Now that you have decided to get a digital camera, you might wonder why there are so many different types of memory cards out there - CompactFlash, SD, Memory Stick, xD - and with all these fancy names! Like the battle between betaMax and VHS, there will be a storm before the calm. But it’s not all scary! In this edition of PhotoTip, we discuss what type of cards are out there and what you should look out for. Understanding memory cards is important because it influences your choice on the digital camera you buy.

Memory Card Uses

Many electronic devices we use require some form of memory, which is why digital memory is such an important part of everyday life. Manufacturers have gotten smart by making their memory cards standard and compatible across different device types, so you might find yourself using the same type of memory card on your digital camera, PDA, mobile phone and computer. It’s important you know which type of memory card is compatible across the devices you are likely to use.

Types of Memory Cards

Digital camera brands promote their own type of memory card or use an industry standard. Here are the most commons to watch out for.

CompactFlash

CompactFlash are popular amongst high end cameras and DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex). It has a built-in controller chip which allows compatible cameras to achieve higher transfer rates. Many high-end cameras, but not all, take advantage of this feature.

CompactFlash is inexpensive and easy to find. However they are not commonly used in other mobile devices. They are larger in physical size (regardless of memory capacity), which on the other hand makes it easier to find in the house!

SD (Secure Digital)

SD cards are popular amongst digital cameras and DSLRs and are widely available. They are small and compact which makes them easy to store physically.

A nifty feature of SD is a write-protect switch. It’s handy if you want remind yourself not to overwrite the contents of certain SD cards.

SD has mini cousins called miniSD and microSD that are widely used in mobile phones. There are adapters available to insert an microSD card to turn it into a miniSD or SD card. This is incredibly handy if you need emergency storage on any of your SD-compatible devices.

You can get up to 32GB capacity (and increasing very quickly) with an SD card.

xD Cards

xD is introduced by Olympus and Fuji and general not compatible with other brands of camera. The maximum capacity available is currently 2.0GB.

If you really fancy the features of an Olympus or Fuji camera, then by no means should the memory card hinder your choice. But consider that the card is unlikely to be compatible with other devices you may use.

Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo

Memory stick is another brand-specific card that works only with Sony devices. The difference being that because there are many other types of Sony electronics like Playstation 3, Sony TV, or Sony VAIO laptop , it can be useful to have Memory Sticks that are compatible in all these devices - just make sure you don’t get other brands in the future!

Memory Stick have shrunk along with the devices they work in and the most popular type of Memory Sticks now are called Memory Stick Pro Duo. Recently there is also a new generation of Memory Sticks called M2 that only works with Sony Ericsson phones. You can get adapters so they work like other types of Memory Sticks too.

The maximum capacity for Memory Stick is currently 16GB.

Memory Card Readers

Card Readers allow you to transfer photos to your computer. Currently available card readers are inexpensive and connect many of the memory cards mentioned above to the PC through a USB or Firewire connection. You can also get memory card-specific readers that connect via USB, like the USB SD Reader shown.

To download photos from the card to your PC, all you have to do is insert the memory card into the reader, then connect the reader to your PC and the contents of the card should appear as a new ‘Drive’ icon on your computer desktop.

The transfer rates between a card reader and the PC tend to be better than if you connect your digital camera directly to your PC. Another reason why you might get a card reader is if you have many different types of memory cards in use.

Portable Media Storage

Instead of carrying many memory cards for all those photos you take, a portable media storage is a great idea - to have one central location where you can transfer photos from your memory card on the go (without a computer or laptop). Their memory capacity is enormous so you will never run out of space, currently capacity can reach up to 80GB! Some come with a handy LCD screen so you can preview your images on the fly.

Most portable storage devices come with a cable to connect to the PC. They achieve higher transfer rates than a direct connection between a PC and digital camera.

What to Consider

When choosing a digital camera, most do not consider the type of memory card it uses. Memory cards have improved in quality and reliability so much in recent years, there really isn’t a need to compare quality or speed. It is still useful to consider how the memory cards can be used in other devices you have. In the long term, it will save you money and the headache of having a drawer-full of memory cards you can’t use.

I tend to prefer the SD card because it is widely available and popular in many devices. With an adapter and a memory card reader, and a preference for SD-compatible devices, I only need a couple of SD cards. SD storage capacity has expanded much faster (max 32GB now, and growing) than other types too.

Last Modified : November 6th, 2008 Filed under : PhotoTips Tag(s) : compact flash, digital, memory, memory card reader, phototip, portable, sD, secure digital, storage, xd
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