Observations And Comments Regarding My Previous Post: "Sandisk Versus Lexar; Fast Card Versus Slow: Slot 1 Versus Slot 2; What Difference Did I Find In High Speed Sequential Imaging With My Fujifilm X-T2?"

(click to enlarge)
Nikon D700, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 210mm; 1/400th sec. @ f/7.1; ISO 

I wanted to make a few general observations from looking at the data from my previous post entitled, "Sandisk Versus Lexar: Fast Card Versus Slow; Slot 1 Versus Slot 2; What Differences Did I Find In High Speed Sequential Imaging With My Fujifilm X-T2?"  For this post to make sense, you may want to read it first.  It can be found here.


Here is a summary of the number of frames exposed over a 10 second, 11fps burst in my Fujifilm X-T2 in the various configurations I tested.  Again, this test was not rigorously scientific, but a practical exercise to better my knowledge of my own gear.  As always, I like to share what I discover as it may be helpful to others.  Your mileage may vary.

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Empty
66 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
62 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Lexar 1000X
43 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Lexar 1000X
Slot 2 Empty
45 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Empty
64 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Lexar 2000X
54 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (compressed)
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Lexar 1000X
45 images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Empty
61 Images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
49 Images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Sandisk 95mb/sec.
33 Images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Lexar 1000X
Slot 2 Empty
39 Images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Empty
51 Images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Lexar 2000X
52 images in 10 seconds

RAW (compressed) + JPEG Fine
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Lexar 1000X
51 images in 10 seconds

Finally, RAW uncompressed:

RAW only (uncompressed)
Slot 1 Lexar 2000X
Slot 2 Empty
50 images in 10 seconds

RAW only (uncompressed)
Slot 1 Sandisk 300mb/sec.
Slot 2 Empty
49 images in 10 seconds

Fujifilm, in their published specifications, promises 30 uncompressed RAW frames before the frame rate slows.  They also promise 27 compressed RAW images.  However, there is no definitive number given for the frame rate after you reach 30 frames. 

I sat down and looked at the data and made these general observations:

a) What I found is that in a 10 second burst, now matter what card(s) is used, fast or slow, Lexar or Sandisk, the first two seconds give you about 22 frames.  That can vary slightly.

b) Compressed RAW was faster than uncompressed RAW.  That is baffling.  I found it true with both the Lexar 2000X card and the Sandisk 300mb/sec. card.  Can't figure that one out?  It should be just the opposite.  I normally losslessly compress my RAW files and will continue to do so.

c) Adding a second card, no matter what speed, will slow down the number of frames the camera can record over the 10 second burst time.  Some cards more than others.  It seems if you want to maximize the number of frames you can record over 10 seconds, only use one card of the fastest variety you can buy and put it in slot 1.

d) The Lexar cards were consistently be faster than the Sandisk cards.  Not a lot, but faster.  When using a Sandisk card alone in the first slot or second slot with the Lexar 2000X card in the other slot, everything was slower.

e) As you would expect, RAW + JPEG is slower than RAW alone.  But if you use a Lexar 2000X card in the first slot and leave the second empty, it doesn't slow that much.

Now, after all of this, if you don't have a need for high speed sequential photography then you probably wasted quite a bit of time!  My apologies!  LOL  😖

Seriously, there is always something to gain when we know our gear better.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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