The Canon 5D Mark III has long been one of Canon’s best camera offerings. It’s a workhorse of a DSLR in many videographer (and photographer’s) bags. With this article, we’re going to cover the best CF card for Canon 5D Mark III.

One of the best tools in a videographer’s chest, be they a newbie or a veteran is the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Though Canon has since produced updated versions of the EOS 5D, the 5D Mark III is still one of the best and easiest to use DSLR cameras in the market. Especially when paired with a good CF card.

The Importance of a Good CF Card


Of primary importance, whether you’re a videographer or photographer, is always storing and safely retaining what you shoot. People who “go cheap” with their memory cards invariably get burned.

A CompactFlash card is a flash memory mass storage device that was designed to be used in portable electronic devices. Also known as a CF card, they were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994.

The CF card remains a very popular way to extend the storage capacity of consumer devices, especially for digital cameras. As of 2017, Canon still makes their digital still cameras and their video cameras compatible with CF cards.

Let’s take a look at some of the best on the market.

Best CF Card for Canon 5D Mark III


In no particular order, here are our 5 favorite CF card brands:

1. Lexar Professional


The Lexar Professional CF memory card has some of the fastest write speeds and read speeds available in the market right now. The minimum write speed for the Lexar Professional is 65 MB per second and its maximum write speed is 155 MB per second.

The Lexar Professional can capture 1080p full-HD video and even 3D and 4K video. It comes with Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20) specification so you can be sure of always capturing and storing high-quality video.

There are five different versions of the Lexar Professional CF card available on the market. The difference between the Lexar CF cards depends on the amount of storage space that the card has. The CF card you should choose depends on the amount of storage space you need.

The price of the CF card will also vary according to the storage space. So, your budget is yet another consideration when deciding which of the different versions should be the one for you.


Lexar Professional 1066x 32GB VPG-65 CompactFlash card (LCF32GCRBNA1066)

• High-speed performance - leverages UDMA 7 technology to deliver a read transfer speed up to 1066x...
• Captures high-quality images and extended lengths of stunning 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video with a...
• Supports the Video Performance Guarantee specification for professional-quality video (VPG-65)
• Backed by expert support and limited lifetime warranty

$48.55
Buy on Amazon
2. SanDisk Extreme Pro


The SanDisk Extreme Pro is another fast and reliable CF card to use when shooting video. It has a minimum write speed of 65 MB per second and a maximum write speed of 150 MB per second. It also has an average read speed of 65 MB per second and a maximum read speed of 160 MB.

With the SanDisk Extreme Pro, you get a Video Performance Guarantee for recording in high frame rates. This includes both 4K and HD.

The SanDisk Extreme is also one of the most durable CF cards available on the market today. It is designed to perform under high temperatures.

SanDisk specifically designed the Extreme Pro to work in “extreme” temperatures. It is rated as capable of performing in temperatures ranging from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can get a SanDisk Extreme in four different variants depending on the amount of storage space the card has: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. The price of the card that you decide to get will depends on the storage space.

As we’ve mentioned here on Filmmaking Lifestyle in the past, putting your footage on a card bigger than 64 GB is incredibly risky. If you’re shooting anything less than 4K, putting your footage on 64 GB cards is akin to “putting all your eggs in one basket.”

Sale

SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB CompactFlash Memory Card UDMA 7 Speed Up To 160MB/s- SDCFXPS-032G-X46

• You can be confident in the good quality, performance and reliability of every SanDisk Product
• Unique, sleek design for the modern home
• With these speeds you can be sure that every transfer or save will end faster than ever before

$69.99 - $21.40 $48.59
Buy on Amazon
3. Transcend Ultimate 1000x


The Transcend Ultimate 1000x UDMA uses UMDA technology to get a 1000x speed rating. This enables it to get maximum read speeds of 160 MB per second and maximum write speeds of 70 MB per second.

This CF card has a Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20) so you are sure of capturing and storing professional quality video in full HD. The card also has built-in ECC technology which detects and corrects errors.

There are four different versions of the Transcend Ultimate 1000x according to the amount of storage space that the card can provide.

The prices of the different Transcend Ultimate 1000x CF cards vary according to storage space.

Sale

Transcend 64GB CompactFlash Memory Card 1000x (TS64GCF1000)

• Ultra-fast 1000X performance, 160MB/s read and 120MB/s write , with four-channel support
• Built-in BCH ECC technology with read-retry for detecting and correcting errors
• Compliant with CF 6.0 specification with LBA48 support
• Ultra DMA Mode 0 to Ultra DMA Mode 7
• Multiword DMA Mode 0 to Multiword DMA Mode 4

$85.99 - $51.50 from $34.49
Buy on Amazon
4. Komputerbay 1066x CompactFlash Card


The Komputerbay Professional CF Card uses UDMA 7 to ensure high speed data transfer. With this CF card, you get a maximum write speed of about 155 MB per second and a maximum read speed of 160 MB per second.

