Choosing a micro sd card. Overwhelming.

[FL_Mike]

So I'm shopping sd cards now. I have in my bag a p4p and a gopro hero 6. The p4p came as a bundle and I received 1 16gb u1 Sony card and a 64gb SanDisk u1 card.

In my research I found this link:

Fastest MicroSD Card Speed Tests | Updated May 2018

It is interesting enough, but it has that corporate paid ad feel to it.

Do I need a u3 card?

I'm flying a p4p, can I fill a 64gb card on a single flight or am I better off with a stack of 32gb cards and swapping them with every battery change?

As for the gopro, ah heck, I dont even know what I need, I just got it.

I'm making a huge bucket list fishing vacation with dad next month. Right now I'm trying to make sure I capture as much as I can and have the correct complimentary equipment my photo bag needs.

What sd cards are you using and why?

Edit to add:

The samsung evo u3 32gb cards are dirt cheap on Amazon. I can afford a stack of them. Anyone using them?

 

[Just_nick]

More smaller capacity SD cards>fewer large capacity ones. If you're flying multiple batteries worth and something happens that corrupts the SD card, everything on that card is lost.
Also, the 100Mbit/second bitrate means that a U1 card might be too slow, especially for longer shots. The Evo U3 cards on Amazon are good stuff, I never had any issues with them.

 

[EhmayWuntee]

I have a few SanDisk Extreme U3 V30. I don't think the pro is worth the extra cost unless you have money for "the best" or maybe if it was used commercially.

U3 is a must when it comes to video on the P4P. V30 is a little more bump or guarantee in needed speed.

If recording video on a full battery I think you could fill up a 16gb card in one flight, but not 32gb. I don't do 25+ minutes of constant video though. I have the stock 16gb card which I think is also a U3 SanDisk and two 32gb ones I bought later.

Usually I just keep the one card in and after getting photos and maybe short videos with my 2 batteries ill transfer things to the PC and wipe the card.

I only got the 2nd 32gb card because ill be heading out on a trip in June where I don't have my desktop to transfer to and might take longer videos so it was worth the peace of mind. I also grabbed a car charger to use on the trip.

Samsung makes decent cards too and would probably be my second choice after SanDisk so compare prices (and speeds/specs) and go from there. I got my cards off newegg.

 

[FL_Mike]

More smaller capacity SD cards>fewer large capacity ones. If you're flying multiple batteries worth and something happens that corrupts the SD card, everything on that card is lost.
Also, the 100Mbit/second bitrate means that a U1 card might be too slow, especially for longer shots. The Evo U3 cards on Amazon are good stuff, I never had any issues with them.

Thanks. I have yet to have a problem qith the 2 'stock' u1 cards that came in my pro bundle, but if I'm buying new cards I want the best I can afford.

While I kniw SanDisk makes awesone cards, they are anything but affordable. Those samy cards are enticing but are they fast enough? They hit a confortable 3rd on the tests I've read including the one linked.

Reliability is the key I guess. This will be important video/photos for me. A once in a lifetime shot.

 

[FL_Mike]

I have a few SanDisk Extreme U3 V30. I don't think the pro is worth the extra cost unless you have money for "the best" or maybe if it was used commercially.

U3 is a must when it comes to video on the P4P. V30 is a little more bump or guarantee in needed speed.

If recording video on a full battery I think you could fill up a 16gb card in one flight, but not 32gb. I don't do 25+ minutes of constant video though. I have the stock 16gb card which I think is also a U3 SanDisk and two 32gb ones I bought later.

Usually I just keep the one card in and after getting photos and maybe short videos with my 2 batteries ill transfer things to the PC and wipe the card.

I only got the 2nd 32gb card because ill be heading out on a trip in June where I don't have my desktop to transfer to and might take longer videos so it was worth the peace of mind. I also grabbed a car charger to use on the trip.

Samsung makes decent cards too and would probably be my second choice after SanDisk so compare prices (and speeds/specs) and go from there. I got my cards off newegg.

SanDisk vs Samsung, I can afford a half dozen 32gb cards or get 2 maybe 3 SanDisk.

At that price difference what am I losing out on?

My u1 stick cards have seemed to hold out to whatever I've thrown at them, but I have no u3 card to compare them too. Did that jitter in that video last week come from the card or the wind?

 

[msinger]

I like SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards. They are affordable and they allow files to be transferred off the memory card quickly. Any of these memory cards would be a good fit for the P4P.

The length of the video files depends on your video settings. You should get about 2 minutes of 4K video per 1GB of space. Each video file can only be a max of 4GB, so you'll need to edit the videos later if you need to join them.

 

[EhmayWuntee]

SanDisk vs Samsung, I can afford a half dozen 32gb cards or get 2 maybe 3 SanDisk.

At that price difference what am I losing out on?

My u1 stick cards have seemed to hold out to whatever I've thrown at them, but I have no u3 card to compare them too. Did that jitter in that video last week come from the card or the wind?

I'm on my phone so harder to check prices, but I'm pretty sure my 32gb SanDisks off of newegg were under $20 each. What price are the Evo's? Don't confuse the extreme pro SanDisk which are like $10 more.

 

[FL_Mike]

I like SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards. They are affordable and they allow files to be transferred off the memory card quickly. Any of these memory cards would be a good fit for the P4P.

The length of the video files depends on your video settings. You should get about 2 minutes of 4K video per 1GB of space. Each video file can only be a max of 4GB, so you'll need to edit the videos later if you need to join them.

Overwhelming indeed.

I value your input tremendously here. The msinger name carries a lot of weight and knowledge.

The link provided is even more frustrating than ever. I see a range of 25mb/s up to 100mb/s. arrrghhhhh .Theae cards cannot be equal right?

The 2 min per gb is valuable. I can ask away, but if I just go back to basics and think a bench test is in order. Set it to record in 4k and snap away on pics, see what fits on a card. Duh.

Seriously, thanks for the input. I've already learned quite a bit from you. Please keep up the valuable work.

 

[FL_Mike]

I'm on my phone so harder to check prices, but I'm pretty sure my 32gb SanDisks off of newegg were under $20 each. What price are the Evo's? Don't confuse the extreme pro SanDisk which are like $10 more.

Well, I feel foolish. I bought my tablet for the p4p from newegg. Best deal for my choice tab. Never thought to look at them for sd cards.

SanDisk is running the same gb for gb vs amazon on samsung cards.

Thank you so much.

 

[msinger]

Theae cards cannot be equal right?

No, those memory cards are definitely not equal.

You definitely need a memory card that can consistently write at 12.5 MB/s (100 Mbps) or higher since that's the max speed the P4P is able to write data. Also, it would be helpful to have a memory card that has a higher read speed so files can be transferred quickly from the memory card after the flight (not required, but it'll save you time).

 

[FL_Mike]

No, those memory cards are definitely not equal.

You definitely need a memory card that can consistently write at 12.5 MB/s (100 Mbps) or higher since that's the max speed the P4P is able to write data. Also, it would be helpful to have a memory card that has a higher read speed so files can be transferred quickly from the memory card after the flight (not required, but it'll save you time).

Thanks for the clarification. Read speed im not overly worried about. I have plenty of lifes chores to do between flights. I can let the pc churn away on download.

My only concern is catching the shot.

 

[Meta4]

Do I need a u3 card?

No ... many of my cards are U1 speed and they work well
DJI specify U1. The P4 pro is a little more fussy about which cards it likes and some that worked in the P3 don't work in the P4 pro.

I'm flying a p4p, can I fill a 64gb card on a single flight or am I better off with a stack of 32gb cards and swapping them with every battery change?I'm making a huge bucket list fishing vacation with dad next month. Right now I'm trying to make sure I capture as much as I can and have the correct complimentary equipment my photo bag needs.

You will use about 0.8GB per minute if you shoot in 4K video.
You would get about 20 minutes on a 16GB card which is about a full flight of continuous shooting - possibly a couple of flights if you are selective.
The idea of huge cards appeals to many users (bigger is always better?) but if you value your images, it makes more sense to have several smaller (cheaper) cards and swap them with each battery change so you are not putting your work at risk by sending it out again.
Here's what I use

 

[Cellblock776]

I record in 1080 normally (sometimes 720) on both the P3S and the P4P+. I really don't care about the download speeds. 16G or 32G cards will hold multiple flights. I use U1 or U3 and they all seem to do just fine for my purposes.

