40 replies to this topic

[RoyWSpencer]

 

Cool! Never seen that before.

Did you purchase your High Speed SD Cards online or at local store?
Is it possible they are fake / re-labelled [slow] SD cards?
That would explain everything.

 

I've used several in that camera over the years. B&H Photo, WalMart, Amazon, can't really remember all of them.  Mostly WalMart.

[calypsob]

 

 

 

If I take flats or bias frames with my 6D I can get about 8 to 10 raw files before the camera needs to catch up. It does take a while to flush them but I would have thought 5 seconds per sub would be slow enough?

 

Have you tried 6 or 7 seconds between subs to see if it can handle that continuously?

 

Are you running the latest firmware? It may help.

 

Other than that, obvious things are to try a different card and make sure it is formatted in camera, preferably before each session.

I've tried different cards. What I'm saying is that when taking hundreds of exposures for time lapse photography (which requires even intervals), I have to allow about 3-4 sec for the camera to write a single raw image to the card before I can start the next exposure. I get the impression other cameras accomplish this in about 1 sec. I  have not updated firmware since I bought the camera. I always format the card before each session.

 

Tell us exactly which Memory Card you are using.

Saying, that you have tried different memory cards, tells us nothing.
Remove the memory card from the camera and and reply with exact details.

 

This is one of the fastest memory cards for the Canon 6D ...

 

SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3 Memory Card

 

https://www.camerame...xc-memory-card/

 

Faster cards do not speed up the 6D's "Write Speed".

Note that it states "95 MB/s" & "U(3)" on the label.

It should sustain 1 frame per second until filled.

 

The slowest Memory Card cannot sustain 1 Frame every 2 seconds.

 

Make sure LENR is OFF = faster

 

JPEG file takes some processing time, but the smaller JPEG file writes way faster than RAW file.

 

I'm using a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB. As I alluded to above, I realize the card is not the limiting factor, it is plenty fast enough...it's the camera write speed.

 

Maybe a better way to have asked my question is this: Has ANYONE with a Canon 6D been able to get the camera to write a full-res raw file to the card in 1 second or less?

 

This is only possible if the file size is smaller than the write speed of the camera, what is the file size of your images at iso3200? 

[calypsob]

 

 

I'm ordering the San Disk Extreme Pro 95MB/sec card, which has tested to be the fastest with the 6D. Probably won't help, but I need a 64 GB card anyway.

The card write speed is not going to be a limiting factor on stills as much as it is with video if you are using at least a class 10 hc1 card.  Typically as you mentioned earlier, you can add a delay between exposures to prevent frame skipping during a timelapse and avoid flooding the buffer. Once the buffer is full there is not much that you can do to speed up the write process.  Any HC1 card should do fine with stills, I am not sure where the compatibility limit is now with the older 6d as alot of newer cards have hit the market since this card came out several years ago.  I use an extreme pro as well, san disk has some pretty reliable cards.  If you do not need to rely on the full depth of raw stills, another option would be to run magic lantern with FPS override.  This would allow you to shoot low FPS video and fully utilize the write speed of your card.  For a 5fps or faster timelapse, I would go that route and dial in exposure settings.  All of this assuming that you are comfortable working with magic lantern.  

 

The problem is his SD port writes RAW Image files at only 15 MB per second.

It should be writing at over 30 MB per second, up to 36 MB per second.

If a complete reset to defaults and reboot does not fix this problem then

he needs to contact Canon for "SD Port Repair".

 

There is no reason that a Canon 6D with an 80MB/s SD Memory Card ( which he has ) can't image at 1 RAW fps continuously - unless it is broken.

 

I dont think its broken, I think the files may be bigger than 36mb at iso 3200.  I am looking at some of my data now and an 18mp darkframe image at iso 1600 is 25mb so a 20.2mp image at iso 3200 might be larger than 36.

[RoyWSpencer]

 

 

 

 

If I take flats or bias frames with my 6D I can get about 8 to 10 raw files before the camera needs to catch up. It does take a while to flush them but I would have thought 5 seconds per sub would be slow enough?

 

Have you tried 6 or 7 seconds between subs to see if it can handle that continuously?

 

Are you running the latest firmware? It may help.

 

Other than that, obvious things are to try a different card and make sure it is formatted in camera, preferably before each session.

I've tried different cards. What I'm saying is that when taking hundreds of exposures for time lapse photography (which requires even intervals), I have to allow about 3-4 sec for the camera to write a single raw image to the card before I can start the next exposure. I get the impression other cameras accomplish this in about 1 sec. I  have not updated firmware since I bought the camera. I always format the card before each session.

