Camera Labs

My FZ150 is not delivering the maximum recordable pictures on burst mode. I did a test with the following results. The memory stick is a 16GB SanDisk 6. The stick was empty for the test.

Each of the two following modes should record a maximum of 100 images.

Firstly, I used the P mode. At 2 frames/sec I ran three bursts and the camera recorded bursts of 13, 14, and 14. At 5.5 frames/sec I ran three bursts and the camera recorded bursts of 12, 13, and 13.

Secondly, I used the iA mode. At 2 frames/sec I ran two bursts and the camera recorded bursts of 68 and 80. At the end of each burst I kept the shutter button depressed and the camera continued to record at one frame/two seconds. At 5.5 frames/sec I ran four bursts and the camera recorded bursts of 19, 33, 60, and 27. Again, at the end of each burst I kept the shutter button depressed and the camera continued to record at two frames/sec.

ISO ranged from 100 to 800, but there didn't seem to be any correlation between these readings and the number of recorded images.

Although I've had the camera for a few months, this is the first time I have used the burst mode.

It's all rather perplexing...

Any ideas?

Regards,

Jeff Raven

I don't have any experience with the FZ150, but on my T2i I noticed a big difference when I upgraded to some Class 10 SANDISK 16GB EXTREME SDHC 30MB/SEC cards compared to some class 6 cheaper brand cards I had before.

_________________
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Canon S90
Lenses: Tamron: SP70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, Canon: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, and EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Retired camera: Fujifilm Finepix s700

Hi Jean-Pierre,

Thanks. I'll get the memory card checked out.

Further to my previous post, I tried another approach, with interesting results in P mode: at 2 frames/sec in JPEG I got the maximum 100 images; switching over to RAW only 14 images. At 5.5 frames/sec in JPEG only 20 images; RAW only 12 images.

Food for thought...

Raw images are much bigger and will definitely slow down your burst rate. With my T2i, if I shoot Raw+JPEG, my buffer is only 3-4 images. If I switch it to JPEG only, then I can go on for a much longer time.

There are a few things that affect how many pictures you can take in a period of time. One of them is how much data is being transferred, and how fast the memory card can write it down. Another factor is the computing of the image itself. The more extra settings you put, such as auto-lighting optimizers, noise reduction, etc, the longer it takes your camera's processor to create the .JPG file.

A class 10 card is supposed to have a minimum of 30 MB/sec write speed. The 18mp pictures from my T2i can sometimes give JPG files as large as 9mb, and RAW as large as 25mb. Sure, the camera has a built-in buffer, but it is very slow, and unless it can dump its buffer on the SD card fast enough, the camera will choke on its own images as you have noticed.

_________________
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Canon S90
Lenses: Tamron: SP70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, Canon: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, and EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Retired camera: Fujifilm Finepix s700

Higher ISO values (as maybe are applied in the [semi-]automatic modes) do also slow down your camera.

_________________
Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

I know it's relatively late saying this but for the benefit of those who aren't aware, I have to correct you there. In the context of SDHC cards, Class 10 specifies a minimum write/read speed of 10MB/s. It's just the case that the Sandisk SDHC card you mentioned can write at a maximum write speed of 30MB/s (albeit only in short bursts), which of course is a good selling point and beneficial to those recording HD video at a high bit rate or large RAW + JPEG files.

As you hinted, the write speed of the faster SDHC cards can become redundant with photos because the camera's buffer may choke at a lower transfer rate than the SDHC card's maximum transfer rate e.g. if the buffer can write no faster than 25MB/s, a 45MB/s Class 10 card will be no faster than a 30MB/s Class 10 card with photos.

_________________
Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control