Nikon D500 Memory card options

[Roy]

I currently am using 64GB UHS-II SDXC but have the firmware update to use the CFexpress cards. I am planning to get a Z9 eventually and I am wondering if there is a benefit to switching the D500 to the CFexpress card so I can swap them between the 2 cameras in the future.

Has anyone switched from UHS-II SDXC to CFexpress on their D500? what are the differences IN CAMERA, or are they just faster to get the images from the card to your PC?

Do the D500 and Z9 access the fastest CFexpress cards at the same speeds? or do I need a slower one for the D500 and the fastest version for the Z9 when I get it?
Or is it just a nitpicky moot point to consider?

For stills ever a XQD card is much faster than a SD card.
I dont shoot video on my D500 - only stills.
For shooting video on my Z9 I do have some CFexpress cards and although more expensive CFexpress are more future proof.
If considering CFexpress its a good idea to get a card reader that reads both XQD and CFexpress.
I bought mine too early so I have two card readers...

 

[MartyD]

Am I doing right to copy the files from card to hard drive put card back in camera and format or could I just erase all the photos? How many times can you use.. format an SD card or CFExpress card before it no longer works? And how do you know the card is wearing out from being formatted too many times?

I copy the images to computer, make a backup, then format the card in camera. I have read anywhere from 10,000 cycles to 100,000 cycles is the lifespan for modern media. If 10,000 cycles is accurate, you could completely fill the card and reformat it everyday for about 27 years. That said, cards can fail at any time, so if any of my cards start behaving suspiciously I replace them.

When you format a card it really doesn't erase any information, all it does is clear and rebuild the catalog structure on the card. When you delete an image, the image is removed from the directory but is not erased from the card. The space the deleted image was using is not free to written to by a new image. That is why it doesn't take very long to format a card in camera. It is also why it is possible to recover images from a card that has been formatted.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

I have a bunch of SanDisk Extreme 64GB cards that I will sell for $25 each

 

[Roy]

I copy the images to computer, make a backup, then format the card in camera. I have read anywhere from 10,000 cycles to 100,000 cycles is the lifespan for modern media. If 10,000 cycles is accurate, you could completely fill the card and reformat it everyday for about 27 years. That said, cards can fail at any time, so if any of my cards start behaving suspiciously I replace them.

When you format a card it really doesn't erase any information, all it does is clear and rebuild the catalog structure on the card. When you delete an image, the image is removed from the directory but is not erased from the card. The space the deleted image was using is not free to written to by a new image. That is why it doesn't take very long to format a card in camera. It is also why it is possible to recover images from a card that has been formatted.

If you suspect a card you could format the card in computer first - not using quick format.
Then format it again in camera...

 

[AstroEd]

A good CFexpress card for a future Z9 is the ProGrade Cobalt 325GB and 650GB. But prices are likley to fall before you get your Z9 and so no issues with waiting. With the D500 I had problems with early XQD cards as the timing was off and the D500 would freeze completely.

As the form factor is the same for XQD and CFexpress but they use different card readers it is a good idea to avoid XQD cards for the D500.

That is what I had in my cart, but was told the Delkin Devices 128GB black was better.

 

[ricardo00]

That is what I had in my cart, but was told the Delkin Devices 128GB black was better.

Both the Delkin Black and ProGrade Cobalt have been ranked at the top of the CFexpress B cards (think Matt Granger reported the first reviews of these cards). The way he and others test them is to see how many lossless RAW shots can be taken in the Z9 at 20fps before slowing down (80 or above were the top ones). My reason for choosing the Delkin Black over the ProGrade Cobalt is the price per GB for the Delkin Black was considerably less than the ProGrade Cobalt ($499 for 512GB versus $449 for 325GB). In my hands my 512GB Delkin Black got 84 shots off before slowing down to 16fps. Unfortunately, the speeds posted on cards are expressed in different units (max write speed versus min write speed) and different size cards have different speeds.

 

[joe43]

Just so you know, the Z9 and the D500 accept CFExpress Type- B cards. And both cameras accept XQD cards.

The D500 has two card slots but they are not the same size. The slot that takes SD etc cards cannot accept a XQD or CF Express type-B card. The other slot accepts the XQD or CFExpress Typ-B cards.

The Z9 has two slots--both accept XQD or CF Express Type B cards.

Since I own both the Z9 and D500 my practice is not to share cards between the two cameras. I use XQD card in my D500 with a SD card in the other slot. In my Z9, I use two CF Express Type B cards. And I have separate Sony card readers--one for XQD and SD; the other for just CF Express Type-B cards (that could take XQD too).

 

[Roy]

That is what I had in my cart, but was told the Delkin Devices 128GB black was better.

I swap cards between cameras so far without difficulty.
The only problem with XQD/CFexpress cards I ever had was with A couple of Lexar 633 XQD cards that aren't compatible...

 

[AstroEd]

I had planned to get a seperate CFexpress card for both my D500 and future Z9 but not if there is not REAL benefit in the D500. I was just thinking of keeping the same architecture across the setups. That way if one broke down I could still use the card in the other camera in a pinch. though I am certain this is a highly unlikely possibility.