 

Tell us exactly which Memory Card you are using.

Saying, that you have tried different memory cards, tells us nothing.
Remove the memory card from the camera and and reply with exact details.

 

This is one of the fastest memory cards for the Canon 6D ...

 

SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3 Memory Card

 

https://www.camerame...xc-memory-card/

 

Faster cards do not speed up the 6D's "Write Speed".

Note that it states "95 MB/s" & "U(3)" on the label.

It should sustain 1 frame per second until filled.

 

The slowest Memory Card cannot sustain 1 Frame every 2 seconds.

 

Make sure LENR is OFF = faster

 

JPEG file takes some processing time, but the smaller JPEG file writes way faster than RAW file.

 

I'm using a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB. As I alluded to above, I realize the card is not the limiting factor, it is plenty fast enough...it's the camera write speed.

 

Maybe a better way to have asked my question is this: Has ANYONE with a Canon 6D been able to get the camera to write a full-res raw file to the card in 1 second or less?

 

This is only possible if the file size is smaller than the write speed of the camera, what is the file size of your images at iso3200? 

 

file size is usually 20 MB, or a shade more.

 

The SanDisk 80 MB/sec card I'm currently using has been tested with the 6D at 34.6 MB/sec write speed (see below). I'm getting about 1/3 that speed, and the problem has always existed with this camera. I have always used the fastest (or nearly fastest) cards on the market.

 

https://www.camerame...ard-comparison/

Edited by RoyWSpencer, 17 November 2017 - 06:13 PM.

[RoyWSpencer]

 

 

 

I'm ordering the San Disk Extreme Pro 95MB/sec card, which has tested to be the fastest with the 6D. Probably won't help, but I need a 64 GB card anyway.

The card write speed is not going to be a limiting factor on stills as much as it is with video if you are using at least a class 10 hc1 card.  Typically as you mentioned earlier, you can add a delay between exposures to prevent frame skipping during a timelapse and avoid flooding the buffer. Once the buffer is full there is not much that you can do to speed up the write process.  Any HC1 card should do fine with stills, I am not sure where the compatibility limit is now with the older 6d as alot of newer cards have hit the market since this card came out several years ago.  I use an extreme pro as well, san disk has some pretty reliable cards.  If you do not need to rely on the full depth of raw stills, another option would be to run magic lantern with FPS override.  This would allow you to shoot low FPS video and fully utilize the write speed of your card.  For a 5fps or faster timelapse, I would go that route and dial in exposure settings.  All of this assuming that you are comfortable working with magic lantern.  

 

The problem is his SD port writes RAW Image files at only 15 MB per second.

It should be writing at over 30 MB per second, up to 36 MB per second.

If a complete reset to defaults and reboot does not fix this problem then

he needs to contact Canon for "SD Port Repair".

 

There is no reason that a Canon 6D with an 80MB/s SD Memory Card ( which he has ) can't image at 1 RAW fps continuously - unless it is broken.

 

I dont think its broken, I think the files may be bigger than 36mb at iso 3200.  I am looking at some of my data now and an 18mp darkframe image at iso 1600 is 25mb so a 20.2mp image at iso 3200 might be larger than 36.

 

I took over 1,300 frames last night, they averaged around 24-25 MB. I always shoot the night sky on the low-gain side...either 800 ISO, max of 1600 ISO.

 

I just got an email response from Canon support who asked me three questions I already answered in my original email.  Must be late on a Friday. :-)

Edited by RoyWSpencer, 17 November 2017 - 06:05 PM.

[mvas]

I dont think its broken, I think the files may be bigger than 36mb at iso 3200.  I am looking at some of my data now and an 18mp darkframe image at iso 1600 is 25mb so a 20.2mp image at iso 3200 might be larger than 36.

 

Clearly, the size of the Canon 6D RAW files are not 36 MB.
In message #13, the OP stated that his files were the same size as the files in my test.
I duplicated the OP's exact scenario "100 RAW Frames in 100 seconds" with the exact same model camera.
You did not duplicate the OP's issue, I did.
You did not use the same model camera as the OP, I did.

We already know for a fact, the RAW files are ~20.3 MB, they are not 36 MB.

Every Canon 6D reviewed, as well as mine, can shoot and save (more than) 100 RAW frames within 100 seconds.
The OP's 6D camera can only shoot 50 RAW frames in 100 seconds - that is way below Canon's Specification.
There is something wrong with the OP's camera, configuration and/or SD Memory Card(s) but it is not file size related.

