Rob Galbraith DPI: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT/350D

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT/350D Write Speed (Firmware Version 1.0.1)
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The data in the table below was derived by timing how long it took the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT/350D to write out 12 Large Fine JPEG and 6 RAW .CR2 photos to the CompactFlash card. Timing commenced when the camera's card status light illuminated, and stopped when the light went out. Each test cycle was performed 3 times (if the card's capacity allowed for that) to ensure accurate results. All cards were first secure erased, then formatted in the camera, prior to testing. The same test scene was photographed, under the same illumination, for all tests. The identical camera settings and lens were also used for all tests.

The results are arranged from fastest to slowest (based on JPEG write speed). The top 10% (based on JPEG write speed) are marked in blue.

Brand and Model (Card Identifier)¹	Key Components Source²	Card Type³	Date Added or Updated	Write Speed - Large Fine JPEG⁴	Write Speed - RAW .CR2⁴
SanDisk Extreme III 1GB	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.888MB/sec	6.263MB/sec
SanDisk Extreme III 2GB (Edge stamp: BE04091F USA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.877MB/sec	6.263MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 2GB (Edge stamp: BE05015JB CHINA)	SanDisk (MLC)¹²	I	2005/3/28	4.874MB/sec	6.057MB/sec
SanDisk Extreme 1GB (Edge stamp: BB0307VZ CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.854MB/sec	5.821MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 1GB (Edge stamp: BB0306VZ CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.854MB/sec	5.787MB/sec
SanDisk Extreme 512MB (Edge stamp: AX0310WJA CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.853MB/sec	5.758MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 512MB (Edge stamp: AX0308VZ CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.820MB/sec	5.750MB/sec
SanDisk Extreme 2GB	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.820MB/sec	5.702MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 2GB	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	4.799MB/sec	5.695MB/sec
Lexar Pro Series 1GB 80X Write Acceleration second edition¹⁰ (Edge stamp: 39121GBBB4304A4B6)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.769MB/sec	5.679MB/sec
Lexar Pro Series 2GB 80X Write Acceleration second edition¹⁰ (Edge stamp: 39132GBAI3904A4B6)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.745MB/sec	5.653MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 4K cluster size^8,11 (Edge stamp: BH04092X USA)	SanDisk (MLC)¹²	I	2005/3/28	4.568MB/sec	5.611MB/sec
SanDisk Ultra II 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 32K cluster size^8,11 (Edge stamp: BH04092X USA)	SanDisk (MLC)¹²	I	2005/3/28	4.538MB/sec	5.615MB/sec
Lexar Pro Series 4GB 80X Write Acceleration second edition, formatted FAT32 with 4K cluster size^8,10 (Edge stamp: 39134GBAI3904A4B6)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.536MB/sec	5.445MB/sec
Lexar Pro Series 4GB 80X Write Acceleration second edition, formatted FAT32 with 32K cluster size^8,10 (Edge stamp: 39134GBAI3904A4B6)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.357MB/sec	5.598MB/sec
Lexar High-Speed 1GB 40X Write Acceleration (Edge stamp: 37841GBAB4604F9A8)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.341MB/sec	5.272MB/sec
Ritek/Ridata 80X/PRO. II 2GB (Edge stamp: U41005293222)	KTC	I	2005/3/28	4.328MB/sec	5.421MB/sec
Lexar Pro Series 1GB 80X Write Acceleration first edition¹⁰(Edge stamp: 39011GBBI32049D66)	Lexar	I	2005/3/28	4.319MB/sec	5.310MB/sec
SanDisk "new" Ultra 1GB (Edge stamp: BB0303TV CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	3.944MB/sec	4.464MB/sec
Transcend 1GB 45X (45X on front label)	Transcend	I	2005/3/28	3.772MB/sec	4.719MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 512MB (Label: CFPRO-512D)	For Delkin⁶	I	2005/3/28	3.677MB/sec	4.272MB/sec
