Memory - confused!

C

chromeman

Guest
Hello there,
I am looking at memory for a digital camera at the moment on the internet and I'm getting a bit confused! I don't yet have my digital camera, just wanted to compare proces of memory before I have it.
Firstly, do different cameras take different memory or is it standardised?
Whats the difference between 'compact flash', 'secure digital', 'SmartMedia' and 'MultiMedia'?
Sorry about the questions, I'm new in this game!
Thanks! :)
 
Yes different cameras take different types of media there is most definitely NOT a 'standard' that all manufacturers work to, having bought a camera you must stick with the particular type for which the camera was made although some cameras do have the option to take two different types.

The types are not interchangeable as they are physically different in size, shape, and connections.
 
The other issue to watch out for is the speed at which the memory writes data.

Some brands are better than others. A recent test in a magazine placed Jessops own brand very poorly. You pays yourmoney and takes your choice I guess. Can't remember what magazine it was though.

The memory makes a big difference when you are taking images at larger resolutions as it takes longer to write the files to the media.

On price I think, generally, that Compact Flash is cheaper than secure digital - especially at the larger sizes. Although prices in general have fallen dramatically. A 256Mb card costing around £45 -£60 will hold around 200 standard res 5 Mega pixel images.

And the IBM microdrives will fit Compact Flash based cameras.

CL
 
Chris Lamle said:
And the IBM microdrives will fit Compact Flash based cameras.

CL
IBM microdrives will only work in Compact Flash type II compatable cameras.

Mark.
 
I don't find speed of cards to be an issue, as another factor is the speed of the cameras electronics and the image data content can vary significantly , so in typical situations the difference is negligble.

Also many cameras have a write buffer which lets you take subsequent pictures while the initial one is being written to disk.

Sony memory stick is more expensive, SD is MMC but with a lock to prevent data erasure.
Some own brand cards may give extra features when used with same branded cameras - ie panorama mode in some Olympus SM cards.

Each type is as good as the other, but if you have a few electronic devices, then its worth trying for a common format, so that cards can be shared.

I also use CF cards for extra storage and data porting between computers and PDAs
 
The speed of the card is not really an issue unless you're using a digital SLR that can take shed-loads of images in a sequence. Unless the camera can dump the images from its buffer pronto, you have to wait for it. That said, the buffer on the best cameras are large enough that it never becomes an issue.

In terms of formats, Compact Flash is the most common and therefore the cheapest; it also offers larger sizes than any other format. A slight complication, that MarkE19 has already alluded to, is that there are two flavours of Compact Flash, type II being fatter than type I.

When people ask me for camera recommendations, I always suggest they buy one that takes CF.

Chris.
 
Ok, well I decided to buy the Minolta Dimage XG and I found out it takes Secure Digital cards. I looked on Ebuyer.com and can get them from £20ish. Whats a good make to get cos I don't want to get the cheapo one and then it go wrong!
Thanks for all the replies!
 
I've just seen on Ebuyer.com, 256Mb of Kingston SD memory for £32.89 incl. delivery. Good deal :confused:?? It sounded pretty good to me and I have heard of Kingston before.
Cheers! :)
 
I use www.7dayshop.com. 256Mb is under £30 and delivery is £1.95 for upto 50 items.

Yes,your price seems good. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks a lot! Appreciate the speedy reply! I will look into it! Sorry to ask another question but is the delivery time good from 7dayshop good as well?
By the way, like your signature, made me chuckle (I'm not sure why though!)!
 
Delivery only took a couple of days.

:laugh: the badger turns up after drinking stupid ammounts of bottled french beer :laugh:
 
mylo said:
Delivery only took a couple of days.

:laugh: the badger turns up after drinking stupid ammounts of bottled french beer :laugh:


Indeed, there's a beer badger in all of us :rotfl:
 
Nice prices from 7dayshop - I have found the Olympus mju410 camera and 256mb card for around 230 quid - much less than elsewhere.

Before I commit my readies, has anyone else any experience with this company - are they reliable ?

Cheers
 
I've used 7dayshop for media (CD-R, DVD-R) a few times and they always seem to be fairly quick with delivery and I've never had any problems with their service or products.

Mark.
 
Mylo - your link doesn't appear to work.

Another yes vote from me for 7dayshop I use them regularly and find their prices and service very good, - I have had a couple of delays in delivery but I believe this was more to do with postal/customs services than 7dayshop themselves.
 
oh bum, it did yesterday. It was just all the threads related to 7dayshop anyway, easy to find using the 'search' button above.
 
I would make sure that any extra memory cards are Olympus, Fuji ones will not support the panorama function.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom