im a newb who needs help!

[tess]

i just started a new job this week which requires me to use a canon eos 30d and my boss knows just about as much aboutthe camera as i do ... nothing he wants me to use 5 different memory cards, one for each outfitter (i shoot rafting companies) and with all of the shooring i do i would have to change the cf cards at least fifteen times a day. this has got to be bad for the camera so what are the main disadvantages of this ? i need to know so i can convince him to change his system!:mad2:

[gryphonslair99]

Tell him this and ask him to buy you four more 30D's. That ought to change his mind. :biggrin5:

[gryphonslair99]

Ok, seriously, compact flash media is the choice of "professionals" and used in "Pro quality" DSLR's because 1. it is larger and eaiser to deal with. 2. It is the most robust memory device out there. No wear near as flimsly as the other memory devices. It is just plain sturdy. At work we have even had people forget that they had CF cards in their pockets and washed them. (not a recomended thing) After a through drying they were useable and still had the images on them.

To me the bigger problem is the time wasted, and potentially lost shots making a change of cards. If you are only shooting 5 clients, one would think that you would be able to tell the shots apart and could seperate them when you download them from the card to a computer. Good luck, some days it is hard to decide which is the bigger cross to bear, a boss or a wife.

[Franglais]

Ok, seriously, compact flash media is the choice of "professionals" and used in "Pro quality" DSLR's because 1. it is larger and eaiser to deal with. 2. It is the most robust memory device out there. No wear near as flimsly as the other memory devices. It is just plain sturdy....

Compact Flash uses a connector with 58 tiny pins within the camera. If you put the card in slightly askew and try to push it in, you will bend the pins and your camera is unusable. Back to the repair shop. I have seen people do it.

SD cards have a more robust connection, some are just as fast as CF cards, they are cheaper - I would say goodbye to CF tomorrow if I could. But then I'm an amateur.

Charles

[another view]

I've seen that damage to CF card reader pins (just as easily could happen in a camera) but somehow I've been able to avoid it for the 4-1/2 years I've been shooting digital. Up until about two years ago, memory cards were quite an investment but they're very cheap now so I can see how we might see more SD cards in DSLR's in the future.

Other than this which really isn't a common problem, you should be fine with frequent swaps. If you're shooting that much and professionally, you really should have a backup camera because there are many things that can put a DSLR in the shop (again not expected, but if you need a camera, you need a camera...). For a backup, the same camera that you have would be the easiest thing to use but you could also look for a used 10D or 20D. Check to make sure your lenses and flashes are fully compatible before you buy - but I can't help you with that being a Nikon guy. You could always gamble with not having a backup and plan on running out to buy another if needed but you'd lose at least a day of shooting in that case.

Not to scare you because chances are you'll never have a problem - best to think ahead about it though.

[Greg McCary]

I wouldn't use a cheap card either. I had one die in mid-use.

[WesternGuy]

There are two good books you can look at for the 30D - one by Charlotte K. Lowrie
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...arlotte+Lowrie
and the other is a Magic Lantern Guide
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...magic+lantern+

As for changing Memory cards, does the 30D have the ability to create different folders on a memory card? My 5D has this capability so I could create five folders and put each client's pictures in a different folder -- not sure if your boss will go for that -- if he won't, then just be careful when you change them. You might want to label them, or number them, so you will know which is which. One other thing, I always carry a spare, that way if something happens to the one I am using, I can always switch to the spare. This is sort of the equivalent of carrying a spare roll of film when I shot film. HTH :thumbsup:

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[freygr]

I would not change a card, any memory card unless it was 1- full, 2- had an oops, ie a deleted image that needed to be recovered, or 3- had a problem manic card.

The reason being the possibility of damage to the camera or loss of a card dropped into the river or down a cliff where it's not going to get recovered.