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Today's choices in flash memory storage devices for digital cameras and other devices is mind-boggling. It's no wonder the consumer is totally confused. Just figuring out which options your camera should have is tough enough. Then you discover that there are all kinds of memory storage options -- SmartMedia (SM), CompactFlash (CF), MemoryStick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), eXtreme Digital (xD), Microdrive ... and none of them are compatible with the others. Only recently have Secure Digital, Memory Stick and xD cards gotten above the 1GB capacity mark -- CompactFlash (CF) devices offer capacities of up to 12 Gigabytes, they're the main focus of this report. We are also expanding our SD card coverage - SD cards are now the most popular flash media type and getting bigger (up to 4GB) and faster (up to 150x speed) all the time!
CompactFlash Type I
![]() Popular 1GB CompactFlash Type I cards
There are no compatibility problems with any device certified to
use a CF Type I card, any brand will work. CF cards over 2GB in capacity will work
in all dSLR cameras made after 2004 - to be sure check our list on the
Microdrive review page.
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Until year 2005 CF cards were the -only- media used in digital SLRs.
The Canon EOS-1D Mark II and the
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II can use both
CF and SD cards -- however the new Nikon D40 and
the Pentax K100D use SD cards exclusively -
the times they are a changing...
The Fastest![]()
The Largest![]() COLOGNE, GERMANY, Sep. 26, 2006 – SanDisk today introduced the 12- and 16-gigabyte (GB) SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards to its award-winning Extreme III performance line, making these the highest capacity cards in the world. The new high-performance, large-capacity cards are ideal for professional photographers who shoot RAW or high-resolution JPG files and need the performance, reliability and capacity to capture these large files.
The new cards will have minimum write and read speeds of 20 megabytes per second (MB/sec.)
and will ship to photo retailers by the end of the year. The announcement was made at the
Photokina trade show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 6, Stand D78/E79.
To get the most out of a cards like these your camera needs to have an optimized CF interface. Digital SLRs such as Canon's EOS 1D Mark IIN, 1Ds Mark IIN, 5D, 30D and 20D, Nikon's D2X, D2H, D1X, D200 and D70 are all well suited for these high performance memory cards. If you want to know exactly who has the FASTEST cards for use with the pro SLR cameras then be sure to check with my good friend Rob Galbraith, he maintains an up to date listing of all the high performance CF cards at his web site. Just click here: Rob's CompactFlash Performance DatabaseCompactFlash Type IIThe IBM/Hitachi Microdrive is undoubtedly the most well-known CompactFlash Type II device in use today. These are not flash media, they are miniature hard disk drives and most professional photographers prefer the security of solid-state flash media for obvious reasons. ![]() Both Seagate and Western Digital have announced production of one-inch drives in CF Type II factor (aka Microdrives) with capacities of 5GB and higher although most seemed destined for use in MP3 players. Read my in-depth Microdrive ReportCF Type I ... Type II ... what's the difference?Physically a CF Type II card looks like a CF Type I card in every dimension except thickness, CF Type II cards are 5mm thick compared to a Type I card at 3.3mm.
![]() CompactFlash Type II and I cards compared
Cameras That Can Use The MicrodriveThe most current list of compatible digital cameras from Hitachi.
SD High Capacity (SDHC) Cards - SD 2.00
PMA 2007 SDHC AnnouncementsLAS VEGAS, NEVADA, Mar. 8, 2007 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced an 8-gigabyte (GB)1 SanDisk Ultra® II SD™ High Capacity (SDHC™) card to meet the growing demand for more photo and video storage. The new cards can store over 4,000 high-resolution pictures or up to 15 hours of MPEG 4 video. Cards Will Be Bundled With Free MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader.
High Capacity MS Pro Cards![]()
Sony and SanDisk now have Memory Stick PRO cards that boast 4GB
and 8GB of capacity.
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Manufacturer's Links
ATP Inc.
Delkin Devices
Hitachi Global Storage - Microdrives
Kingston Memory
Lexar Media
Pretec
SanDisk
Simple Technology
Transcend
Viking Components
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