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Digital Camera Memory Cards – Faster and Cheaper

 With the prices for high-resolution cameras getting less expensive everyday, and with “memory” historically dropping in price and increasing in size, it’s not surprising to see the prices of portable digital camera memory cards decreased to almost ridiculous levels.

Along with the demands for higher quality digital imaging, consumers also demand that the capacity and speed of their memory storage devices demonstrate faster write speeds for multiple shots and high resolution video, and fast read speeds for transferring images and videos to computer systems quickly.

What does that mean, for example, while taking photos or video? The speed of your card will determine how fast your camera stores a photo when you click the shutter, and the lag time before you can take another photo. If you are shooting video with your camera, without a Class 4,6, or 10, you may result in less smooth, jumpy videos.

Since these cards can be considered a long term investment due to their longevity and reuse, consumers are willing to spend more for premium products.

This article will discuss: Speed classes, Sizes and Capacities, and Card Types 

The SanDisk Extreme III  continues to be the top rated SDHC card on the market today, for performance and value.

As a Class 6 device, the card has transfer speeds up to 30MB/s, and is currently priced at around only $89.00 here . The 16GB Card will hold about 48 minutes of Full HD video.

The same card in 8GB can be found for $32 here, and in 4GB for less than $16 here.

 What are Memory Card Class Ratings?

The first cards could be read at 3.6 MB/s and written at 0.8 MB/s. Faster cards were required by the increasing resolutions of digital cameras, as well as more demanding consumers. As a result, SD/SDHC was divided into three classes: 2, 4 and 6; the numbers represent the minimum sustainable write throughput in MB/s. Recently a Class 10 rating has been created, yet has not yet become recognized as a valid class by the SD Card Association, as of Oct 2009.

How do these classes compare when it comes to speed?

Simply, the higher the class rating, the faster the read and write speeds. Pricing obviously also correspond to the class rating, with the faster speeds being more expensive. But as discussed earlier, these prices for the faster speeds continue to decrease.

One note to make is that the speeds listed for the different cards are based on “read” speeds, for example when you read the card to transfer it to your computer. “Write” speeds are lower than the listed speed – up to 80% less.

Different brands of cards will have somewhat different speeds for the same class, so it is important to base your decision on which brand to buy based on reliability. SanDisk remains the leader in this industry, so speed comparisons will be made using the SanDisk cards.

Here are some speed comparisons, using the Sandisk SD/SDHC Cards:

Class 2: Read 7MB/sec; Write: min 2 MB/sec

Class 4 (Ultra II): Read 15MB/second; Write min 4MB/sec

Class 6 (Extreme III): Read 30 MB/second; Write min 6MB/sec

Class 6 (Extreme IV): Read 45 MB/second; Write min 6MB/sec

What speed and size should you buy for your camera?

The easy and obvious answer to that question is: the fastest speed you can buy an the largest size you can afford. But to be more specific, it depends on your usage. Two factors demand at least a Class 4 or 6 card: high definition video and multiple shots. Your card speed will determine the quality of your video, and the time between photo exposures in multiple shots. At this point, it would be recommended that you use a Class 6 card. If you will not be shooting fast multiple exposures or HDTV, a Class 2 or Class 4 will work. But again, because of declining costs, a Class 6 card is still the best choice at this time.

What about size? Here’s a guideline: for every Gigabyte of storage space, you will be able to record either 3 minutes of HDTV (1920×1080), 11 minutes of 640×480 video, 65 RAW 10 MP (megapixel) photos, or 224 10MP Superfine photos.

Looking at the above chart, it would be reasonable to deduct that if shooting in HD video or RAW photo formats, a minimum of 8 GB would be required for most applications. If shooting a lot of video, 16GB or 32GB would be better choices.

Many people claim they feel more comfortable with two 8GB cards than one 16GB, “in case something goes wrong with one”. But consider this – whether your images are on small of large card, if you lose the images, it’s a loss either way. Plus, putting cards in and out opens more possibility to damage or physically losing a card. My advice: purchase a high quality card at the size you need. Recommended card brands are SanDisk and Lexar. You may pay slightly more, but your chances for loss are reduced.

Digital Camera Memory Card Formats:

The card you use is determined by the camera you purchase. While the industry focuses primarily around two types, there are cards that are specific to manufacturers as well. So consult your manual or website of your camera to find your card format. Typically, most cameras are using SD/SDHC or Compact Flash (CF) cards. Other card types are Mini SD, Micro SD, Memory Stick Pro/II/Duo, and xD Picture Cards.

SD/SDHC Cards

The Secure Digital (SD) card was invented by SanDisk in 2001 and was based on the multi-media card (MMC) standard. Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards were created to go beyond the original SD’s 2GB capacity, and are currently are available up to 32GB, but technically, could be expanded up to 2 terabytes, using the SDXC format.

SD/SDHC cards are the most common storage medium among digital cameras. SD Memory Cards are designed to meet the security, capacity, and performance requirements for a variety of digital devices including cameras, GPS devices, mobile phones, and laptops.

Compact Flash (CF) Cards

CF Cards are commonly used in professional digital cameras. Compact Flash memory cards are designed with flash technology, a non-volatile storage solution that does not require a constant power source to retain data indefinitely. CF cards are slim, lightweight, and consume only 5% of the power required by small disk drives.

Memory Sticks

Extremely compact and only four grams in weight, a Memory Stick offers outstanding data storage. The Memory Stick is guaranteed to work with every Sony device including the Sony PSP, with the Memory Stick Pro being supported for higher capacities. MagicGate technology provides a secure environment to download and play back copyright protected content.

Mini SD Memory Cards

Mini SD memory cards are commonly used in mobile phones and cameras. Mini SD offers all of the benefits of regular SD cards but in a smaller size. As an extension of the existing SD card standard, the Mini SD card allows cell phone and consumer electronics developers to design ultra small devices. It can also be used in devices with SD slots by using the included an adapter.

Micro SD & Micro SDHC Memory Cards

Micro SD is currently the smallest memory card available and is commonly used in mobile phones, cameras, and GPS devices. They are about a quarter the size of a regular SD card. All of our Micro SD cards come with regular-SD adapters for using them in all devices that accept SD cards. All Micro SDHC devices take Micro SD cards but not all Micro SD devices take Micro SDHC cards, so make sure your camera/phone/etc. is compatible with SDHC if purchasing.

xD Picture Cards

The xD-Picture Card is a type of ultra-compact memory media that has been developed jointly by Fujifilm and Olympus. It meets the demands of new camera technologies that deliver larger image files and have the ability to record high-quality movie footage. xD picture cards have a high read/write performance and are only 2 grams in weight.