For general users, the importance of read speed is actually greater than that of write speed. Even with the uncompressed RAW of the D810 (which is about 70MB per image), writing to a slow standard card (20MB/s) only takes about 3 seconds, and with the camera’s built-in buffer, the data can be written during the user’s operation and composition, almost avoiding any stuttering or similar phenomena.
However, when you finish shooting and place the storage card on your computer to read, a slow read speed can make the preview and operation speed feel infuriatingly sluggish. Especially for some photographers who prefer not to export RAW but to process images directly on the card (especially professional photographers who shoot in bulk and do not have enough hard drive space to store every RAW shot), the read speed of the storage card becomes even more critical. Of course, if you have needs for video shooting or high-speed continuous shooting, then without hesitation, choose a model with a faster write speed.
The test is based on a Kingston (kingston) USB 3.0 card reader (FCR-HS3), connected to a USB 3.0 interface. The testing software is ATTO Disk Benchmark, version v2.47. The red bar indicates write speed, the green bar indicates read speed, and the numbers on the right are in KB/s.
▲ Kingston 32GB Standard SD Card
This storage card’s read and write speed performance corresponds to its price, with no particularly outstanding performance. Users who do not have high requirements for read and write speeds but need low-cost, high-capacity options may consider this product.
▲ Kingston 32GB 100x SD Card
The Kingston Class 10 SD card is packaged with a maximum read and write speed of 100x (15MB/s). The actual maximum read speed exceeds the rated value, while the write speed also exceeds the rated value but feels unsatisfactory compared to its read speed.
▲ Kingston 32GB 266X CF Card
The read speed exceeded 100MB/s, while the write speed remained at a relatively low level. However, considering the low actual price of this storage card, it is still a worthwhile choice.
▲ Transcend 32GB Class10 SD Card
Similar performance to the Kingston standard card, also excelling in being cheap and high-capacity, suitable for ordinary users.
▲ Transcend 32GB 300X SD Card
Compared to the ordinary Transcend 32GB storage card, the read speed has significantly increased, while the write speed has not changed much and remains at a low level.
▲ Transcend 32GB 400X CF Card
The read speed is at a high level among 400x CF cards. The write speed does not have much highlight and remains at an average level.
▲ Transcend 32GB 1000X CF Card
The Transcend “luxury gold” 1000x CF storage card has significantly improved write speed, suitable for users who require high write speeds for RAW sequence output, HD video shooting, and high-speed continuous shooting.
▲ SanDisk 64GB 200X TF Card
Currently, mobile storage devices such as smartphones have certain requirements for storage card performance, especially some products that already have 4K video playback capabilities, which benefit from a good storage card for a smooth audio-visual experience. The downside is the low write speed; at this speed, it would take nearly 10 minutes to copy a 10GB HD source to this card.
▲ SanDisk 16GB TF Card
A read speed of 20MB/s can only meet the general needs of mobile storage. However, with a low price and a lifetime warranty, it is a good choice for ordinary users.
▲ SanDisk 16GB 30MB/s SD Card
One of SanDisk’s popular products, the speed performance did not reach the rated 30MB/s for both read and write.
▲ SanDisk 32GB 80MB/s SD Card
The 80MB/s model’s read and write speeds basically reached the rated value. However, aside from the small difference in read and write speeds, there are no other highlights.
▲ Tianshu 16GB 400X CF Card
Tianshu’s storage card has always given the impression of being cheap and high-capacity. This product maintains a low price while being comparable in speed to Lexar’s products, making it a good choice.
▲ Lexar 32GB 400X CF Card
In terms of read and write performance for random small data, it is superior to Tianshu’s corresponding model, but this advantage is hard to notice in our daily imaging applications.
▲ Toshiba 32GB 1000X CF Card
Toshiba’s Exceria series SD card products are currently one of the high cost-performance SD card choices, and its high-end CF card products are equally impressive.
▲ Felix 64GB 1000X CF Card
This comparison’s best-performing product comes with a high price and limited stock.
Data source: Sina Weibo user @lensrental
Data cutoff date: August 11, 2014
Compiled by: New Photography Network
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