So how many GigaBytes and I getting?

[Tuco]

Looking for a new card after a recent failure and I noticed this wording next to one of the links provided in the recent thread for memory cards-

The advertised memory capacity of this device represents unformatted capacity. Please note that once formatted and due to variations in flash module block limitations, the functional storage space will be lower than the advertised capacity

Is this standard or dependent on whether a card is formatted first? Is the loss of memory due to formatting large? Just curious; looking to understand what you get for the dollar and if comparisons are always 1:1.

Thanks

 

[David Metsky]

You lose somewhere around 3% IIRC for the file system on the memory card. It's not worth worrying about, as there's nothing you can do about it. It has nothing to do with formatting, the card is useless to you without a file system. And all cards suffer this in the same ratios, no cards are better or worse then any other.

 

[Jay H]

My 2gig SD card comes up in my 870 IS as 1.8gigs which is about 10% loss...

Jay

 

[bikehikeskifish]

It's all marketing. All computer HDs are advertised in 1000-based units, when in fact all formatted computer file systems are in 1024-based units. Standard Operating Procedure.

A 2Gb SD card on my A570-IS at 7MP resolution holds ~650 shots. Have yet to come close to filling it up. It shows ~1.8Gb as well...

2Gb (base 10) is 2,000,000,000 bytes (2x10^9)
2Gb (base 2) is 2,147,483,648 bytes (2x2^30)

Taking the first number and dividing by 2x2^30 (Gb) gives you 1.8626... Gb.


Tim

 

[Tuco]

Thanks all. Wasn't worried, just wondered if that were for all cards since I don't recall always seeing that written.

Thanks again.

 

[Jay H]

The same base-2 thing exists for hard drives too, computer RAM... TeeJay's age... etc.

Jay

 

[teejay]

Watch it, Jay,

The same base-2 thing exists for hard drives too, computer RAM... TeeJay's age... etc.

Jay

I'm still only 111111 in gigafloppies, or is that megafarkels, or teracottas, or kiloparsecs. Decimalize that binary while I finish counting the bytes on my formatted 8" diskette. Taking life one nanosecond at a time.

teejay

 

[DougPaul]

I'm still only 111111 in gigafloppies, or is that megafarkels, or teracottas, or kiloparsecs. Decimalize that binary while I finish counting the bytes on my formatted 8" diskette. Taking life one nanosecond at a time.

Youngster.

The real old timers use paper tape or punchcards--if you want more storage, just use a longer tape or bigger deck.



Doug

 

[Mark Schaefer]

The real old timers use paper tape or punchcards--if you want more storage, just use a longer tape or bigger deck.

Busted. I still have several coils of paper tapes with a variety of Basic programs on them. One of them generates random scifi stories (loosely based off a Mad Magazine flow chart from the 1960s). Fortunately I converted that to VS-BASIC years ago while I still had access to a teletype.

I also have a deck of Hollerith cards with a PL/I program that parses Morse Code. And I am not making either of these stories up.

How many cards or feet or tape would be required to store a digital photo? I don't even want to think about it.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

A standard 029 punch card has 80 columns, call it 80 bytes for convenience. A recent trip shows 7MP photos in the 2.5 to 5 MB size range. 2.5 * 1024 * 1024 / 80 = 32,768 and 5 * 1024 * 1024 / 80 = 65,536. So the answer roughly is several 10s of thousands.

Put another way, a 2GB SD card, formatted at 1.86GB holds as much data as 25 million 029 punch cards.



Tim

 

[DougPaul]

How many cards or feet or tape would be required to store a digital photo? I don't even want to think about it.

