What SD Card for M8?

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Strangeluv

Christer Johansen
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Hello,

I just tried formatting a 4GB SDHC Sandisk Ultra II on my newly aquired M8. Well, I got an error saying "card full" and then the camera froze.
Only way to end it was pulling out the battery.

I did a little search and discovered that the M8 got some issues with certain SD cards.

So, what I could use some help with: any reccomendations on what SD card to buy that will actually work?

Thanks 🙂
 
Leica recommends "“Extreme III” or “Professional” from the leading brands such as “SanDisk” or “Lexar”."

http://us.leica-camera.com/assets/file/download.php?filename=file_3791.pdf

Strangeluv said:
Hello,

I just tried formatting a 4GB SDHC Sandisk Ultra II on my newly aquired M8. Well, I got an error saying "card full" and then the camera froze.
Only way to end it was pulling out the battery.

I did a little search and discovered that the M8 got some issues with certain SD cards.

So, what I could use some help with: any reccomendations on what SD card to buy that will actually work?

Thanks 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Thank you, I'll try that. And thanks for the .pdf......lots of info!
Reason for formatting the card was to get it upgraded to the latest firmware.
As of now, its on 1.107.
Definatly want the discrete mode 🙂
 
I have had great luck with the Extreme IIIs and Ultra IIs. Never a problem (of course I just jinxed myself).
 
Thanks! However, I was just wondering, since my firmware version is 1.107. Do I need to actually get hold of one of the older SD cards? To actually be able to update? As it seems the ability to read the newest SDHC cards came in a later firware?
Or am I just talking nonsense here 😀
 
I've not had any problems with any of the cards I've got- and the faster cards don't seem to improve write times at all. A mix of Lexar, Kodak, and Sandisk Ultra II and Extreme III. Before the firmware update my MacBook Pro wouldn't recognize any card if it had no jpg files on it.
 
Strangeluv said:
Thanks! However, I was just wondering, since my firmware version is 1.107. Do I need to actually get hold of one of the older SD cards? To actually be able to update? As it seems the ability to read the newest SDHC cards came in a later firware?
Or am I just talking nonsense here 😀
Click to expand...
Yes. Just use any old SD card. I actually use a 64 Mb "Leica" card. 😉
 
Well, I got my M8 today (firmware 2.004) and now I'm grappling with this stuff. I tried 8GB SDHC cards from both Kingston and PNY, formatted them in the camera, and both give me card full errors one out of every 3 power-ons.

Does the SanDisk 4GB Extreme III do the trick reliably? Like, all the time? I will go get one tomorrow if they do.

EDIT: I seem to have my 8GB Kingston working OK now. Oddly, I was trying to reformat it on my wife's Vista computer in FAT, as Leica recommends...but Vista doesn't offer you FAT, just FAT32 or exFAT. So I started formatting on exFAT, then my wife came in and wanted to use the computer...so I just quit the format halfway through. Then I put the card in the camera and formatted it, and it worked perfectly through 10 power cycles. For the hell of it, I then removed it, stuck it in my Linux laptop, and formatted it there, in FAT (thanks, Linux, you beautiful thing!), and that worked in the camera WITHOUT in-camera formatting, again through 10 power cycles. so maybe it's just FAT32 that bothers the firmware, and traces of it remain until it is reformatted as FAT.

In any event, you gotta pay a lot of money to get esoteric problems like this!
 
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So far I've only done "real" shooting with a "regular" (not Extreme, not Ultra, just the crappy blue label) 2GB Sandisk card, with no problems.

Recently just purchased 2 8GB Lexar SDHC 60x Class 4 cards. Haven't gone out to do some real shooting yet, only test snaps at home, but so far so good. No problems formatting in-camera, etc. *knocks on wood*
 
I remember reading (somewhere) that an equivalent Transend card was faster than either a Lexar or Sandisk.

But that was a couple of years ago...so maybe the Extreme and Ultra are just as good.
 
your problem is likely your firmware, Im using Ultra II w/ no issues. Just bought a pair of 8GB Extreme 30mbs cards and they work fine too...dont notice any faster buffer writes though.
 
Hmmph. Out doing some street today, I got two separate card full errors. I missed a great shot of a cute girl directing a couple of guys carrying her mattress down an alley.

I am going to have to get a few brand new plain Jane 4gb cards and format them on the camera.

EDIT: OK, in case anyone is still paying attention to this--I traded my son my 8GB Kingston Class 6 SDHC for his 4GB Kingston Class 2 SDHC, and both of us are happy. I tried for 20 minutes and could not get the camera to give me the error message. I hope this settles it!
 
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