Kingston Elite Pro 512MB (Edge stamp: 1GC5121MY0-2EA00)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.668MB/sec	4.000MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 640MB (Label: CFPRO-640D)	For Delkin⁶	I	2005/3/28	3.622MB/sec	4.181MB/sec
Kingston Elite Pro 2GB (Edge stamp: 4DC02G1MY1-2LA00)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.597MB/sec	4.016MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 2GB (Label: CFLS1VM1-02G)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.5 74MB/sec	4.003MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 1GB (Label: CFLS1VM1-01G)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.511 MB/sec	3.990 MB/sec
ATP 1GB (45X label on packaging; edge stamp: 2GC01G1MY1-2LA00)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.499MB/sec	3.990MB/sec
Hitachi Microdrive 6GB, formatted FAT32 with 32K cluster size⁸(Model: HMS360606D5CF00)	Hitachi	II	2005/3/28	3.466MB/sec	4.584MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 32K cluster size⁸ (Label: CFX04GP8Q1)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.433MB/sec	3.945MB/sec
Delkin Devices PRO 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 4K cluster size⁸ (Label: CFX04GP8Q1)	Samsung	I	2005/3/28	3.315 MB/sec	3.928 MB/sec
Hitachi Microdrive 6GB, formatted FAT32 with 4K cluster size⁸(Model: HMS360606D5CF00)	Hitachi	II	2005/3/28	3.309MB/sec	4.519MB/sec
Dane-Elec Xs 512MB (Edge stamp: THNCF512MCA)	Toshiba (SLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	3.298MB/sec	3.768MB/sec
Microtech (Pexagon) X-treme 512MB (Edge stamp: THNCF512MCA)	Toshiba (SLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	3.264MB/sec	3.771MB/sec
Kingston Elite Pro 1024MB (Edge stamp: THNCF1G02CA)	Toshiba (SLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	3.262MB/sec	3.750MB/sec
Microtech (Pexagon) X-treme 1GB (Edge stamp: THNCF1G02CA)	Toshiba (SLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	3.234MB/sec	3.754MB/sec
Hitachi Microdrive 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 4K cluster size⁸(Model: HMS360404D5CF00)	Hitachi	II	2005/3/28	3.029MB/sec	3.570MB/sec
Ritek/Ridata 52X/PRO. 2GB (Edge stamp: U3F06116)	unknown⁷	I	2005/3/28	3.020MB/sec	3.556MB/sec
Ritek/Ridata 52X/PRO. 1GB (Edge stamp: S4N88116)	unknown⁷	I	2005/3/28	3.014MB/sec	3.550MB/sec
Hitachi Microdrive 4GB, formatted FAT32 with 32K cluster size⁸(Model: HMS360404D5CF00)	Hitachi	II	2005/3/28	2.882MB/sec	3.291MB/sec
Transcend 512MB (30X label on packaging)	Transcend	I	2005/3/28	2.847MB/sec	3.393MB/sec
SimpleTech PRO X 512MB (Internal: STI/FLASH 1T)	SST	I	2005/3/28	2.780MB/sec	3.115MB/sec
Hitachi Microdrive 1GB (Model: DSCM-11000)	Hitachi	II	2005/3/28	2.526MB/sec	3.075MB/sec
SimpleTech PRO X 1GB (Internal: STI/FLASH 1T)	SST	II	2005/3/28	2.454MB/sec	2.753MB/sec
Viking 512MB (Edge stamp: THNCF512MMA)	Toshiba (MLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	1.292MB/sec	1.453MB/sec
PNY 512MB (Edge stamp: THNCF512MMG)	Toshiba (MLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	1.254MB/sec	1.411MB/sec
Kingston 1024MB (Edge stamp: THNCF1G02MA)	Toshiba (MLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	1.209MB/sec	1.375MB/sec
Kingston 512MB (Edge stamp: THNCF512MMA)	Toshiba (MLC)⁵	I	2005/3/28	1.151MB/sec	1.293MB/sec
SanDisk Standard 1GB (Edge stamp: BB0205NK CHINA)	SanDisk	I	2005/3/28	981K/sec	1.068MB/sec
GS Magicstor 2.2GB (Model: GS1022C 65)	unknown¹³	II	2005/3/28	excluded from testing¹⁴	excluded from testing¹⁴
Seagate ST1 5GB (Model: ST650211CF)	Seagate	II	2005/3/28	excluded from testing¹⁵	excluded from testing¹⁵

(1) To help determine whether the card you purchase is substantially similar to the one tested, the card's description includes an identifier - series number, internal name or other unique value - where possible and applicable. Please see How Can I Be Sure the Card I Buy is the Same One Tested in this Report? for more information.