/ME NEITHER                                      |
| ]  ]] ]]                                       |
|]  ]     ]                                      |
|      ]                                         |
|111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111|
|222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222|
|333333]33333333333333333333333333333333333333333|
|]44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444|
|5]5]]555]555555555555555555555555555555555555555|
|666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666|
|777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777|
|8888888]8888888888888888888888888888888888888888|
|99999]999]99999999999999999999999999999999999999|
|________________________________________________|

or if you prefer punched tape:

| oo o.o o|
| oo  .o o|
|  o  .   |
| oo o.oo |
| oo  .o o|
| oo o.  o|
| ooo .o  |
| oo o.   |
| oo  .o o|
| ooo . o |
___________

Doug

 

[Grumpy]

A standard 029 punch card has 80 columns, call it 80 bytes for convenience. A recent trip shows 7MP photos in the 2.5 to 5 MB size range. 2.5 * 1024 * 1024 / 80 = 32,768 and 5 * 1024 * 1024 / 80 = 65,536. So the answer roughly is several 10s of thousands.

Put another way, a 2GB SD card, formatted at 1.86GB holds as much data as 25 million 029 punch cards.



Tim

I endorse the

This has been a fairly interesting thread, to me. My first encounter with real-life computing was back in 1962. Fresh out of high school then, I went to work for the summer in a John Deere Company warehouse that was being converted to a computer based inventory management system. A lot of my work that summer involved reorganizing inventory and recording each item's exact warehouse location, which could be input to the computer system.

By the end of the summer we began filling parts orders using stacks of punch cards that were sorted to take the order "picker" around the warehouse in an efficient route. A picker could handle several small orders in one circuit of the warehouse. (Heaven forbid you should drop a stack of punch cards!)

Bugs still were being worked out of the system when I graduated from college and left that summer and part time employment five years later. But it certainly was more efficient than the old way, which entailed shuffling paper order sheets that had been marked up by hand.

Now I look at the little 2 or 4 gigabyte CF cards for my camera and marvel at the volume of data they can hold. A 4g card in my Nikon D2Hs camera will record nearly 600 images in RAW format. Individual assignments rarely require use of a second card. (What I keep thinking is that Nikon rates my camera's shutter as being good for 300K cycles ... .)

And the price! Tyhis May I purchased a couple of 4g cards for a little over $100 (the pair). And the reliability! I've been using CF cards by SanDisk for the last seven years, and never have seen one fail (even in a multi-user environment for some of them). Even cards with dented cases continue to function reliably.

The only things that seem less expensive in my whole setup are the AA Alkaline batteries I use to run flash units, and even that is a false impression. Reformattable (sp?) CF cards will handle a lot more images than the batteries will before they are defunct.

Just ruminating ...

G.

 

[David Metsky]

And the price! This May I purchased a couple of 4g cards for a little over $100 (the pair).

I just bought an 8G Class 6 SD card for $28, and it wasn't the cheapest one available.

 

[Grumpy]

Good grief, Dave, you make me feel like a schnook!

I should know better than every to cite a specific price as being "good."

Anyway, I'm satisfied with my recent 4g CF card purchase, price and all, for reasons stated above.

Now, if I could do as well with AA cells for my flash units ...

G.

 

[David Metsky]

Good grief, Dave, you make me feel like a schnook!

That wasn't my intention. In 3 months my $28 will look like a silly amount to pay when I can get a 16 G card for $20.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Moore's Law is still true.

Tim

 

[Grumpy]

I knew/know you weren't intending to make me feel bad, Dave. Facts is facts, as we say. These advances in technology -- including higher level performance at ever lower prices -- have my head spinning.

G.

 

[DougPaul]

Now, if I could do as well with AA cells for my flash units ...

You can: get NiMH rechargables and a decent "smart" charger. Properly treated NiMH cells will last 500-1000 cycles.

There are 2 basic varieties of NiMH cells:
* cells optimized for charge retention (charge lifetimes similar to alkaline cells, eg Sanyo Eneloop)
* cells optimized for maximum capacity (significant charge loss within a month, many brands)

For the charger, one that charges all cells individually is best. Smart chargers sense when the cells are fully charged and shut off. (Overcharging will damage NiMH cells.) eg Maha MH-C401FS.

One reasonable place to look for any of the above is http://thomas-distributing.com. (Standard caveat: I have no connection with the firm. Just a customer.)

For some professional photo applications, NiCad batteries are better (they can provide higher drain currents than NiMH). I believe that this applies mainly to high-power studio lighting. Since you specified AA cells, NiMH is probably better for you.

Doug