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Digital Camera Memory Card Guide
Most digital cameras come with very low capacity memory cards. If you're shopping for your first digital camera make sure to budget for an additional memory card. It's a safe bet that the card that comes with your camera is woefully inadequate. And as camera megapixel counts grow, higher capacity memory cards become necessary. Most digital camera manufacturers publish tables on their Web sites to show how many images you can save on their included memory card. There is no fixed rule for the number of photos you can put on one memory card because different image file types, different amounts of compression, and image content all affect the size of each file. The most comon types of digital camera memory are described below. CompactFlash:
There are two physical sizes of CompactFlash - Type I and Type II. Type II is thicker and some cameras will only accept Type I CompactFlash. Type II CompactFlash is usually higher capacity. The most common Type II CompactFlash cards are mechanical, MicroDrive, memory cards. The main benefit of CompactFlash, besides availability, is that it has a controller chip in the card. The controller chip allows higher transfer rates. Most cameras can't take advantage of this extra speed, though. Only cameras with larger internal buffers - mostly digital SLRs - can take advantage of high-speed CompactFlash. CompactFlash is inexpensive, easy to find, and works in a lot of digital cameras. For those reasons, it's one of the most desirable types of digital camera memory. Secure Digital & MultiMedia Cards:
The only difference between the two memory types is that Secure Digital cards have a write-protect switch for added data security. xD Picture Cards:
Since it was developed and introduced by Olymous and Fuji, most current compact digital cameras from those manufacturers use the xD Picture Card media. Memory Stick:
Memory Stick is available in capacities up to 256 MB, and Sony's new Memory Stick Pro is available in capacities up to one gigabyte. MicroDrive:
MicroDrives have a reputation for being delicate and unreliable. They are more prone to failure since they have moving parts that can wear, or be damaged. But when handled normally and not abused, they are very reliable. Because of their moving parts, MicroDrives use more battery power than flash memory. And compared to new, high-speed CompactFlash cards, MicroDrive seek and write times are fairly slow. But if you need Gigs of cheap digital camera memory, MicroDrives are still the most bang-for-the-buck. SmartMedia:
Memory Card Readers:
Card readers are available in internal and external models with USB, USB 2.0, and FireWire connections. USB 2.0 and FireWire readers have considerably faster transfer rates than most cameras - another good reason to use a card reader instead of using your camera's supplied USB connection. Portable Digital Storage:
Portable digital storage devices are standalone hard drives that allow
digital photographers to download and reuse their memory cards in the
field. Capacities generally begin at 20 gigabytes and most are powered
by rechargeable batteries. Many have LCDs for still image viewing and
video playback. Images are transferred to your computer via USB or FireWire
connection. If you travel a lot or find yourself running out of memory
regularly, you may want to consider adding a portable storage device to
your camera bag.
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Digital
camera memory is an essential and often overlooked piece of digital photography
equipment. There are many types of memory and it's a good idea to consider
what type of memory a camera uses before you buy your first digital camera.
CompactFlash
is one of the most common types of digital camera memory. Most high-end
digital cameras, and all digital SLRs are CompactFlash compatible.
The
smallest available memory cards, Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard memory
allow for very small cameras and can also be used in selected PDAs, organizers,
phones, and MP3 players. The current maximum capacity for Secure Digital
and MultiMediaCard cards is 512 MB.
Introduced
by Olympus and Fuji in 2002, the xD Picture card is the newest digital
camera memory format. It's tiny size - 0.97" x 0.98" x 0.67"
- means it can be used in very small cameras. The xD Picture Card can
also be used in any CompactFlash compatible camera with the available
CompactFlash adapter. It's currently available in capacities up to 512
MB, with larger capacity cards to be available soon.
Memory
Stick was developed by Sony for their CyberShot digital cameras and other
Sony electronic devices. With the exception of a very few cameras, Memory
Stick is only compatible with Sony digital cameras. That means if you
have Memory Stick media for a camera and you decide to buy another brand
of camera, the Memory Stick cards you own are not likely to work with
the new camera. On the other hand, if you own other Sony devices, there
might be benefits to owning Memory Stick. Sony MP3 players, PDA's and
selected Sony Vaio computers also accept Memory Stick media.
The
MicroDrive card is actually a miniature hard drive housed in a Type II
CompactFlash chassis. The IBM MicroDrive was the first compact memory
card to offer a full 1 Gigabyte storage capacity. Although flash memory
has bypassed the MicroDrive in capacity, the MicroDrive is still the best
buy on a dollar-per-byte basis.
SmartMedia
used to be one of the most common types of digital camera storage media.
It was used in most Olympus and Fuji digital cameras until the introduction
the xD Picture card, in 2002. SmartMedia is being pahased out for newer
memory types, but it should be available for quite some time, still. And
since it's being phased out, it's become very inexpensive. If you buy
a camera that uses SmartMedia it might be a good idea to stock up on memory
cards, though. They might not be available for too much longer. SmartMedia
is available in capacities up to 128 megabytes. 
Card
readers are the most efficient way to download your digital digital memory
cards and a highly recommended digital camera accessory. Card readers
plug into your computer via USB or FireWire port and allow you to transfer
your files without using your camera's batteries or dealing with cables.
You install the card reader as you would any other USB or FireWire device
and plug the card into the reader when you want to transfer your images.
The memory card will show up on your computer as a separate, removable
drive when it's plugged into the reader.
Sometimes
you either can't afford to buy or carry enough memory. Professional event
photographers with digital SLRs can shoot many gigs of photos in one day.
And what about traveling? Should you have to carry a laptop computer just
to store your photos?