What is the best memory Card to use with the 806?

[garyanderson99]

I am looking to buy a 128gb card for it . Just want to know which brand name and class seems to work the most stable with it.

 

[Sunny]

Any good brand class 10 should be fine.
Kingston, Samsund, G-skill etc...

 

[nexttothemoon]

New The sequential read and write tests on this site should give some decent info on cards to consider:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/microsd-cards-2014/benchmarks,169.html

In theory any microsd card Class 6 and above should be sufficient as any "real" Class 4+ card should be able to write at 4 MBps or faster which is sufficient for the 0806.

The fastest (and usually more expensive) Class 10+ cards have faster read rates though which means getting the data off the card much more quickly is where the biggest advantage will be.

In the case of a 128GB card... the difference between a fast Class 10 and a slow Class 4 for example can mean more than an hour differential in transferring a filled card of video.

Personally I would go with a brand name like PNY, Sandisk, Samsung, Lexar etc and not the no name brands to save a few dollars.

If you have any possibility of using the card in other applications other than for dash cam usage I would also look at the other charts with 512K and 4K data sizes as some cards are optimized for certain types of usage (smart phones etc) and not others.

Long story short though.. any decent brand of class 6+ card should work fine in a dash cam... unless you get a dud which can happen with anything.

 

[kjang]

I am having trouble with a 128gb Sandisk Ultra (xc) formatted in fat32. Works fine with the 32gb Sandisk Ultra Plus (hc).
Could someone out there recommend an 128gb micro-sd that works.

thanks,
ken

 

[paaco1981]

Hey Kjang did you try it formatted to exfat? Fat 32 doesn't seem to be needed with the mini0806. I use a 64gb Sandisk Ultra Plus formatted to Exfat and it works fine.

 

[kjang]

Hi Paaco1981,
I read the little booklet and it said anything over 32gb, need to be formatted in FAT32 and on a computer. I can reformat that card to EXFAT and see what happens.
Thanks,
ken

 

[jokiin]

Hi Paaco1981,
I read the little booklet and it said anything over 32gb, need to be formatted in FAT32 and on a computer. I can reformat that card to EXFAT and see what happens.
Thanks,
ken

you will likely find it will work, until the card fills up

 

[kjang]

jokiin,
so even i have it on a loop, it won't loop?

Ken

 

[jokiin]

jokiin,
so even i have it on a loop, it won't loop?

Ken

it will if FAT32

 

[kjang]

ok, so if fat32 it will loop. In exfat it won't.

thanks,
Ken

 

[jokiin]

ok, so if fat32 it will loop. In exfat it won't.

thanks,
Ken

most seem to report it won't even fill the card when exFAT is used

 

[nexttothemoon]

This article has been mentioned previously on the forums here... and even though it is focused on the BlackVue range of dashcams... it likely has some applicability to dash cams in general:

http://blackvueshop.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=220

From info in that article and from other comments I've gathered from around the web and from comments in the forums here my feeling is that it's still somewhat hit or miss as to which cards will work best and unfortunately it's somewhat trial and error at this stage.

This is especially true of a relatively new release such as the 0806 which is going through firmware revisions (and even some minor hardware changes apparently) which could have some effect on card performance as well... then again it may not but it's likely a process of discovery to find that out.

We are collectively basically guinea pigs here trying out the cams with different cards and in different environments. I think it's somewhat hard to give black and white answers at this stage when not enough reports of success/failure are being reported.

I think several factors come into play when choosing a card that will give the best chance at success (still not infallible though).

1st and foremost is buying from a reputable source so you buy an actual genuine card and not just some fake version which obviously will not likely give acceptable performance regardless of the cam it goes into. This also helps with smooth returns when a card comes up legit... but is a dud which can happen even with the best cards.

2nd factor is that it seems some types of micro SD cards are designed towards mobile usage or photos etc... and are not necessarily designed for usage in a dash cam (or action cam in general). After all dash cams is still a very niche arena at this point and it does have some rather unique attributes... running for many hours continuously in a very compact design with sometimes radical changes in temperatures... especially in summer months.

You'd think... well if it will work in a cell phone or digital camera... both of which are often used for videos as well... why wouldn't it work in a dash cam?

Well logically they "should"... but various reports indicate that it's a very mixed bag.

It's hard to categorically say DO buy this card... or DO NOT buy this card because honestly there are very few of us that have tried several brands of cards in this specific camera to make comparisons... and even if some of us have done that... personal experiences and different usage environments and patterns of usage will often differ between individuals so those comparisons are only partially useful.

I've even read many comments on the Go Pro oriented type forums where officially recommended cards for those devices have not always worked well.

The Go Pro action cams and dash cams have at least a superficial similarity in that they are all "action cams" to some degree... yet seeing as there are so many issues with the Go Pro cams and cards used in them... it's not surprising that it's hard to come up with solid recommendations for dash cams as well... and specifically for the new 0806 cam.

Personally I've used a lot of SD cards in other devices and my advice has always been to get a branded card from a reliable source. Get as fast a card and as big a card as your budget will allow.

In dash cams though that may not be the best advice. It seems there may be a "mama bear" sweet zone where you don't want a card that's too slow (obviously) or too fast (not so obvious). Just from reading many forum comments (here and elsewhere) some faster cards may introduce heat/artifact/freeze-up issues in these types of cameras.

I personally would get a card that's class 10 but that's not "too fast". Something in the 30MB/s to 45MB/s transfer rate range seems to be a reasonable compromise in speed/cost.

I'd say these cards are decent bets to try:

1 PNY 40MB/s
2 Lexar 300X (45 MB/s)
3 Transcend 300X (45MB/s)
4 Sony 40 MB/S
5 Delkin 375X (This equates out to ~56MB/s but the report up above listed it as performing very well in dashcams... in fact from the description on Amazon they seem to be designed with action cams in mind.).

Samsung EVO/Pro cards seem to get mixed results with dash cams although I like Samsung cards in other devices. It's still hard to say whether the mixed results people are getting with dash cams are due to the cards themselves or from buying fakes (or glitches in the cameras they are using).

I've also read a lot of mixed comments about various Sandisk cards as well. I've used these with great success for years in many other devices but they seem to have mixed results in several dash cams and action cams. That's probably simply because they are so popular and so many people use them... there are many fakes out there AND there are bound to be a higher percentage of duds as well simply because they are the most popular brand of "good" cards out there.

There are other brands like Kingston, Adata, SCT, Komputerbay, Patriot, Toshiba etc that have some decent reviews and ratings as well but I'd personally stick to the brands above.

That was a lot longer than expected... but it's just my summary after reading a LOT on various forums and on sites like Amazon about what people have had good/bad results with. As always your mileage will vary and this is simply a compilation of opinions from various sources... take it with a grain of salt but hopefully it helps those who are looking for some ideas on what should/could work.

It honestly should be a fairly easy process to pick a card that works well and most of the time it works out ok... until it doesn't.

 

[cocoa]

This article has been mentioned previously on the forums here... and even though it is focused on the BlackVue range of dashcams... it likely has some applicability to dash cams in general:

http://blackvueshop.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=220

From info in that article and from other comments I've gathered from around the web and from comments in the forums here my feeling is that it's still somewhat hit or miss as to which cards will work best and unfortunately it's somewhat trial and error at this stage.

This is especially true of a relatively new release such as the 0806 which is going through firmware revisions (and even some minor hardware changes apparently) which could have some effect on card performance as well... then again it may not but it's likely a process of discovery to find that out.

We are collectively basically guinea pigs here trying out the cams with different cards and in different environments. I think it's somewhat hard to give black and white answers at this stage when not enough reports of success/failure are being reported.

I think several factors come into play when choosing a card that will give the best chance at success (still not infallible though).

1st and foremost is buying from a reputable source so you buy an actual genuine card and not just some fake version which obviously will not likely give acceptable performance regardless of the cam it goes into. This also helps with smooth returns when a card comes up legit... but is a dud which can happen even with the best cards.

2nd factor is that it seems some types of micro SD cards are designed towards mobile usage or photos etc... and are not necessarily designed for usage in a dash cam (or action cam in general). After all dash cams is still a very niche arena at this point and it does have some rather unique attributes... running for many hours continuously in a very compact design with sometimes radical changes in temperatures... especially in summer months.

You'd think... well if it will work in a cell phone or digital camera... both of which are often used for videos as well... why wouldn't it work in a dash cam?

Well logically they "should"... but various reports indicate that it's a very mixed bag.

It's hard to categorically say DO buy this card... or DO NOT buy this card because honestly there are very few of us that have tried several brands of cards in this specific camera to make comparisons... and even if some of us have done that... personal experiences and different usage environments and patterns of usage will often differ between individuals so those comparisons are only partially useful.

I've even read many comments on the Go Pro oriented type forums where officially recommended cards for those devices have not always worked well.

The Go Pro action cams and dash cams have at least a superficial similarity in that they are all "action cams" to some degree... yet seeing as there are so many issues with the Go Pro cams and cards used in them... it's not surprising that it's hard to come up with solid recommendations for dash cams as well... and specifically for the new 0806 cam.

