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Long-term memory
By Sean Carruthers, posted 6/29/2004 2:59:37 PM

If you're about to get a new digital camera, here's a not-so-well-kept secret: the memory cards that come with new digital cameras -- if a card is included at all, that is -- are generally low-capacity and are only designed to get you started. If you're shooting at the highest resolution your camera allows, you may only be able to take a handful of shots before you have to run back to your computer to unload them. Whether or not your new camera comes with a card, you should seriously consider setting aside a few extra dollars for a higher-capacity card, if only for the convenience.

When purchasing a new memory card, it's important to remember that not all memory cards are equal, speed-wise. Older cards are often slower, whether you're getting CompactFlash, SecureDigital, Memory Stick, or another type.

If you're planning to buy a high-resolution digital camera, you'll want to make sure you have a card that can save data quickly enough to avoid long wait times between capturing images. Some manufacturers will list the speed rating as a multiple (4X, 12X, etc.), while others will have brand names that indicate improved performance (for example , Ultra, Extreme, Pro, or Elite).

When in doubt, talk with one of the staff at your local digital camera centre to get the low-down.

Here are the main types of memory currently available:

CompactFlash
The elder statesman of the memory technologies still in widespread use, CompactFlash (CF) is physically the largest of the formats, but also offers the highest-capacity cards, at 4 GB and counting. CF tends to be a bit more rugged than the alternatives. And, though it's disappearing in many entry-level cameras in favour of SecureDigital, CF is still popular in cameras skewed to the pros. The IBM/Hitachi microdrive is a mechanical drive that offers up to 4 GB of storage space in a Type II CF format, which is slightly thicker than standard Type I CF.

Memory Stick
Favoured by Sony and compatible mostly with Sony and Samsung products, the Memory Stick (MS) is roughly the size and shape of a stick of gum, but it has far more storage capacity: up to 1 GB using the MS Pro models. For smaller devices, there's the compact Memory Stick Duo (in sizes up to 128 MB), which comes with sleeve adapters for use in full-size Memory Stick slots.

SecureDigital
The bright new light in the world of digital camera media, SecureDigital (SD and its older unencrypted sibling, MMC) offers a smaller form factor with a lock tab, allowing you to have smaller devices and write-protected cards. Cards currently top out at 512 MB, but 1 GB and higher capacity cards are on the roadmap for the near future.

xD
Used by FujiFilm and Olympus, xD is the smallest of the digital camera memory types -- barely larger than a thumbnail -- but it can hold up to 512 MB of data. The big downside is that it's so small it can be hard to manipulate with your fingers if you have larger hands, and it is easier to misplace than other types of memory.

By Sean Carruther

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Selected links for more memory info:

http://www.sandisk.com/

http://www.kingston.com/

http://www.lexar.com/

http://www.atpinc.com/

http://www.sonystyle.ca/

http://www.olympus.com/

http://www.fujifilm.ca/

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When speed counts!
Flash memory isn't all the same: Not only do you have different capacities and different performance levels, there are also two different types of technologies inside those little plastic shells. Much of the flash memory available right now uses multi-level cell technology, which manages space efficiently but isn't quite as fast as single-level cell technology.

We got our hands on a few samples of single-cell SecureDigital memory from ATP Electronics Inc. (http://www.atpinc.com/), and ran a few speed tests using a USB card reader. We took 50.5 MB of data -- 39 picture files at roughly 1.3 MB each -- which was copied to various SD cards to compare speeds.

As it turns out, the ATP card were noticeably faster than the high-performance cards from the competition: the 256 MB ATP card wrote the files in 8.5 seconds, while it took the standard SanDisk card 32 seconds and the SanDisk Extreme card 11 seconds. Kingston's Elite Pro card wrote the files in 17.5 seconds.

All of these are pretty impressive numbers for removable media, but photographers who want to get data onto the card as quickly as possible will probably appreciate the slight edge of the single-cell cards, despite their smaller capacity.