 

[FL_Mike]

I record in 1080 normally (sometimes 720) on both the P3S and the P4P+. I really don't care about the download speeds. 16G or 32G cards will hold multiple flights. I use U1 or U3 and they all seem to do just fine for my purposes.

Is there a particular brand you like or would choose over another?

 

[Cellblock776]

Is there a particular brand you like or would choose over another?

I just use the Sandisk cards. They have worked well for me but I don't have any particular brand loyalty.

 

[EhmayWuntee]

I believe the U1 vs U3 thing is that while U1 may work most of the time, there is a chance it is on the edge for something and is better to spend a few dollars on the U3 standard that is for sure built to the proper speeds. Plus there is at least some chance you can use the U3 cards a few years from now if you upgrade to a Phantom 6 or something that ups their specs further.

This may only be a potential problem for 4k 60fps video so if you plan to shoot only photos or lower resolution film, then it might matter even less, but I am not sure if it also involves the burst shot modes.

One other way to look at it is that DJI themselves ship the P4P with a U3 card and not a U1 so that makes me think it is saying something about preferred or possibly even minimum speed standards. Maybe the 3rd part bundle kits come with other cards, but the 2 P4Ps that I bought at the end of last year both came with a Sandisk Extreme U3 16 Gb Micro SD card.

That just happened to be the brand and model I liked/preferred anyway so I now own multiple of them. I'd suggest Sandisk, Samsung, maybe Lexar, but probably not anyone else unless I am forgetting a big name. It is personal preference too, but for example I would avoid PNY, Adata, Kingston, and Patriot.

 

[Offroader]

I prefer the Sandisk Extreme Pro espacially for the GoPro. Those things get so dang hot, the cheaper ones don't handle it very well. I had an Ultra just quit working with the GoPro because of the heat. The Ultra works fine in everything else including my Pantom.

 

[FL_Mike]

I prefer the Sandisk Extreme Pro espacially for the GoPro. Those things get so dang hot, the cheaper ones don't handle it very well. I had an Ultra just quit working with the GoPro because of the heat. The Ultra works fine in everything else including my Pantom.

Yeah, im leaning towards a few 32gb SanDisk extreme for the p4p and an extreme pro 64gb for the gopro.

New egg has them.at some decent prices.

 

[Melvoid]

So I'm shopping sd cards now. I have in my bag a p4p and a gopro hero 6. The p4p came as a bundle and I received 1 16gb u1 Sony card and a 64gb SanDisk u1 card.

In my research I found this link:

Fastest MicroSD Card Speed Tests | Updated May 2018

It is interesting enough, but it has that corporate paid ad feel to it.

Do I need a u3 card?

I'm flying a p4p, can I fill a 64gb card on a single flight or am I better off with a stack of 32gb cards and swapping them with every battery change?

As for the gopro, ah heck, I dont even know what I need, I just got it.

I'm making a huge bucket list fishing vacation with dad next month. Right now I'm trying to make sure I capture as much as I can and have the correct complimentary equipment my photo bag recen
What sd cards are you using and why?

Edit to add:

The samsung evo u3 32gb cards are dirt cheap on Amazon. I can afford a stack of them. Anyone using them?

 

[Melvoid]

So I'm shopping sd cards now. I have in my bag a p4p and a gopro hero 6. The p4p came as a bundle and I received 1 16gb u1 Sony card and a 64gb SanDisk u1 card.

In my research I found this link:

Fastest MicroSD Card Speed Tests | Updated May 2018

It is interesting enough, but it has that corporate paid ad feel to it.

Do I need a u3 card?

I'm flying a p4p, can I fill a 64gb card on a single flight or am I better off with a stack of 32gb cards and swapping them with every battery change?

As for the gopro, ah heck, I dont even know what I need, I just got it.

I'm making a huge bucket list fishing vacation with dad next month. Right now I'm trying to make sure I capture as much as I can and have the correct complimentary equipment my photo bag needs.

What sd cards are you using and why?

Edit to add:

The samsung evo u3 32gb cards are dirt cheap on Amazon. I can afford a stack of them. Anyone using them?

I recently replaced the card that came with my P3A (because it was corrupting data). I got a pair of PNY Class 10 16gb cards for around $20. Basically ok, but I did notice one burp in a video. Don't know if it was the render or the original file... only noticed it in the render, so the jury is still out.