Buffer size of the D7100

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Revet

Senior Member
Christmas will be bringing me a new 7100 (although Christmas may come in Jan to see if the new model shows up). I have been reading about the 7100 for a while and it seems many people have a problem with the low buffer size. I currently have a D3100 and have rarely even used burst shots so I don't think it will be an issue for me but I had a question regardless. When using the D7100 in burst mode, typically how many shots do you get at the max speed before the buffer fills (assuming you have it on the 24 megapixel setting). Second, couldn't you just use a lower resolution when you need to use burst mode? In reality how often do we really need a picture with 24 megapixels. And lastly, once the buffer is full, what does the burst rate slow down to (assuming you have an ultra max enhanced supercharged turbo fuel injected high speed SD card).

Also for you D7100 users, is the Iso with Expeed 3 at 6400 enough for you in low light as compared to the 12,800 of Expeed 4 models? I do have some f/2 lenses but my main lens is the Tamron 18-270 which I believe only goes down to f/3.5 so I do run into problems in low light with the D3100.

Thank you for any reply's
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Wish i had written my results down now,i did find the buffer situation frustrating at first for things like birds in flight,initially i solved it by using the 1.3 crop and the sandisk exteme pro card 95mb/s (which is way faster than needed) with both of these its something like 40 shots before it slows down,i now use the full sensor and continues low and find for bird in flight shots it keeps going as long as i want it to.
Just done a none scientific test for you,with the extreme card in and on continues low i gave up after 58 shots with no slow down,on continues high it gave me 7 or 8 shots at high speed then dropped to something similar to the low speed and just kept on firing again i gave up at 50 odd.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Just to add the buffer size is small but a card that can handle the full transfer rate will obviously make space in the buffer faster than a card that is too slow.
 
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nickt

Senior Member
Do a search on youtube for "nikon d7100 buffer". Plenty of videos showing how the buffer behaves along with various card tests too. I shoot raw, usually on continuous low 3fps to throttle myself down a bit.
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
Just tried the same test with a 90 mb per second card. Hit the buffer at the same point, but, and it's a huge BUT... the buffer was cleared substantially faster.

For me, shooting sports, it's rarely an issue. However, it's because I've substantially improved in reading what's going on (when to shoot) and not just spraying and praying.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
It's an issue, but one I've decided to live with. I use it primarily for birds and when they're flying it's frustrating to have it choke after 6. I want to say it's made me a better shooter by being patient and waiting for the shot, but you miss shots - period.

If you're not using it to capture moving objects (sports & wildlife) I doubt it'll every be an issue.

ISO 6400 is gonna be noisy, particularly compared to the FX models, but it's better than any other DX camera and very usable, particularly if you have decent NR software and know how to use it.
 
R

Revet

Senior Member
Thanks all, great input. Doesn't look like the buffer size will be a problem for me. I did shoot birds in flight at a beach this summer with the D3100 and got some great shots so I am sure I can even do better with the 7100. I don't know what I was thinking when I stated that can't you improve the small buffer size problem by shooting a smaller megapixel photo. I shoot RAW and as I think about it, I don't remember any type of setting on the camera where I can adjust the resolution of the picture in RAW. It must of been early morning before I had my quota of coffee!!
 
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BCRose

New member
The files will write to the cards faster of course but the camera buffer fills after 7 frames and then the fps slow to a crawl. It does not matter how fast the card is. Shooting jpg on the other hand will give you significantly more frames before the buffer fills.
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
BCRose said:
The files will write to the cards faster of course but the camera buffer fills after 7 frames and then the fps slow to a crawl. It does not matter how fast the card is. Shooting jpg on the other hand will give you significantly more frames before the buffer fills.
Click to expand...

I didn't get 7 fps with the slower card. I got like 3. So, the faster card does matter (in RAW). It's the only way you'll get fps that match Nikon's D7100 factory spec's listed in the chart on p. 348 of the user manual.

Yes, buffer capacity definitely goes up tremendously, if you shoot smaller, jpg files.
 
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BCRose

New member
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
I didn't get 7 fps with the slower card. I got like 3. So, the faster card does matter (in RAW). It's the only way you'll get fps that match Nikon's D7100 factory spec's listed in the chart on p. 348 of the user manual.

Yes, buffer capacity definitely goes up tremendously, if you shoot smaller, jpg files.
Click to expand...

