Digital Photo Tips by Duane Brovan

 

Not all Memory Cards are created equal!

 

Digital cameras store their photos on Memory Cards (i.e. Compact Flash, Stick, xD, etc.). Memory Cards are identified my three factors: 1) Style/Design; 2) Memory Size; 3) Read/Write Speed. An example is a 512MB, Compact Flash 40x memory card. This means it is used in cameras using Compact Flash Cards, stores 512 Megabits of information and writes at 40 times faster then a normal memory card.

 

Style/Design:

Not all digital cameras use the same style memory card. The most typical are Compact Flash (most popular and used by most digital camera companies), Stick (Sony), xD, and SD. Some high dollar digital cameras will use two different styles of memory storage cards. This makes them more versatile. Check your camera’s operation manual for what style/design card you need for your camera.

 

Memory Size:

Memory cards come in various storage sizes measured in Megabits (MB) (i.e. 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB). The larger the memory card the higher the cost. A 256MB card might cost $40 while a 512MB card $70, and a 1GB card $110. As your photo resolution increases so does the file size per photo. So more memory is needed to store the same number of photos as with a lesser photo resolution. Luckily, the cost per megabit of memory has constantly been decreasing. So a person can afford a larger memory card. As I stated in the prior tip, 512MB is a good size (320 photos from a 3 mega pixel camera, 190 photos from a 5 mega pixel camera) and it can easily fit on a CD.

 

Read/Write Speed:

Read/Write speed is measured by the time (x) it takes a memory card to write a specified amount of information. The faster the write time (x) the higher the cost. The speed can very from 1x to 80x (at this time). Point and shoot digital cameras below $600 would do fine with a slower card (1x-10x). A higher priced camera might perform better (write photos faster) with a faster card (16x-40x). And if someone was to purchase a new DSLR (digital through the lens camera), they would be best with a (40x+) speed card. The reason is that the lower priced cameras and the older cameras can’t write faster then 10x at best, so no need to spend more money on a fast card. One would be better to put the money towards larger memory size. CompactFlash Performance Database

 

All three of the above factors should be considered when purchasing a memory card for your digital camera. Most cameras either don’t come with a memory card or they include a small slow card. Check out what comes with your camera. If you are spending less then $600 on a camera you might purchase a slower 512MB card. If you are spending more then $600 consider a faster card. Purchase memory cards from reputable On-line stores (B&H Photo, Adorama, CameraWorld, etc.), your can get a much better price (get more for less) and a wider variety of cards to choose vs. a retail store.

 

For more information on Memory Cards go to web link: www.duanebrovan.com/digitaltips

 

Duane is available for digital photo consultations and tutoring:

Call 474-4041

Email: Duane@DuaneBrovan.com

Visit: www.duanebrovan.com/digitaltips