How to use SD cards in CF camera for $25

Tim

Tim

Administrator
Staff member
The other day I was thinking about how much smaller and less expensive SD cards are than their CF counterparts and I began digging around on B&H's website (imagine that!)...

Lo and behold, I discovered an SD to CF adapter for about $25 and ordered one, primarily for use in my card reader, as my CF reader has always been rock solid and I don't totally care for multi-readers. ; This thing works GREAT! ; I took the SD card out of my Canon G10 and popped into the adapter and put the adapter and popped the adapter into my 5dMk2... ; worked great! ; It even previewed my G10 raws on my 5dMk2. ; Highly recommended, especially for the price! ; I now own three (1 for my 5dMk2, 1 for my desktop card reader, and 1 for my laptop card reader.)

[box title=SD-CF Adapter]Jobo Secure Digital/MultiMedia to Compact Flash Type II Adapter


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The Jobo Secure Digital/MultiMedia to Compact Flash Type II adapter allows users to transfer data from a secure Digital or MultiMedia Card through a compact flash slot or permits the use of SD and MMC cards in devices that take only CompactFlash cards. It also provides high speed file transfers of data.

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Price: $ 24.95 + Shipping
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE![/box]
 
Very cool...good idea too. ; I've used similar adapters for my Sony memorysticks when they went to the MSDuo cards, which were much smaller...the adapters allowed me to still use them in my older camera at the time, and in my printer port. ; Never thought about SD to CF...notice any speed difference in shooting burst or RAW? ; Does SD keep up with the same speed and transfer capabilities (such as Extreme IV)? ; I know so little about SD so I don't know if they go up to the same speeds.
 
the speed ratings for SD are 2, 4, 6... higher number is faster. ; i think my cards are 4's and i noticed no ill effects when shooting raws with my 5dmk2. ; of course, i am not the biggest connoisseur of ultra fast memory cards...[nb]cough.... roger... ; cough[/nb]
 
Thanks for the info, Tim. ; I saw the same trend in memory cards that you did, but never got around to ordering the adapter. ; Instead, I've been snapping up 8Gb CF cards whenever Office Depot has them on sale. ; In the long term, I think the adapter is the better option.
 
I looked at these when I switched from the d80(sd) to the d300(cf) but I talked myself out of an adapter for fear of extra "wiring" to corrupt the data.
 
"Craig" said:
I looked at these when I switched from the d80(sd) to the d300(cf) but I talked myself out of an adapter for fear of extra "wiring" to corrupt the data.
Click to expand...

But the way I'm seeing it, the $25 may not be a bad investment. ; Keep the adapter in your bag with some of your newer and faster SD cards. ; I have quite a bit of SD cards from my D80 days and my wife only needs one 2GB card to get through the day. ; So, having those SD cards in the bag with the adapter creates a safety net in case you get to the end of the day and realize you are out of storage and the fireworks are about to start
 
the adapter trick didn't work so great when shooting HD video but it could be due to the fact that my card isn't a class 6. ; i think it's a 4 but not totally sure. ; another consideration for the adapter is that SD cards seem to be easier to find in stores that CF's anymore.
 
FWIW, it seems that SD is still more expensive!

Sandisk Extreme III 16gb 30 mb/s Class 6 (it's actually faster than a Class 6, on my Mk3 I used a Transcend 8gb Class 6 and a 4gb Extreme III SD cards and the Extreme III was faster)
is about $20 more than the CF equivalent.

If you compare the regular Sandisk Ultra II SDHC v Ultra II CF the SDHC is only $5 cheaper (8gb, Ultra II is Class 4)....

So there isn't a major price difference unless you go to Fry's and pick up some of those Transcend cards.


If you're shooting JPG, you're not going to notice Class 4 v Class 6 unless you're machinegunning with a Mk3 or a souped up D300s.

RAW you will notice the difference between UDMA and other CF cards, and even the beyond Class 6 SD cards if you routinely shoot multiple frames.
 
Thanks for the info Tim. I was just thinking about this the other day. I just ordered one of these via the link. I wonder how this will work if used with an EyeFi SD card?
 
"Cooleo" said:
Thanks for the info Tim. I was just thinking about this the other day. I just ordered one of these via the link. I wonder how this will work if used with an EyeFi SD card?
Click to expand...

I can only offer the same concerns that I voiced before.

It's possible that these cameras may power down the memory card when not actively reading or writing to it. ; If they do so then the EyeFi would be rendered impotent, it'd be basically limited to only uploading files when files are being written to it.

But I don't know if that is really an issue with any specific camera models.

Another concern is that the tiny antenna embedded within the SD card may not be very useful after it's been embedded inside an adapter card and then embedded once again inside a D-SLR.

My advice: ; Find accounts of people trying to use the specific card with your specific camera. ; And.. I suppose.. your specific CF-SD adapter. ; Some may be made out of heavier materials that may be more effective at blocking radio signals.
 
Good info Dan. I had considered that as being a possibility. As for the card being powered down when not reading or writing, I don't think that should be a big issue. I will certainly scout around for testimonials with the card(s) / CF-SD Adapters.
 
I purchased one of these and tried it out with an 8 Gb SDHC card. ; I had no problems whatsoever. ; I even had to use it to transfer the files to my PC, since my old SanDisk 12-in-1 card reader doesn't support SDHC.

Be aware that the adapter is thicker than a standard CF card. ; It fit fine in my cameras and card reader, but doesn't fit in the little plastic storage boxes that CF cards come in.
 
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