Question about write speed of E-M5

[So Thankful]

I have an E-M5 and to me it seems to be writing to the card slowly.
I had it set to RAW + FINE JPG. I thought that might be the problem. So I switched it to RAW only, still the same then to FINE JPG only and still the same.
When I set it to high frame rate 9FPS it will only shot two or three frames before having to stop and write to the card.
There is viewfinder blackout while it is writing also.
Is this normal?
EDIT I am using a Lexar Professional SD HC 633x 95 MB/s card.

 

[tyrphoto]

Sounds like something wrong with the card.

Try reformatting the card. If that doesn't take care of the problem, try a different card.

Also, where did you purchase the Lexar card? These days, fake cards are plentiful and therefore I only buy SanDisk Extreme Pro cards from reputable dealers such as B&H.

 

[So Thankful]

Sounds like something wrong with the card.

Try reformatting the card. If that doesn't take care of the problem, try a different card.

Also, where did you purchase the Lexar card? These days, fake cards are plentiful and therefore only buy SanDisk Extreme Pro cards from reputable dealers such as B&H.

Tried a different card also the same type. The cards came in a two pack from B&H when I got the camera.
I was able to get the high speed rate to shoot about 20 frames before it slowed down to write. Still getting a bit of blackout when shooting single frame.

 

[WasOM3user]

I did a test with various speeds of Sandisk cards in my EM-5, I.e. 30MB, 45MB, 80MB and 90MB/sec and for each change in speed there was a corresponding increase in the number of shots taken "flat out" before the camera slowed down. My conclusion was that camera could use the full performance of the faster cards and that the practical limits were higher than I would need even for some sports photography with the two higher speeds.

We tried the same test on my wife's G3.which proved anything faster than 45M/sec was wasted money as no further increases occurred.

This shooting RAW+Fine JPEG. I would suggest trying another card before checking the camera.

 

[So Thankful]

I did a test with various speeds of Sandisk cards in my EM-5, I.e. 30MB, 45MB, 80MB and 90MB/sec and for each change in speed there was a corresponding increase in the number of shots taken "flat out" before the camera slowed down. My conclusion was that camera could use the full performance of the faster cards and that the practical limits were higher than I would need even for some sports photography with the two higher speeds.

We tried the same test on my wife's G3.which proved anything faster than 45M/sec was wasted money as no further increases occurred.

This shooting RAW+Fine JPEG. I would suggest trying another card before checking the camera.

Thanks for your response. Does your E-M5 show the little red write icon every time you shoot a pic? Mine does. I have tried two Lexar 95MB/s cards and they both seem to perform the same. JPEG is a little faster but there is still some viewfinder blackout.

 

[So Thankful]

I am thinking about trying some Sandisk cards. I found one that is 280MB/s I don't know if that would make a difference or not.

 

[WasOM3user]

Red card logo only appears momentarily most times I don't even see it (only using 90+ versions now) Very different using an EyeFi Pro X2 card where I do have to wait.

 

[So Thankful]

Perhaps there is nothing wrong then. I guess it is just the difference between a DSLR and a Mirrorless.

 

[WasOM3user]

Just been looking at the Lexar card specs and although they quote read or transfer speeds I haven't seen a write speed quoted other than "lower" than the read speed. Might be worth trying a Sandisk to see if it improves things

 

[Ross the fiddler]

I am thinking about trying some Sandisk cards. I found one that is 280MB/s I don't know if that would make a difference or not.

That would be wasted. I use the Sandisk Pro 95MB/s & recommend it whereas the other 280MB/s would be needed for the E-M5 Mk II (maybe for Hi Res shots) or GH4 (for 4K video). The 280MB/s card might not be compatible with the E-M5 anyhow.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

Perhaps there is nothing wrong then. I guess it is just the difference between a DSLR and a Mirrorless.

It's not the difference, it's just that the E-M5 doesn't have as large a buffer as say the E-M1 (which is the Pro level model) & therefore can't do as many sequence shots before the buffer is full. I would still suggest getting a Sandisk Pro 95MB/s (16GB or no less than 8GB) card to add to your cards from a reputable supplier & it must come in a sealed packet with a serial number, then you can compare them as well.

 

[So Thankful]

Just did a bit of research on my Lexar cards. Their read speed is 95MB/s but their write speed drops way down to 45MB/s.
The Sandisk are 95MB/s and 90MB/s respectively. Looks like I will be getting some Sandisk Pro cards.

