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digital camera question

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:25 am
by kaga
ok i am looking into buy a digital camera.
but i am wonder what kind of memory to get
a Secure Digital Card
or a Flash card
and whats the difference between those two?

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 1:31 pm
by BoGMan1a
A flash card is a generic term for these type of media (i.e. SD/MMC, Compactflash, etc..). You need to choose a camera before you can determine what type of media you need to purchase.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 2:06 pm
by kaga
i am going buy the
Digital Cameras CANON Powershot SD100

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 2:36 pm
by kaga
so a Secure Digital Card will work right?

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 4:56 pm
by CowboySlim
Yes.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:39 pm
by NoSmartz
That particular camera only works with SD media anyway so compact flash is out of the picture.Just concentrate on what camera you like and go from there.But if I were to have to choose between the medias I would use SD.I have a Simple Tech 128 mb CF card and have had nothing but trouble with it.Just when I think it'll work right it won't,and at the most inoppurtune time.I've heard SD is more stable.Like sticks of RAM,I guess you can get a bad one here or there.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:46 pm
by cfitz
NoSmartz wrote:But if I were to have to choose between the medias I would use SD.I have a Simple Tech 128 mb CF card and have had nothing but trouble with it.Just when I think it'll work right it won't,and at the most inoppurtune time.I've heard SD is more stable.Like sticks of RAM,I guess you can get a bad one here or there.

Your problem is just bad luck. Compact flash is highly reliable and has been used successfully by hundreds of thousands of consumers.

Maybe your issue is more with SimpleTech than compact flash. I got a bad SimpleTech compact flash once. It turns out the internals were loose. When I lightly tapped it I could hear the chip rattling around. That's bad manufacturing quality control, not a fundamental shortcoming of compact flash. Try Kingston instead.

Two of the main differences between compact flash and secure digital are that compact flash is larger and heavier and secure digital is more expensive (e.g. ~$45 for 256 MByte CF vs. ~$80 for 256 MByte SD). Secure digital also has features for controlling copyrighted material, but that is not relevant to kaga's intended use in a digital camera.

Here are some current deals on secure digital memory:

Viking

Kingston

cfitz

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:39 am
by CowboySlim
I've got a SimpleTech CF card that passed its product acceptance shock and vibe tests - no loose internals.

Slim
Who believes that bad luck can befall anybody at anytime and is not going to cancel his insurance.

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:14 am
by NoSmartz
I quit using the CF and just bought the old school smart media 128 mb.Records video fine and takes pix fine.Probably right about simple tech but I'm gonna stick with what works good so far.
They do have SD cards here on sale though.
128 mb $30.00.
I guess when you get into the 512 and 1 gb range is when it gets pricey. :o

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 6:23 am
by kaga
i went for the 256 MB :)

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 8:29 am
by UALOneKPlus
CompactFlash is the best media for most people.

Largest capacity, cheapest per MB, sturdy, cross-application capability (PDA, PCMCIA card adapter), etc etc.

Most saavy people I know standardize on CF.

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 12:31 pm
by Action Jackson
There are different levels of quality [and I suppose performance] for CF.

I haven't used that many but Kodak and Lexar I like. Sandisk I've heard both sides for and good and bad. Kingston and Viking also receive some praise.

Over here, the prices for media in similar capacities are close to each other.

Right now I'm using a 512 and 256 mb CF for my Canon A70, and a 64mb Kodak for my Kodak 1mp.