Xqd card for Nikon D500

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Although I do not have an XQD card simply because an SD card is sufficient for my needs the XQD has way faster read and write speeds therefore if you were to shoot a burst of shots let’s say 100 in one burst that is were the XQD would come into its own as it would be able to “Read” the information and then “Write” the information quicker to the card than an SD would be able ...,

The short answer - it’s simply about “Speed” reading and writing the information quickly before you hit the Buffer , the buffer I believe is 200 continuous shots ... Also the XQD card is built really well thus protecting it against any sort of accidental damage ...

If memory serves me I think there is a review on YouTube of the pros and cons of XQD v SD ..


Harry.G
 
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Until 2018, I was using only the SD slot on my D500; I discovered XQD cards two years ago and now, I use a 120GB Sony XQD G and find it very useful and safe, allowing a 400 MBS write performance (170 $ B&H); using such a card obliged me to buy a Sony/SD card reader but it was worth it; in the SD slot, I use 32 GB Sandisk Extreme Pro cards for backup (95 MB/s); However, to match the writing speed of the XQD card, my next move will be to get Sandisk 32 GB Extreme Pro UHS-II SDHC memory cards with a better writing performance (300 MBs).
 
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XQD is the way to go, especially if you are shooting bursts. If you are thinking of going that route, I'd suggest holding off for a month or so, Nikon has been promising a firmware update that would allow the use of CFe cards in the D5, D500 and D850 and has said the upgrade would be available by the end of this year. If so, CFe cards are the future and there is much more brand competition to keep the prices down. OTOH, if XQD is on it's way out you might be able to score a good price.
 
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If you have the Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-II SDHC memory card in use, you are doing yourself good. UHS-I, you should step up.
That said the XQD is the true way to go, top quality and fast read/write speeds. Use the SD as a overflow for the XQD.
I have made the mistake a few times of removing the XQD, then leaving out on a shoot. Very pleased the 2nd slot was available to cover my mistake
 
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I first started using XQD back with the D4 - and never looked back. As the responses above indicate, it's really much faster. With SD cards I sometimes hit the buffer in the D500 (and especially the D850), but with XQD, it never happens with the D500 and recovery is quick in the D850.

I also agree with Warren - Nikon has promised a firmware update for the D500 for CFExpress - if you don't need it right this moment, it may be best to wait. However, if you see. good deal on Black Friday, XQD is still a really great card and will blow you away in your D500. Plus, CFExpress cameras still work with XQD.
 
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  • In the D500 a fast XQD card has more than a 50% faster write speed than the fastest SD UHS-II card.
  • This means the maximum burst length is 200 images rather than something much smaller.
  • It means you are writing to the card at a rate of 8.5 frames per second with XQD and just 5.5 frames per second with a fast SD UHS-II card or 2.8 fps with a SD UHS-I card.
  • After a burst, the buffer clears images to the card much faster - 55 images in 6.5 seconds with XQD vs. 10 seconds with SD UHS-II.
  • Downloading images after a shoot is much faster with XQD. For wildlife with a 64 GB card, this can mean downloading and backup before dinner rather than before you sleep. 15 minutes faster downloading makes a big difference.

As others have suggested, I'd hold off on getting the XQD card for a little longer. The CFEXpress cards will be a little cheaper, provide more options, and provide better performance on downloads to your computer. They won't make any difference in D500 performance, and might be slightly slower. But they are going to be used in future cameras that can use the higher speed of CFExpress. CFExpress speeds are double or more the speed of XQD for downloads and future cameras.
 
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EricBowles said:
  • In the D500 a fast XQD card has more than a 50% faster write speed than the fastest SD UHS-II card.
  • This means the maximum burst length is 200 images rather than something much smaller.
  • It means you are writing to the card at a rate of 8.5 frames per second with XQD and just 5.5 frames per second with a fast SD UHS-II card or 2.8 fps with a SD UHS-I card.
  • After a burst, the buffer clears images to the card much faster - 55 images in 6.5 seconds with XQD vs. 10 seconds with SD UHS-II.
  • Downloading images after a shoot is much faster with XQD. For wildlife with a 64 GB card, this can mean downloading and backup before dinner rather than before you sleep. 15 minutes faster downloading makes a big difference.

As others have suggested, I'd hold off on getting the XQD card for a little longer. The CFEXpress cards will be a little cheaper, provide more options, and provide better performance on downloads to your computer. They won't make any difference in D500 performance, and might be slightly slower. But they are going to be used in future cameras that can use the higher speed of CFExpress. CFExpress speeds are double or more the speed of XQD for downloads and future cameras.
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Very useful info! As I use my second slot for backup, the write speed will automatically be the one of the slowest cards (SD UHS-I); as you mentionned, even a SD UHS-II card is 50% slower than XQD; it's for that reason I ask myself if it's a good decision to add a card in the second slot, even if it's very useful for me as a backup when I am outside during many days.
 
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Using D750 and D7200 I used to shoot with UHS I SD cards only and sometimes it was a pain because not only the buffer size of the camera itself, but also the writing speed of the memory cards limited the speed in which the buffer was allowed to "drain". After getting my D4S I got an XQD card straight away, because I didn't want to spend money for the old CF cards and didn't like the problem with bent pins in the card slot that I knew from earlier days with my Fuji Finepix bodies. Of course SD UHS II was never an option because the D4S doesn't provide as slot for them. Overall XQDs are claimed and proven to be more reliable from the mechanical and electronical perspective compared to all other card types - maybe with the exception o the upcoming CFExpress, giving you an extra portion of safety although using just one card instead of having to use using a second one for backup.

I never want to miss the speed of the XQD cards again as it not only alllows me to shoot long bursts with max. frame rate, but is also a breeze if it comes to pulling the stuff onto the computer with a speed that is on par with SSD's connected via USB3.

If I had started using a D500 or something in this direction I would perhaps have considered starting with SD UHS II as well, just because of the exchangeability between my bodies. UHS II cards can be used also in my other cameras - but are limited to UHS I speed there due to the controller in the camera, while XQD is and probably will be just for the "high end guns".

You might want to take a look here to see the difference between what is written on the card versus what it is able to do in the real world ...

However, IMHO coming from UHS I speed comparing SD UHS II against XQD is a bit like arguing about top speed between two top level sports cars while living in a country with speed limits everywhere :D - like Switzerland ;).
 
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