 

[wjiang]

Provided you have a fast enough card, the real difference is buffer depth... I use the same Lexar 400x cards in my E-M1 as my old E-M5, and the difference is night and day when it comes to doing 9 FPS RAW C-AF bursts.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

Provided you have a fast enough card, the real difference is buffer depth... I use the same Lexar 400x cards in my E-M1 as my old E-M5, and the difference is night and day when it comes to doing 9 FPS RAW C-AF bursts.

To also support that, here are the following data for the E-M5
Max. recordable pictures *
[RAW] Approx. 20 shots (Sequential L/4 fps), approx. 15 shots (Sequential H/9 fps)
[JPEG LN mode] approx. 70 shots (Sequential L/4 fps), approx. 19 shots (Sequential H/9 fps)

• *The sequential shooting speed may decrease depending on shooting conditions. When using M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ. Based upon Olympus testing conditions when using Toshiba SDHC UHS-I card R95/W80 (8GB)

And the difference with an E-M1
Max. recordable pictures*
[RAW] Approx. 50 shots (Sequential L/6.5 fps), approx. 41 shots (Sequential H/10 fps)
[JPEG: LN] Until card is full (Sequential L/6.5 fps), approx. 95 shots (Sequential H/10 fps)

*The sequential shooting speed may decrease depending on shooting conditions. According to Olympus testing conditions when using M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm F3.5-6.3 EZ and Toshiba SDHC UHS-I card EXCERIA TYPE1 32GB.

So as you can see, the buffer size makes a lot of difference but to not limit the capabilities of the camera a fast enough card should be used (i.e. faster than the buffer can empty is ideal in my opinion).

 

[wjiang]

By the way, your Lexar 95MB/s cards do not write at that speed. Both the old 400x cards that I have as well as the newer 633x cards (both UHS-I) have a guaranteed write speed of only 20MB/s for the 16 GB version. Above 32 GB it is 45 MB/s write. The Sandisks, on the other hand, write at 90 MB/s.

 

[eteless]

I use PNY cards, the 32gb are marketed as 90mb/s however they're really only 60mb/s, the 16gb really are 90mb/s (tested on a usb 3.0 card reader).

I mainly use them because they're dirt cheap and so I can afford to use a new card and never delete pictures off them if needed (I can use it as a second backup copy after I've copied the pictures off it in case the computer dies or is stolen).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...p_sdh32u1h_ge_32gb_elite_sdhc_uhs_1_card.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...p_sdh16u1h_ge_16gb_elite_sdhc_uhs_1_card.html

I really don't see a $20 card that stores 1.5k pictures (or whatever) as expensive, especially not compared to the cost of a lens or something like that.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

I use PNY cards, the 32gb are marketed as 90mb/s however they're really only 60mb/s, the 16gb really are 90mb/s (tested on a usb 3.0 card reader).

I mainly use them because they're dirt cheap and so I can afford to use a new card and never delete pictures off them if needed (I can use it as a second backup copy after I've copied the pictures off it in case the computer dies or is stolen).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...p_sdh32u1h_ge_32gb_elite_sdhc_uhs_1_card.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...p_sdh16u1h_ge_16gb_elite_sdhc_uhs_1_card.html

I really don't see a $20 card that stores 1.5k pictures (or whatever) as expensive, especially not compared to the cost of a lens or something like that.

I guess they are dirt cheap, but how reliable? For myself (& obviously others too), I prefer to stick with a company (Sandisk) that has a known high reputation & the warranty having some valid meaning as I've never heard of PNY before, so whatever you're happy with.....

 

[eteless]

I guess they are dirt cheap, but how reliable? For myself (& obviously others too), I prefer to stick with a company (Sandisk) that has a known high reputation & the warranty having some valid meaning as I've never heard of PNY before, so whatever you're happy with.....

Over the years I've had half a dozen Sandisk cards fail and two Lexar cards fail (out of two dozen), out of 20 odd PNY cards I'm yet to have a single one fail over the last 4 years. If you use enough of a product you're bound to see failures, every brand has a failure rate and none are exempt from this.

The Sandisk brand is basically dead to me due to the struggle to get non counterfeit cards, their genuine cards are good no doubt however I can't trust what I get is the real deal. I don't think PNY are really a no name brand, feel free to use whatever you feel comfortable with as I believe that's more important than a non existant performance gain (the limiting factor is really the camera read/write speed if you're only comparing fast cards).

For me it's better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

 

[So Thankful]

I get my cards from sources such as B&H and Best Buy. Counterfeit should not be an issue.