I've shot video on mine. The z cameras can only write just over 800 MB/S
 
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The 512GB card is rated at a sustained write speed of 800MB/s, but the 1TB is rated at 1300MB/s sustained. I own both and have had no issues filling the 512GB card with 8K60 RAW in Normal mode. Of course, I have no doubt that a burst at 20fps might hit the buffer around 2-seconds with the 512GB card instead of the 3 seconds I got with the 1TB card.

I only checked the 1TB cards at the NRaw High setting as a test...I can't imagine shooting anything in the High format.

I saw your note about the sale on Delkin and I think we'll be seeing prices start coming down on the mid-level cards...thanks for sharing that.

Cheers,
Tom
 
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The Delkin Power 1TB cards are also on sale, though not as cheap at this ($249). Not on the market for more memory currently but would love to hear how they compare heat resistance, max sustained write speeds, etc.
 
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