How many memory cards/batteries ?

[Waddo Wabbit]

I'm trying to get an idea of what size memory card and how many batteries I'm going to need when attending airshows this year

I'll be using a new 12mp bridge camera with the majority of my shots being taken using burst mode (say 5 shots per pass).
Any ideas ?

How many photos/cards/batteries do people end up using during a single airshow ?

[Agg]

Depnds on the show, and of course whether you soot in JPEG or RAW. It could be worth looking into battery grips for the camera in question (I dont know if there are battery grips for bridge cameras though). Personally I dont use battery grips as I dont want to add any more weight to an already heavy set up, but I always carry a second battery in my bag. When it comes to memory cards I usually carry one 14gb card and a couple of smaller ones just in case

[D90Man]

I would suggest working backwards from the size of the card - i.e. how big is each file for each shot and then see how many will fit on a particular size card. (You can usually get a rough estimate from the camera manufacturer's website - you don't say what make camera you will be using). As Agg said, image type (jpg or RAW) will also have an impact - RAW files are much larger (usually).

Then choose the size card you want - always go for the fastest one that your camera will support as the size of the camera buffer may impact how many continuous shots you can take and the faster they are loaded to the card the less likely for the buffer to fill up.

Personally I tend to shy away from one large card - if that fails (and the do occaisionally) you've lost all your shots - splitting across multiple cards reduces that risk - however it also means you may have to swap cards mid show (with the risk of losing the one you take out).

For batteries I always carry a spare fully charged - very seldom do I have to resort to it but battery life does diminish the older they get and the in camera guage may not be telling the whole story.

HTH

Leon

[Hatstand]

It's hard to say - depends a lot on your camera. I went all day yesterday at Duxford on a single battery (about 1500 shots), with plenty of juice left at the end. That was with a Canon 600D, shooting JPG only. Image Stabilisation and Servo autofocus were sucking up power too. My 55-250mm lens doesn't have an ultrasonic motor, not sure whether that means more or less power usage. 18 megapixel images, but JPG sizes were not that big comparitively (presumably due to large areas of featureless blue sky on this occasion)... so I only used one 8GB card. I wouldn't normally expect to get that many shots on one card.

If I'd used my Fuji HS10 things may have been different. I doubt I would have used more memory, but I think constant use of EVF (or the rear screen) would have forced at least one battery change.

[Waddo Wabbit]

Thanks for responding.

The camera will be a Panasonic FZ150 and I'll probably be shooting in jpegs. I haven't bought it yet so I'm not sure how big the photos will be.

[2E0TVR]

Hi, I used to have the Panasonic FZ50 10Mp bridge camera. At Kemble 2009 I took approximatly 2500 jpeg photos spread across 2x 4Mb memory cards and changed the battery once. I would have thought that 2 x 8mb cards and a couple of spare batteries would keep you going all day. Try 7dayshop.com for the cards and batteries. I had copy FZ50 batteries from them that lasted as long as the original Panasonic one.

I hope this helps
Steve

[Waddo Wabbit]

Thanks Steve, I think I'm best getting a 32gb card and a spare battery or 2. That way I'll have enough if I wanna shoot some short HD movies.