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School me on memory cards

Allegheny Tom

Allegheny Tom

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2018
Messages
6,039
Location
Western Pennsylvania
I want some 32 gig cards for my Browning Strike Force HD PRO cams.
I see 48MB/s and I see 80, 90, 95, even 150MB/s.
I went to a couple web sites to try to learn what these numbers mean and which is best for these trail cams. And just as important as how they perform in my trial cam, is how well they work in my MAC laptop for downloading and editing.
I'd like to say to explain it to me like I'm 7 (because I'm a techno goof), but most 7 year olds were born knowing about this stuff, so explain it to me like I'm 77.
Thanks.
Tom
 
your camera won't be writing to the cards at high speeds. the speeds are only an issue if you are trying to take large file pictures/videos in quick succession. I just bought a 5 pack of 32 gb SD cards on Amazon for $25.
 
actually it was $23

The only issue you might have is formatting with a MAC, you may want to figure out if you need to do it in a special way to work with your cameras.
 
You want class 6 or higher. Class 10 is preferable for HD video recording. The class is usually in the description or on the card itself. It looks like a semi circle with a number in it.

The higher the class, the faster the transfer speeds from and to the card.

Also you want SDHC - the HC is for high capacity. They do make XC (expanded capacity) but they are less common (or at least they were). SDHC is common and safe bet that it will be supported by the device.

Just go with a reliable manufacturer (like SanDisk) and you shouldn't have any issues regardless of the device you use.

A couple tips:
  • Always format the card using the cameras on-camera delete function.
  • When transferring images from the card to your laptop you can use any software you want - Mac Photos app is perfectly fine. Just don't let it delete/format the card as it may overwrite it with mac software and if you forget to format the card using the camera's delete function it might not work at all (because it has mac format on it and not the cameras supported format).
 
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Thanks guys.
I just spoke with Trail Cam Pro to ask them specifically how different cards would work with the Browning cam and MAC computers.
I got a few interesting tidbits that I will share.
He said Brownings are a bit picky with larger MB/s so that's why they sell the 48MB/s in 32 gig.
He also said that MAC users should not delete pics with the computer because MAC slips-in other files that may cause performance issues with the camera. He said viewing with Preview (MAC) is okay, but to delete the pics with the camera, don't use the MAC.
I asked if a card that had already been deleted via the MAC could be completely cleaned if I re-deleted with the camera. He said "no".
He said a card that has been deleted with a MAC needs to be "Deep Formatted" on a PC.
I have had a few cards doing some goofy things so maybe it's because of being formatted with a MAC?? IDK.
I have to assume the guy from TCP knows what he is talking about, so from now on, all deleting will be done with the camera and not the MAC.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Thanks guys.
I just spoke with Trail Cam Pro to ask them specifically how different cards would work with the Browning cam and MAC computers.
I got a few interesting tidbits that I will share.
He said Brownings are a bit picky with larger MB/s so that's why they sell the 48MB/s in 32 gig.
He also said that MAC users should not delete pics with the computer because MAC slips-in other files that may cause performance issues with the camera. He said viewing with Preview (MAC) is okay, but to delete the pics with the camera, don't use the MAC.
I asked if a card that had already been deleted via the MAC could be completely cleaned if I re-deleted with the camera. He said "no".
He said a card that has been deleted with a MAC needs to be "Deep Formatted" on a PC.
I have had a few cards doing some goofy things so maybe it's because of being formatted with a MAC?? IDK.
I have to assume the guy from TCP knows what he is talking about, so from now on, all deleting will be done with the camera and not the MAC.
Click to expand...

9 times out of 10 the 'delete' function on the camera itself actually formats the card completely and sets up the card the way it needs to be for that camera.

'Deep' formatting probably unnecessary unless the card wont be recognized by the device at all. Also not true that you can't deep format on a Mac. You can use 'DiskUtility' app to format the card to MS-FAT, which should allow it to be read by almost all trail cameras. Again use the cameras delete function before using it in the field.
 
d_rek said:
9 times out of 10 the 'delete' function on the camera itself actually formats the card completely and sets up the card the way it needs to be for that camera.

'Deep' formatting probably unnecessary unless the card wont be recognized by the device at all. Also not true that you can't deep format on a Mac. You can use 'DiskUtility' app to format the card to MS-FAT, which should allow it to be read by almost all trail cameras. Again use the cameras delete function before using it in the field.
Click to expand...
Thanks @d_rek. Wow, I impressed myself...I figured out how to find "Disc Utility" and how to wipe the cards. And I didn't even have help from a 7 year old (or Hillary, either... I hear that she is a wiz at deleting stuff. haha)
 
When I had my iPhone I had nothing but issues with my trail cameras. The only time they seemed to work was when I deleted all pics on the camera and reformatted every time. I went back to android and zero issues. I do run browning cameras so that could have been the issue. When running android its almost like I cant screw up a card.

I only run class 10 cards. Its not that much different in price now days plus if I use them in my handled camera I don't have to worry. If you are doing video class 10 is going to be better.
 
Sandisk Ultra or better for me. It is about industry standard for class 10's which @d_rek mentioned above. Less corrupted files and formatting issues. It's probably overkill, but I LOVE video mode. I just wish trail camera manufacturers would get with the times and stop using .AVI video format. I know it read/writes easily, and compresses well saving space on the card, but NOTHING supports it anymore. I'm going to have to buy an .AVI to .MOV file converter software at some point.
 
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