(2) Many companies sell CompactFlash media; relatively few actually design and manufacture the key internal components, including the controller and flash memory. This column lists the source of the key component or components inside the card, to help you determine if cards with different labels on the front are in fact similar or identical under the hood. For example: as of this writing, all the cards of a given capacity in this database that use Toshiba SLC components are effectively the same product. In most instances, the company marketing the card is purchasing assembled Toshiba CompactFlash cards, then placing their own label on them (this practice is common in the memory industry as a whole). Therefore, determining which company's Toshiba SLC product to buy should be done based on your examination of things like warranty, tech support and the reputation of the company selling the card.
(3) Type I CompactFlash cards are 3.3mm in thickness; Type II, 5.0mm.
(4) K/sec = Kilobytes per second (1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes); MB/sec = Megabytes per second (1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes).
(5) Companies that source CompactFlash cards from Toshiba may opt for either the faster binary-type (often called single level cell, or SLC) or slower (but less expensive to manufacture) multi level cell (MLC) architecture.
(6) Delkin has not revealed the design and manufacturing partner for their PRO line of CompactFlash cards up to 640MB.
(7) These cards contain controllers from an unknown manufacturer, likely of Taiwanese origin.
(8) This camera's built-in formatter will format cards over 2GB as FAT32 with a 4K cluster size. This cluster size usually means less-efficient camera-to-card transfers than FAT32 formatting with a 32K cluster size, so we tested cards over 2GB both ways in this camera.
(9) This card, which began to ship in mid-March 2004 and later morphed into the 40X High Speed Series, contains faster memory than the original 40X Pro Series card. If the series number stamped on the card's edge ends in C977, it's a revamped Pro Series 40X. If it's a grey-labeled High Speed Series 40X, then it should also offer similar performance to this card, even if the last four digits of the series number are different.
(10) Lexar began shipping their 80X line of cards in late June 2004. The card marked *first edition* in the table is a production model representative of the 80X lineup that began shipping at that time. In October 2004, Lexar began to ship a revised version of their 80X cards, which we've dubbed *second edition* here. As of March 2005, second edition cards remain identical in appearance to their first edition predecessors and are sold in similar retail packaging (a red mylar tab sealing the end flap is the one hint that a second edition card lurks inside). The last four digits of the edge stamp, visible only once the package is opened, also differentiate first edition from second edition. If the last four digits are A4B6, it's a second edition 80X CompactFlash card.
(11) This card includes a switch that enables it to operate as either a 2GB or 4GB card, for compatibility with older cameras that are unable to recognize cards over 2GB. Throughput has been tested with the card's switch set to the 4GB position. See the next note for more information on this card.
(12) In October 2004, SanDisk announced that its Ultra II line of memory cards was being revamped to utilize multi level cell flash memory instead of the binary-type flash memory (often referred to as SLC) used in Ultra II since the fall of 2003. As of this writing, we're not sure how a prospective purchaser will be able to differentiate older, binary-type Ultra II CompactFlash cards from newer, MLC Ultra II CompactFlash cards. As of January 2005, however, SanDisk was shipping only MLC Ultra II, so by March 2005 or thereabouts the older binary-type Ultra II cards should be gone from most retailers.
(13) This card contains a controller from an unknown manufacturer, likely of Chinese origin.
(14) We opted to suspend testing of the GS Magicstor 2.2GB after experiencing ongoing erratic behaviour, with two different cards, in several cameras and CompactFlash readers (and especially the readers).
(15) Midway through testing, this card was accidentally dropped from a height of no more than 2 inches onto a wooden desk. The drop was fatal.