Edited by mvas, 17 November 2017 - 08:53 PM.

[RoyWSpencer]

I got my second response from Canon, different technician. He said, format the card and that should fix it.

 

Ugh.

 

I think they are trained to force you into buying a more expensive Canon.

 

Well, I'll show them...I'll get a Nikon D810A. :-)

 

No...I won't.  :-(

[mvas]

I got my second response from Canon, different technician. He said, format the card and that should fix it.

 

Ugh.

 

I think they are trained to force you into buying a more expensive Canon.

 

Well, I'll show them...I'll get a Nikon D810A. :-)

 

No...I won't.  :-(

They are probably following a "diagnostic" flow chart - regardless of what you have already done or said.

Step 1 - Ask Question A, go to step #2

Step 2 - Ask Question B, go to step #3 

Step 3 - Ask Question C ...

 

It sure does appear that the SD Port in your Canon 6D is "stuck" in 10 MB/s mode.

10 MB/s is the slower U(1) C(10) SD rating.

 

It seems like your Camera cannot recognize that you have inserted a U(3) SD Card with 30 MB/s Write Speed.

 

BTW, it takes my camera just 3.5 Seconds to Low Level Format a 16MB U(3) SD Card.

 

Can you computer WRITE to your SD cards at 30MB/s ?

https://cam-do.com/p...rd-speed-tester

Edited by mvas, 18 November 2017 - 12:39 PM.

[RoyWSpencer]

 

I got my second response from Canon, different technician. He said, format the card and that should fix it.

 

Ugh.

 

I think they are trained to force you into buying a more expensive Canon.

 

Well, I'll show them...I'll get a Nikon D810A. :-)

 

No...I won't.  :-(

They are probably following a "diagnostic" flow chart - regardless of what you have already done or said.

Step 1 - Ask Question A, go to step #2

Step 2 - Ask Question B, go to step #3 

Step 3 - Ask Question C ...

 

It sure does appear that the SD Port in your Canon 6D is "stuck" in 10 MB/s mode.

10 MB/s is the slower U(1) C(10) SD rating.

 

It seems like your Camera cannot recognize that you have inserted a U(3) SD Card with 30 MB/s Write Speed.

 

BTW, it takes my camera just 3.5 Seconds to Low Level Format a 16MB U(3) SD Card.

 

Can you computer WRITE to your SD cards at 30MB/s ?

https://cam-do.com/p...rd-speed-tester

 

maybe we are making progress...

 

I downloaded that SD card tester, and my San Disk Ultra Plus 80 MB/sec card that has been supposedly tested to write at 34.4 MB/sec in a Canon 6D only writes at 13.8 MB/sec. The SD tester site says San Disks are notorious for not meeting spec...maybe WalMart is selling Chinese fakes?

 

I don't know whether it matters what computer it's in, I'm using a Dell Latitude E6330.

 

BTW, the read speed was 64.7 MB/sec.

 

(Great app btw, I'll be testing every card I get from now on!)

 

UPDATE comment:

 

OK, it looks like maybe this could have been my fault all along.  I know at least one of you pointed out that the read speed rating prominently displayed on the card doesn't indicate the write speed, which I understand, but I wrongly assumed that a card with a faster read speed would also have a faster write speed.  I am apparently currently using a U1 card, and I didn't realize those are rated so slow on write speed. It might be that all the cards I have always used in this camera are not rated more than U1.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have a San Disk Extreme Pro 95 MB/s U3 card arriving tomorrow, and will update when I test it.  I would not have figured this out on my own. Thanks again.

Edited by RoyWSpencer, 18 November 2017 - 01:08 PM.

[mvas]

maybe we are making progress...

 

I downloaded that SD card tester, and my San Disk Ultra Plus 80 MB/sec card that has been supposedly tested to write at 34.4 MB/sec in a Canon 6D only writes at 13.8 MB/sec. The SD tester site says San Disks are notorious for not meeting spec...maybe WalMart is selling Chinese fakes?

 

I don't know whether it matters what computer it's in, I'm using a Dell Latitude E6330.

 

BTW, the read speed was 64.7 MB/sec.

 

(Great app btw, I'll be testing every card I get from now on!)

