Which SDHC good for Nkon D3100 DSLR?
 

Hello,

I just ordered my first DSLR "Nikon D3100" as bundle with 18-55mm VR lens + 55-200mm VR bought in $778.

So far I have point & shoot camera; today I bought two "Patriot brand" SDHC cards.

16GB Class 10 - $25.99
8GB Class 10 - $13.99

Are these good to use with Nikon D3100 DSLR; for HD video & Pictures or should I return and buy SanDisk Ultra/Extreme II/III?

I'm just worried because I haven't received my DSLR yet but I already bought memory cards but when I used 16GB Class 10 SDHC to my Samsung TL205 after two pictures I receive file error message I can't see pictures - It happens because my camera is not handling that card or it's bad card?

Please advise!

Thanks,

The Samsung TL205 consumer point-and-shoot is a 2010 model camera, and should therefore be able to handle a 16GB Class 10 SDHC card -- as should a Nikon D3100 / D5000 / D7000 DSLR body.

The problem is likely with a bad card. There's a few things to remember here:

1. Any company can produce a few duds, even in excellent product lines. How many is a "few" really depends on the quality of workmanship of the product, and the company that's making it. More on that in a minute...

2. SD / SDHC cards are actually a pretty flimsy/non-archival form of media. We don't have much choice in using them, of course, but we can make choices in how we approach their use. For example, NEVER leave anything on a card for longer than is absolutely necessary. Get those images off the cards ASAP and onto a computer hard drive. (And because computer hard drives are not immune to fail, make backup copies onto other hard drives or discs. And not just to any disc, but to the best blank DVDs such as Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden blanks. Read the blank media guide.) CompactFlash is a more robust camera memory card, but those are only available in the most advanced professional DSLRs these days.

3. The best memory are cards made generally by the companies that really pioneered the solid-state media field, such as Lexar, SanDisk and Transcend. And then some of the same companies that make RAM for computers tend to be some of the best makers of memory cards, such as Kingston. You would do best to avoid camera memory cards from companies that make blank optical media, such as Ridata (Ritek), or "no-name" companies like A-Data.

4. While Patriot is memory company, known mostly for its computer RAM, it's not really what I'd call a top-shelf product maker. Yes, their RAM can be good and cheap -- but it's not necessarily reliable. I've come across, and read about, a lot of bad Patriot memory through the years. So them making marginal-quality SDHC cards would not surprise me. I would never use a Patriot card.

All of my best CompactFlash memory cards are from Transcend and Kingston, and my SD cards are Sandisk. For flash/thumb/jump USB drives, I use only Lexar and HP.

If I were you, I'd return the Patriot cards, and get something better.

Amazon.com (and Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk) routinely has some of the best prices on solid-state drives, including the cards for cameras.

These are the best SD / SDHC memory cards:
- Kingston SD/SDHC: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...reative=390957
- Lexar SD/SDHC: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...reative=390957
- Sandisk SD/SDHC: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...reative=390957
- Transcend SD/SDHC: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...reative=390957

The prices you paid for those cards was about average, based on Amazon pricing.

Thanks for posting, and welcome to the site. :)