Personally I've used a lot of SD cards in other devices and my advice has always been to get a branded card from a reliable source. Get as fast a card and as big a card as your budget will allow.

In dash cams though that may not be the best advice. It seems there may be a "mama bear" sweet zone where you don't want a card that's too slow (obviously) or too fast (not so obvious). Just from reading many forum comments (here and elsewhere) some faster cards may introduce heat/artifact/freeze-up issues in these types of cameras.

I personally would get a card that's class 10 but that's not "too fast". Something in the 30MB/s to 45MB/s transfer rate range seems to be a reasonable compromise in speed/cost.

I'd say these cards are decent bets to try:

1 PNY 40MB/s
2 Lexar 300X (45 MB/s)
3 Transcend 300X (45MB/s)
4 Sony 40 MB/S
5 Delkin 375X (This equates out to ~56MB/s but the report up above listed it as performing very well in dashcams... in fact from the description on Amazon they seem to be designed with action cams in mind.).

Samsung EVO/Pro cards seem to get mixed results with dash cams although I like Samsung cards in other devices. It's still hard to say whether the mixed results people are getting with dash cams are due to the cards themselves or from buying fakes (or glitches in the cameras they are using).

I've also read a lot of mixed comments about various Sandisk cards as well. I've used these with great success for years in many other devices but they seem to have mixed results in several dash cams and action cams. That's probably simply because they are so popular and so many people use them... there are many fakes out there AND there are bound to be a higher percentage of duds as well simply because they are the most popular brand of "good" cards out there.

There are other brands like Kingston, Adata, SCT, Komputerbay, Patriot, Toshiba etc that have some decent reviews and ratings as well but I'd personally stick to the brands above.

That was a lot longer than expected... but it's just my summary after reading a LOT on various forums and on sites like Amazon about what people have had good/bad results with. As always your mileage will vary and this is simply a compilation of opinions from various sources... take it with a grain of salt but hopefully it helps those who are looking for some ideas on what should/could work.

It honestly should be a fairly easy process to pick a card that works well and most of the time it works out ok... until it doesn't.

 

[cocoa]

In regards to the card I made the following observation:
I used (between others) a 32 GB class 10 Duracell card, that tested with SpeedOut 16 MB/s reading and 14 writing. When I tested the same card in the 0806 my results were, to my total surprise, much different: 9 MB/s reading and only 4 MB/s writing. H2testw (Heisetest) didn't show any problems. However, when I record on more than 720 vertical resolution I have a very stuttering video. I contacted the supplier (foxoffer1) and he told me, that I was the first customer to experience this. Another observation: unless a license plate is really close to the camera (about 4-6 m max) I cannot read it properly - with or without CPL filter.

 

[Nigel]

...When I tested the same card in the 0806 my results were, to my total surprise, much different: 9 MB/s reading and only 4 MB/s writing.

Do you manage any better with other cards in the same test? Those figures are not really too bad considering that it is via a USB 2 cable.

The 0806 doesn't actually need to write any faster than that, it's more important to do it efficiently to generate as little heat as possible.

Sounds like your fixed focus lens is focused too close?

 

[cocoa]

Do you manage any better with other cards in the same test? Those figures are not really too bad considering that it is via a USB 2 cable.

The 0806 doesn't actually need to write any faster than that, it's more important to do it efficiently to generate as little heat as possible.

Sounds like your fixed focus lens is focused too close?

Yes, I tried with different brands, Lexar, SanDisk, Duracell, and diffenet classes, from 2, to class 6, class 10 and today my last effort a Lexar 16 GB advertised at 45 MB/s. I did not fall for the twice as expensive 90 MB/s card, as I expected the result to clearly show the culprit anyway. I was right.

The average speeds In my Optex card reader: read 18, write 16. In the camera: read 11 and write 5.

CP-Lenses (I know, shouldn't be in this threat): you can use the lenses from the cheap 3-d cinema glasses. However, CP or not, license plates are extremely hard to read –If at all. And no, it is not the reflective coating on the plates, as I also have difficulties to read the type/model - even in the center of the "picture".

 

[Nigel]

CP-Lenses (I know, shouldn't be in this threat): you can use the lenses from the cheap 3-d cinema glasses. However, CP or not, license plates are extremely hard to read –If at all. And no, it is not the reflective coating on the plates, as I also have difficulties to read the type/model - even in the center of the "picture".

For best license plate reading you need to use the 2560x1080 21:9 resolution with super fine quality.