- certified by Nikon - such as Sandisk etc..
Others will probably be fine, but why take chances when the price difference is not much compared to the cost of your camera and the value of your pictures?.
My other advice would be - buy 2x 2GB cards rather than 1x 4GB. It's better to have multiple cards, in case one fails..
Also, you will probably be wanting to donwload the pictures to your computer (and back them up) more often than once every 4GB (1,000 jpg images) so a 4GB card may not be as much use as you think. Even if you're shooting raw, 4GB is a lot of images...
Are these OK for my camera?.
Http://www.amazon.com/...UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1188791803&sr=8-1.
Http://www.amazon.com/...UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1188791868&sr=8-1.
What is the difference between SanDisk normal memory cards and SanDisk ULTRA memory cards? What does ULTRA mean? Which one is better to get?.
And yes, it's a good idea to have 2 x 2GB memory cards, thanks :o)..
VenusNY wrote:.
Are these OK for my camera?.
Http://www.amazon.com/...UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1188791803&sr=8-1.
Http://www.amazon.com/...UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1188791868&sr=8-1.
Yep..
What is the difference between SanDisk normal memory cards andSanDisk ULTRA memory cards? What does ULTRA mean? Which one is betterto get?.
SanDisk make 3 grades of cards:- Standard- Ultra- Extreme.
The difference is speed. I don't have the number to hand, but basically the read-write speed of Extreme cards is faster than Ultra, is faster than standard..
(Note: the Standard cards are labelled "Standard", they just aren't labelled "Ultra" or "Extreme". The cards you have linked to are Standard.).
The difference in speed may or may not be important..
1. Faster cards can record images faster when you are using the camera. Therefore if you are shooting a lot of images very quickly (especially continuous shooting) in theory you are less likely to fill the camera's buffer and cause the camera to have to "pause" from shooting..
In theory..
In practice, it may not be something you ever see..
The other day I tried this out; I put my D80 on Continuous and pushed the button with a Standard card. (Shooting Large/Fine JPG) The buffer filled after about 40 shots and the camera paused for about a second before it started shooting again. If you're shooting raw it would happen sooner..
So unless you're really into machinegunning your photography, you probaby won't notice..
2. With a faster card, the images will transfer faster to your computer. This might mean it takes 10 minutes, instead of 20 minutes (say) to transfer a full 2GB card..
This is the bit that is more significant but even then it's probably "big deal" for most people; you just walk away and come back later and it doesn't matter whether "later" is 10 minutes or 15 minutes or 20..
Short story, you probably won't notice any "problem" with Standard cards. On the other hand, you may feel more comfortable if you stretch the budget just a little to get Ultras. I think having more cards (up to the first 4, say!) counts for more than speed..
Myself, I bought 1 couple of Extreme III cards with my camera, just "because", even though I knew it probably wouldn't make any difference. I bought the Standard card later because it was half price and having lots of memory cards is a good thing The only time I've actually noticed the difference was during the test I mentioned above...
OK, THANK YOU for your time! :o).
I won't be asking anymore annoying questions (for now, lol)..
I am going to place my order on Amazon.com right now (Nikon D40 and 2 x DanDisk 2GB memory cards)..
:o)..
You have probably already placed your order but a couple of points for the benefit of others:.
1. 4 GB cards have two problems a) there are some 4GB SD cards but the SD card standard memory mapping only goes to 2GB. Some 4GB SD cards can be unreliable for that reason b) The new standard for cards of 4GB and over is SDHC. The difference between SD and SDHC is pooly understood mainly because the SD Association is so ineffectual. It is a new standard so older devices will not read an SDHC card that may well almost certainly include your multi card reader built into your tower or plugged into a USB port..
The D40 (and D80) will work with both SD & SDHC cards..
My standard advice is stick with 2GB SD cards which will work in 99.9% of devices (a few older devices have a 1GB firmware based limit). And there is the other obvious benefit of not putting all your eggs in one basket. I have had one (Kingston) card fail. If it were my only card that woulkd have put me in deep trouble..
2. A card like the Sandisk Extreme III will download much faster than 10-15 minutes for 2GB. On my P4 2.8Mhz it takes just under 5 minutes. Given that most of the time one does not fill the card completely that means you can download in the background while getting on with a few other things rather than going away to make a drink. You will find download times for some popular makes here:.
Http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/no_nav.asp?cid=6007-8472.
3. Larger capacity cards of a given speed are marginally slower than smaller ones because of the file housekeeping of the memory space..
4. I think it best to buy fast cards if your camera can use them (Older cameras like the D50 get no speed benefit). The price difference is not great and it might just make the difference and allow you to get that killer shot particularly if shooting RAW..