There are four different varieties of the Komputerbay 1066x CompactFlash card available. The cards vary according to the amount of storage space that they have.


Komputerbay 32GB Professional Compact Flash carte 1066X CF écrire 155MB/s lire 160MB/s Vitesse Extrême UDMA 7 RAW

• Komputerbay 32GB Professional Compact Flash card 1066X CF write 155MB/s read 160MB/s Extreme Speed...
• read up to 160MB/s, write up to 155MB/s
• Capture and store high-quality images and 1080p HD video with your DSLR camera
• Designed to meet the critical speed performance needs of serious professional photographers....
• Works with MagicLantern and allows firmware booting from the card

$42.00
Buy on Amazon
5. Delkin 1000x UDMA7


This compact flash card is UDMA7 compliant, which gives it a 1000x speed rating. This allows it to deliver maximum read speeds of 150 MB per second and maximum write speeds of 80 MB per second.

It also has a Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20), which allows it to capture high quality images and video footage.

The Delkin 1000x UDMA 7 guarantees no dropped frames or slowing of the camera’s buffer, even under demanding shooting conditions.

There are supposed to be three versions of the Delkin 1000x UDMA7 available according to storage size: 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB.


Delkin DDCF700-32GB 32GB CF 700X Memory Card

• Won't Drop Frames in HD Video
• Supports Rapid-fire RAW in DSLRs
• Slow Motion Approved
• 105MB/s Read, 67MB/s Write

$50.00
Buy on Amazon
CF Cards: What You Need To Know


CF cards use flash memory, which means they consume around 5 percent of the power required by other storage devices. They may be small but they are powerful and much more rugged then some other storage solutions.

They are also thick, which means they are less prone to bending or breaking (as well as getting lost).

When it comes to storage size, you can find CF cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 512GB. The size of the CF card will usually determine the price.


CF cards are slightly similar to SD cards. Both storage devices are small and compact and they are usually used by just slotting them into your camera. But CF cards are slightly thicker and are available with a bit more storage size than SD cards.

As such, they are tougher and harder to break. If you film a lot under outdoor or rugged circumstances, or are prone to just absentmindedly putting a storage device in your pocket, a CF card might last you longer then and SD card.

That’s why a lot of people prefer to use the CF card (and the more expensive CF memory cards) even with cameras that come with dual card slots for both SD cards and CF cards.

Another advantage of a CF card over a SD card is CF cards are faster than SD cards. The write and read speed of even the slowest CF card in the market is miles faster than the best SD card in the market.

Here’s a handy chart from Ugly Hedgehog that shows the various CF card speed ratings:



The 5D Mark III And The CF Card: A Match Made In Heaven


Japanese imaging and optical product manufacturer Canon released their Canon EOS 5D Mark III in March of 2012. The EOS 5D Mark III, was released in time for and to commemorate both 25th anniversary of Canon’s EOS camera line and the 75th anniversary of the company itself.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is popular with professional videographers because of its great image quality as well as it’s sturdy but compact body.

With the 5D Mark III, you get both automatic and manual exposure control, audio levels control, single autofocus, timecode support, and audio monitoring.


The 5D Mark III also allows you to use both an internal or external microphone and has noise suppression features. So, if you’re shooting video interviews or other footage where capturing the voices of your subject is important, you can be sure of capturing clear sound.

The 5D Mark III captures video footage as .MOV files, using MPEG -4 AVC/H.264 encoding. It offers you three different video resolutions to choose from: 1,920 x 1,080, 1,280 x 720, and 640 x 480. With the 5D Mark III you can easily take clear, good quality video.

While the EOS 5D Mark III has dual card slots, allowing it to use both a CF card and an SD card, in this post we’ve focused on using a CF card with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

We’ve listed some of the best CF cards to use with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Take a look at both their specs and their prices and decide which CF card will suit your video storage use the best.


Best CF Card for Canon 5D Mark III – A Conclusion


So, there we have it – the CF cards that we consider the best CF card for Canon 5D Mark III.

As ever there are a number of considerations when you come to purchase anything digital. And This is even more true when it comes to CF cards. Here’s what to look out for:

• Consider your camera and model.
• Your budget.
• The format of the video footage.
• What you plan to do with the video footage.
• The system you’ll use to store and to edit your footage.

The above considerations go beyond just for use on the Canon 5D Mark III and impact any camera you’ll use in conjunction with a CF card.

We hope this article on the best CF card for Canon 5D Mark III has been instructive for you. Which model of CF card do you use / plan to use? Let us know in the comments just below.


The post Best CF Card for Canon 5D Mark III: 5 Top CF Cards For Footage & Photos appeared first on Filmmaking Lifestyle.