(CF) Size matters, but how much?

[Starflight_2000]

I had the size / photo loss paranoia and was running with 1G and 512K cards... then I read a performance measurement site that said the Extreme III 2G cards were tops for my Canon 20D so I've upgraded to those and I've been very happy and my paranoia is at bay for now.

[cmalana]

We generally use 2GB cards, but any new card purchases will be 4GB Extreme IIIs. The only card that has ever failed on me was a microdrive. I find that when shooting RAW, especially on 5D, 4GB is the best size. For lower resolution cameras, 2GB works fine, though for the 1DM2N, I usually have a 2GB CF and a 2GB SD loaded for a total of 4GB.

Next big shoot is first weekend in June so I'm looking to purchase another 4GB card for that. We currently use 14GB between 2 shooters for wedding coverage and another 4-6GB will be just perfect.

We still use a couple of 1GB cards for short shoots (portrait sessions) or when we are shooting JPG for an event.

[rwwright]

of course it depends on your camera and on how many photos you generally take. with my d100 and d70, i was fairly happy with two 2 gig cards and a 1 gig backup. BUT i also used a device to download my photos to while in the field.

Now I shoot a d2x. I have two 4 gig and a 2 gig backup. this gives me around 400 photos. I also carry my notebook with me (usually in the car). On photoshoots where I start before sunrise and go all day, two 4 gig cards may not enough. I find that shooting digital, i tend to take a lot more photos than before. I try different things. sometimes I shoot 3 exposures automatically etc. BUT i am happy with two 4 gig for now and dont feel like i need any more.

[pippin]

3-1gb cards
3 - 512mb cards

and an epson p-2000 (40gb) to download while out...