On the subject of which (off topic) do try using RAW. You will learn a lot. I suggest you stick with JPEG for a couple of weeks to get familar with your camera then load your 30 day trial of Capture NX and shoot some RAW photos. Then take your time on the PC changing Exposure Compensation, White Balance, Contrast (which Nikon annoyingly call Tone), Hue, Colour Mode, & Saturation & Sharpening. It will tell you a lot about how you can change a JPEG photo using the camera controls. Look at both the photo and the histogram when doing the above..
Chris Elliott.
*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.
Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..
Hello Chris, and thank you for your advice :o) Yes, I have already placed my order: the camera plus two 2GB SanDisk SD memory cards. So I suppose I've made the right choice with 2 x 2GB rather than 1 x 4GB, right? :o) Also, I have bought a book along with the camera and memory cards that tells a beginner how to use Nikon D40, so I am hoping to learn from this book a lot (hopefully) :o).
I have saved the website with various memory card comparisons, and will definitely refer to it when buying my next SD memory card, thanks :o) I'm sure the two I've just ordered are not the first and not the last memory cards for a DSLR camera that I'll ever get, heh :o) But I've gotta start somewhere, which happens to be the SanDisk cards..
Once again, thank you everyone for your input. I'm glad I found this forum :o)..
You may want to consider the purchase of Thom Hogan's book on the D40. He is a highly respected Pro Nikon photographer who produces Ebooks for all Nikon cameras. His website is also a mine of information:.
Http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm.
You can also get a quick online guide from Ken Rockwell:.
Http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm.
He is very opinionated, rather narrow minded and has an ego the size of Alaska but he is a good antedote to equipment snobs**. I disagree with him often but mainly because he overgeneralises and has no ability to think outside the box..
** This is what he said in his D50 review:.
"... Personally I use the more expensive and very similar D70, but only because I'm one of the very few photographers who understands some of the few extra features offered by the D70 ...".
See what I mean about ego! I would guess 100,000 plus plus photographers would understand those extra features!.
-Chris Elliott.
*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.
Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..
Chris Elliott wrote:.
You may want to consider the purchase of Thom Hogan's book on theD40. He is a highly respected Pro Nikon photographer who producesEbooks for all Nikon cameras. His website is also a mine ofinformation:.
Http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm.
You can also get a quick online guide from Ken Rockwell:.
Http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm.
He is very opinionated, rather narrow minded and has an ego the sizeof Alaska but he is a good antedote to equipment snobs**. I disagreewith him often but mainly because he overgeneralises and has noability to think outside the box..
** This is what he said in his D50 review: Thorn Hogan."... Personally I use the more expensive and very similar D70, butonly because I'm one of the very few photographers who understandssome of the few extra features offered by the D70 ..."See what I mean about ego! I would guess 100,000 plus plusphotographers would understand those extra features!.
Thank you for the book recommendations. I'll look into the book by Thorn Hogan. As for Ken Rockwell, I have actually found and printed his guide to the D40 2 days ago, lol. Yes, he is very opinionated. But then again, I wouln't know if he really is that "smart" in knowing "his stuff" since I myself know NOTHING about DSLR cameras, lol :o) But yes, whenever a person says he/she is "the only one" knowing "this or that", that definitely sends an impression of snob talk, haha..
As for the book that I've ordered with my camera, it's "Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D40" by Simon Stafford. Don't know if it's a good or bad book, but I need some kind of an informational guide for a start. So I chose whatever I could find...
VenusNY wrote:.
As for the book that I've ordered with my camera, it's "Magic LanternGuides: Nikon D40" by Simon Stafford. Don't know if it's a good orbad book, but I need some kind of an informational guide for a start.So I chose whatever I could find..
Venus,.
I do not know the book but it has a good reputation..
Chris Elliott.
*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.
Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..
Chris Elliott wrote:.
I do not know the book but it has a good reputation..
I've only had the book for 2 days, but I've read about 100 pages already - all during the course of 2 evenings before sleep. I do have to say it's a great book, or at least great for total beginners like me. Its language is very plain and clear, and instructions on how to use the D40 are so straightforward and easy to follow. I am glad I've bought this book. It will be a great reference for my D40 camera. I am receiving the camera today and can't wait to lay my hands on all the features of the D40 outlined in the book.
I definitely want to experiment with it a lot, and if I limited myself only to AUTO settings, I don't think I'd learn anything about photography this way. The book teaches you how to be able to take great pictures without the AUTO help. I'd recommend this book to any beginner wanting to learn how to use Nikon D40..
P.S. The book also comes with a small folded "help card" - a small reference card with quick info. on how to use various camera features for various types of shots. This is a wonderful little addition...