The speed of the card does not matter until the data starts to transfer. With the D7100 you get 6 fps for the first 6 frames, then you get whatever speed your card can clear the buffer at. You should not get a slower initial frame rate like 3 as you say because of a slower card. The slower card will only affect the frame rate after the buffer fills. I am not trying to argue with you, it is a well known fact that the D7100 buffer is an issue.
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
I noticed you edited your post and changed the wording. We'd have to talk to a Nikon engineer or someone that knows the particular mechanics of the buffering function. Maybe one will chime in.

I suspect that it is not true that the buffer has to completely fill up before it writes to the cards.

All I know is the faster the card, the faster the fps (up to 6 or 7 depending on whether you're in DX or crop mode).
The average/standard-speed (slower) Sandisk card that I was originally using when I first got my D7100, was giving me about 3 fps. The card was clearly the bottleneck.

I've heard a lot of folks complaining about the (D7100) buffer and fps. With the Sandisk Extreme Pro SD the camera meets factory spec's. With a slower card, it doesn't.

This is important:
I read somewhere, awhile back, (I think the source was Nikon corp.) about the D7100 buffer speed. My memory is a little vague on it, but the general gist of it was that the buffer in the D7100 was much faster than the average (slower) memory cards. When you step up to the ultra-fast cards the buffer clears at a speed much closer to it's maximum capability. I'll see if I can find whatever it was that I was reading...
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER said:
I noticed you edited your post and changed the wording. We'd have to talk to a Nikon engineer or someone that knows the particular mechanics of the buffering function. Maybe one will chime in.

I suspect that it is not true that the buffer has to completely fill up before it writes to the cards.

All I know is the faster the card, the faster the fps (up to 6 or 7 depending on whether you're in DX or crop mode).
The average/standard-speed (slower) Sandisk card that I was originally using when I first got my D7100, was giving me about 3 fps. The card was clearly the bottleneck.

I've heard a lot of folks complaining about the (D7100) buffer and fps. With the Sandisk Extreme Pro SD the camera meets factory spec's. With a slower card, it doesn't.

This is important:
I read somewhere, awhile back, (I think the source was Nikon corp.) about the D7100 buffer speed. My memory is a little vague on it, but the general gist of it was that the buffer in the D7100 was much faster than the average (slower) memory cards. When you step up to the ultra-fast cards the buffer clears at a speed much closer to it's maximum capability. I'll see if I can find whatever it was that I was reading...
Click to expand...

I changed to CL mode with the extreme card and now find its fast enough for BIF and it shoots and writes for longer than i will ever need,remember reading the piece you mention and it did state something about the slower cards creating a bottle neck in the buffer
 
B

BCRose

New member
I think we are all talking about the same thing. Faster cards of course will clear the buffer faster. However, the point I was trying to make is that the buffer fills after one second and then the camera slows down to 1 or 2 fps. If you shoot in short bursts of 3 or 4 shots you can work around this but often times in the middle of a sports action or BIF you will find this camera will limit you. This is just fact and not my opinion, I love the camera except for this feature. Perhaps because I have been using a D4 with a seemingly endless buffer.

I suspect the next iteration of this line whether it be the long awaited D400 or D7200 will have a 10fps speed and larger buffer like Canon has done with it's new 7D DX flagship.
 
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NIKONIAN_DREAMWEAVER

Senior Member
mikew said:
I changed to CL mode with the extreme card and now find its fast enough for BIF and it shoots and writes for longer than i will ever need,remember reading the piece you mention and it did state something about the slower cards creating a bottle neck in the buffer
Click to expand...

I agree, it's fast enough for me too! :)

I don't do much "Birds in flight" work. But, I do occasionally use burst mode. It's kind of a pain in post-processing though, because you have a whole bunch of pictures that look mostly the same (depending on your subject, of course)! :D

I found an article similar to what I had read a year ago or so (maybe this was it?), just after the D7100 had come out, which is when I bought mine.

It's right here: SD Card Speed Comparison for Nikon D7100 | Nikon D7100
It says "...The Nikon D7100 is capable of UHS-1 including UHS104. Nikon has stated the D7100 can achieve a write speed of up to 99MB/s..."

So, the Sandisk Extreme SD cards are rated at 95MB/s. So, the camera buffer may still be a little bit faster than today's best card! (If you trust all the numbers...).
 
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