 

UPDATE comment:

 

OK, it looks like maybe this could have been my fault all along.  I know at least one of you pointed out that the read speed rating prominently displayed on the card doesn't indicate the write speed, which I understand, but I wrongly assumed that a card with a faster read speed would also have a faster write speed.  I am apparently currently using a U1 card, and I didn't realize those are rated so slow on write speed. It might be that all the cards I have always used in this camera are not rated more than U1.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have a San Disk Extreme Pro 95 MB/s U3 card arriving tomorrow, and will update when I test it.  I would not have figured this out on my own. Thanks again.

 

We don't really know what the Read Speed and Write Speed is of your SD slot in your notebook.

What a coincidence though - Your test does match the ~10 MB/s Write Speed in your Canon 6D.

 

This was the URL to the best "Write Speed" for Canon 6D ...

https://www.camerame...ard-comparison/

And I don't even see a SanDisk Ultra listed!

I recently read that the SanDisk Ultra actually has a very poor Write Speed, even though it has a very fast 80 MB/s Read Speed.

 

Yes, the fastest "Write Speed" for Canon 6D was ...

SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3 Memory Card

https://www.camerame...xc-memory-card/

 

I don't think we can do better than the SanDisk Extreme Pro, since the Canon 6D does not support the newer higher speed V90 or UHS-II technology.

 

The Read Speed and the Write Speed should be required specifications on every SD label.

Actually, the Write Speed is the more important specification since it is always the slower value, sometimes waaaay slower.

Marketing - arrrg !

Edited by mvas, 18 November 2017 - 02:32 PM.

[mvas]

I've been struggling with this for a couple years... sometimes I do time lapse with short exposures, say less than 5 sec, and my Canon 6D can't seem to write a CR2 file to the card in less than about 3 seconds. Every camera processing feature that can be switched off, is. The SD card is plenty fast. Is this an unavoidable feature of the 6D? I found a spec table that suggested it would be able to write a 25mb file in less than a second... but I realize DSLRs also do pre-processing on raw images. I use a cheap interferometer. Any suggestions welcome.

 

SanDisk Ultra 80 MB/s ( Read Speed ) SD vs SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s ( Read Speed ) SD

 

Per B&H Photo ... Beware, those SD Cards have a huge difference in the Minimum Write Speed ...

 

 

SanDisk 16GB Ultra 80MB/s UHS-I SDHC Memory Card
============================================
Class 10
UHS-I
Max. Read Speed: 80 MB/s
Min. Write Speed: 10 MB/s  <<< Too slow

 

 

SanDisk 16GB Extreme PRO 95MB/s UHS-I SDHC Memory Card
===================================================
Class 10
UHS-I
Max Read Speed: 95 MB/s
Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s
Min Write Speed: 30 MB/s  <<< What you need

Edited by mvas, 18 November 2017 - 02:30 PM.

[calypsob]

 

 

 

 

 

If I take flats or bias frames with my 6D I can get about 8 to 10 raw files before the camera needs to catch up. It does take a while to flush them but I would have thought 5 seconds per sub would be slow enough?

 

Have you tried 6 or 7 seconds between subs to see if it can handle that continuously?

 

Are you running the latest firmware? It may help.

 

Other than that, obvious things are to try a different card and make sure it is formatted in camera, preferably before each session.

I've tried different cards. What I'm saying is that when taking hundreds of exposures for time lapse photography (which requires even intervals), I have to allow about 3-4 sec for the camera to write a single raw image to the card before I can start the next exposure. I get the impression other cameras accomplish this in about 1 sec. I  have not updated firmware since I bought the camera. I always format the card before each session.

 

Tell us exactly which Memory Card you are using.

Saying, that you have tried different memory cards, tells us nothing.
Remove the memory card from the camera and and reply with exact details.

 

This is one of the fastest memory cards for the Canon 6D ...

 

SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3 Memory Card

 

https://www.camerame...xc-memory-card/

 

Faster cards do not speed up the 6D's "Write Speed".

Note that it states "95 MB/s" & "U(3)" on the label.

It should sustain 1 frame per second until filled.

 

The slowest Memory Card cannot sustain 1 Frame every 2 seconds.

 

Make sure LENR is OFF = faster

 

JPEG file takes some processing time, but the smaller JPEG file writes way faster than RAW file.

 

I'm using a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB. As I alluded to above, I realize the card is not the limiting factor, it is plenty fast enough...it's the camera write speed.

 

Maybe a better way to have asked my question is this: Has ANYONE with a Canon 6D been able to get the camera to write a full-res raw file to the card in 1 second or less?

 

This is only possible if the file size is smaller than the write speed of the camera, what is the file size of your images at iso3200? 

 

file size is usually 20 MB, or a shade more.

