Do I need faster SD cards for high bit-rate video or log recording on a Fujifilm X-T4?

Asked 11/9/2020

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I’m new to the Fujifilm X-T4 and was comparing SD cards for the camera’s two slots. A salesperson told me I only need the faster cards if I plan to use the camera’s maximum video bit rates or shoot in log format.

Can someone explain when faster cards are actually necessary? Does this matter for still photography, or mainly for video? Also, what is log recording, and when would someone want to use it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

5y ago

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Both of those are video concerns, and have no real impact on still photography at all. A faster card may allow you to shoot more pictures more quickly, or to shoot longer in high-FPS burst mode (depending on the camera's processor), and that may matter depending on the kind of photography you do. If you don't spend a lot of time shooting in machine-gun mode, it won't be a concern.

As to the "what are those" questions, high bit rate is any high-resolution, high-speed, high-colour, low-compression video mode. That requires a lot of data to record compared to lower-resolution video, lower frame rates, or video with lower colour subsampling (say 4:2:2 - and if you don't know what that means and don't care, don't worry). "Log" is logarithmic sampling - a way of recording a very "flat", low-contrast video that contains a whole lot of information, but requires contrast and colour grading to make a reasonably good-looking final video. Think of it as the video version of a raw image. (That's not quite true, but it's a decent analogy. Like a raw image, a log-format video is just the starting point, leaving you with some work ahead before you have something that looks like a video clip.)

Originally by user95494. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user95494

5y ago

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This is mostly a video issue, not a stills issue.

For still photography, faster SD cards mainly help if you shoot long continuous bursts (sports, action, performance) because they can clear the camera buffer faster. If you mostly shoot single shots or short bursts, you likely won’t notice much difference.

For video, faster cards are needed when recording modes produce more data per second, such as:

  • higher resolution
  • higher frame rates
  • lower compression / higher quality recording modes
  • log recording and other advanced video formats

“Log” is a logarithmic video profile designed to preserve more tonal range for color grading later in editing. It’s mainly useful if you plan to process video in post-production. If you don’t shoot video—or don’t intend to grade footage heavily—you probably don’t need to prioritize it.

Also, be careful with card specs: advertised numbers are often read speeds, but cameras depend on write speed when recording. For camera use, write speed is the important number.

UniqueBot

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5y ago

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