I just did a quick little test and it turns out that Sandisk Ultra II’s are definitely up to the task of recording video from the Canon 5D Mark II. This is great news, because it opens up a huge list of cards that–based on speed tests–should be able to work with the 5DMkII’s video mode and it means we have more cost-effective storage solutions for such a task.
According to Rob Galbraith’s tests; the 5DMkII writes files to the Sandisk Ultra II at around 10MB/s. So, theoretically any card that writes faster than 10MB/s should be able to handle the data rate required by the 5DMkII’s video mode.
Because the Sandisk Ultra II sits around the halfway mark on the chart, that leaves us with plenty of options to consider, including (but not limited to):
- SanDisk Extreme Ducati 8GB, 4GB
- SanDisk Extreme IV 45MB/s Edition 16GB, 8GB
- SanDisk Extreme IV 8GB, 4GB, 2GB
- SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition 32GB, 16GB, 8GB, 4GB
- SanDisk Extreme III 16GB, 12GB, 8GB, 4GB, 2GB, 1GB
- Lexar Professional 300X 16GB, 8GB, 4GB
- Lexar Professional 233X 8GB, 4GB
- Lexar Professional 133X 8GB, 4GB
- Lexar Prof. 80X (3rd ed.) 2GB, 1GB
- Transcend UDMA 300X 16GB, 8GB, 4GB
- Transcend 266X 8GB, 2GB
- Transcend 133X 32GB, 16GB
- Transcend 120X 32GB, 4GB
- Hoodman RAW 300X 8GB
- Hoodman PRO 150X-133X 4GB, 2GB
- Hoodman RAW 280X 8GB, 4GB, 2GB
- Kingston Ultimate 266X 8GB, 4GB, 2GB
- Kingston Ultimate 133X 8GB, 2GB
- PNY Optima PRO UDMA 266X 8GB, 4GB
- PNY Opt. PRO UDMA (2007) 8GB, 2GB
- ATP Pro Max 1GB
- ATP Pro Max II 300X 8GB
- A-Data Turbo 350X 16GB
- Dane-Elec 300Xs UDMA 8GB
- Ridata Pro 150X 8GB, 2GB
- Delkin PRO 305X 16GB, 4GB
- Maxell standard 2GB
Because you can only store a little over 3 minutes of 1080p video per GB, you really need to consider a card larger than 4GB though 8 & 16GB cards will probably give you the best GB-per-dollar value.
Looking around at some Australian online stores I found a few good deals:
- Transcend 133X 16GB – $63 (0.254GB/$)
- Transcend 133X 8GB – $39 (0.205GB/$)
- Transcend 133X 4GB – $26 (0.154GB/$)
It would seem Transcend 133X cards are the cheapest around that can manage the speeds required by the 5DMkII’s video mode.
If you’ve found a great deal on CompactFlash cards that would suit the 5DMkII, then feel free to leave a link in the comments.
Thanks for the research and write up! I just got a canon 5D mark ii and was wondering if 45mb was necc. Looks like through researching, I think I can go with the 32mb Extreme and still get great video. Sites like your helped me find my way, Thanks!
-romaric
Thanks for the information. I’m taking delivery of a 7D for video, and while I still don’t know what exact card I want, this helps a ton. We already have a Sony EX1 with 1/2 in chips that shoots nice footage, but I want better low light performance. We have a Letus 35mm adapter with Nikon lenses & a lensbaby so I bought a $16 adapter on Ebay.
7D was $1614 after MS Bing Cashback. Nikon lens adapter was $16. A 8 GB card would be able to get us probably 30 mins of video for less than $50. Thus I’m one of the first people to get an HD video rig like this going for under $1700. I feel really blessed. I realize the bitrate requirements are a little different for 5D, but I’m trying to adjust 7D accordingly. The site listed below helped me too. I’d already seen Ron’s but your information helps.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=33204934
Your most welcome. The bitrate requirements for the 7D and 5D are mostly the same, so most of the information here still applies. My friend’s 7D just arrived the other day so I’ll be running a few tests to ensure things still work correctly on the lower speed cards.
hi
do you know if the video “breaks” if i take a picture while recording video? Is this a feature of the camera or a side effect of the card chosen?
Thanks
Anandha
Hi Anandha, this is a limitation of the camera. The video will pause/skip for a fraction of a second while an image is being recorded.
Thank you for providing the list. I found you on google searching for the cards that works for 5D mk2 video. Saves me time to do the research myself. Awesome!
I’ve had problems with SanDisk Extreme II (30 MB/s) 8GB card locking up with shooting video. This post confirms it, don’t use that card with video! http://ow.ly/14r0Z
Ie not necessarily to buy expensive memory card (90mb/sek) to shoot HD video on the 5D mark II? enough to> 10?