 

The SanDisk 80 MB/sec card I'm currently using has been tested with the 6D at 34.6 MB/sec write speed (see below). I'm getting about 1/3 that speed, and the problem has always existed with this camera. I have always used the fastest (or nearly fastest) cards on the market.

 

https://www.camerame...ard-comparison/

 

Wow thats strange, your files are actually smaller than mine at a higher iso? I wonder why that is.  Very Interesting.  I guess there could be something wrong with the mainboard in your camera, I have seen alot of dslr motherboard issues but that is a first.  

[calypsob]

 

 

 

 

I'm ordering the San Disk Extreme Pro 95MB/sec card, which has tested to be the fastest with the 6D. Probably won't help, but I need a 64 GB card anyway.

The card write speed is not going to be a limiting factor on stills as much as it is with video if you are using at least a class 10 hc1 card.  Typically as you mentioned earlier, you can add a delay between exposures to prevent frame skipping during a timelapse and avoid flooding the buffer. Once the buffer is full there is not much that you can do to speed up the write process.  Any HC1 card should do fine with stills, I am not sure where the compatibility limit is now with the older 6d as alot of newer cards have hit the market since this card came out several years ago.  I use an extreme pro as well, san disk has some pretty reliable cards.  If you do not need to rely on the full depth of raw stills, another option would be to run magic lantern with FPS override.  This would allow you to shoot low FPS video and fully utilize the write speed of your card.  For a 5fps or faster timelapse, I would go that route and dial in exposure settings.  All of this assuming that you are comfortable working with magic lantern.  

 

The problem is his SD port writes RAW Image files at only 15 MB per second.

It should be writing at over 30 MB per second, up to 36 MB per second.

If a complete reset to defaults and reboot does not fix this problem then

he needs to contact Canon for "SD Port Repair".

 

There is no reason that a Canon 6D with an 80MB/s SD Memory Card ( which he has ) can't image at 1 RAW fps continuously - unless it is broken.

 

I dont think its broken, I think the files may be bigger than 36mb at iso 3200.  I am looking at some of my data now and an 18mp darkframe image at iso 1600 is 25mb so a 20.2mp image at iso 3200 might be larger than 36.

 

I took over 1,300 frames last night, they averaged around 24-25 MB. I always shoot the night sky on the low-gain side...either 800 ISO, max of 1600 ISO.

 

I just got an email response from Canon support who asked me three questions I already answered in my original email.  Must be late on a Friday. :-)

 

Ok I see now, I thought you were shooting 3200 earlier. Hopefully they can get you on track to avoid those write hangups. 

Edited by calypsob, 18 November 2017 - 07:11 PM.

[mvas]

CR2 files use data compression, similar to the original lossless JPEG technique.

The size of CR2 file changes with the complexity of the image.

 

The solution to the OP's problem  ( 100 frames in 100 seconds ) is simple ...

Stop using SanDisk Ultra ( 80 MB/s read & 10MB/s write ) SD cards

Start using SanDisk Extreme Pro ( 90 MB/s read & 30 MB/s write ) SD cards

Edited by mvas, 19 November 2017 - 02:40 AM.

[RoyWSpencer]

PROBLEM FIXED:

 

Using the suggested card, I can write 1 fps for 100 frames, file sizes 20.5 MB.  The light blinks slightly once it a while, so I don't know how fast it's writing, since camera raw processing time is also involved. The card tests out with separate software with a 41 MB/s write speed, and 64MB/s read speed (that might be limited by my Dell laptop, I don't know).

 

Thanks again for your help.

[Szumi]

I've been struggling with this for a couple years... sometimes I do time lapse with short exposures, say less than 5 sec, and my Canon 6D can't seem to write a CR2 file to the card in less than about 3 seconds. Every camera processing feature that can be switched off, is. The SD card is plenty fast. Is this an unavoidable feature of the 6D? I found a spec table that suggested it would be able to write a 25mb file in less than a second... but I realize DSLRs also do pre-processing on raw images. I use a cheap interferometer. Any suggestions welcome.

I just pulled my 6D out of the safe.  Set it up for continous, tried it at .5 sec and 5 sec. I'm not having the problems you indicate. It has whatever the current firmware is.

 

I'm using a Sandisk Extreme 90MB/s card. 

 

Reading back, I see you fixed your problem.  I use crystal disk mark to benchmark cards and active usb cables.  Read speed is faster than write speed and some cards are very slow writing.

Edited by Szumi, 22 November 2017 - 07:10 PM.