Memory Cards

Memory cards carry out the role of film in a traditional 35mm camera and are used for storing photographs and movies. There are a number of factors to take into account when buying memory cards. These factors include card capacities, speed and the type of card your digital camera is compatible with.

Card capacities are increasing on a regular basis. Before buying it is wise to check the maximum memory card capacity your digital camera is compatible with. This is especially true for older cameras that may not be able to work with newer memory cards with higher capacities.

Does your digital camera have a fast burst rate (the ability to fire off shots in rapid succession) or is it able to capture High Definition movies? If it can do one or both of these then you need to buy a memory card that is capable of keeping up with the speed at which your camera is able to operate. If your card is too slow your camera will not be able to operate to its full potential.

The reverse does not apply. So if your camera is unable to shoot at a fast rate you are unlikely to see any benefit if you use a high speed card. Therefore be careful you do not spend out unnecessarily on a more expensive fast card.

You will notice that memory cards come in different classes. The classes are assigned based on the speed of the card. The higher the class, the faster the speed of the card.

Always check your camera manual before buying. It should state any restrictions such as the maximum memory card capacity and speed the camera can work out. If you are unsure call your camera manufacturer and check for any restrictions.

The majority of digital cameras come with a small amount of memory built into them. Apart from Canon manufacturers tend not to supply a memory card with a camera. The internal memory is usually too small to be of much significance, but it can be used as an emergency back up if you run out of space on your memory card or your card develops a fault at just the wrong moment.

SD Cards
If you buy a compact digital camera then the chances are it will use SD (Secure Digital) memory cards. These are by far the most common type of memory card and are used in digital cameras from all leading brands apart from Sony (Memory Card Duo) and Olympus (xD and Micro SD). SDHC cards are available too. These are high capacity versions of the SD card. They look the same and have the same dimensions as a standard SD card.

Multi Media Cards have the same physical characteristics as Secure Digital Cards. They can usually be used as an alternative to SD cards.

Micro SD Cards
At the time of writing I am just starting to see the introduction of digital cameras that can record to Micro SD cards. Some Olympus and Samsung cameras are compatible with this type of card. If you upload photos either through slots on your PC or via a card reader you may need to use an adapter. First insert your card into the adapter. Then you should be able to insert the adapter into a standard SD card slot.

Compact Flash Cards
Compact Flash cards are now only found in Digital SLRs. They offer the highest capacities and fastest speeds. Compact Flash cards used to be the most commonly used type of card across all types of digital camera, but as cameras have grown smaller in size the Compact Flash card has largely been discarded.

xD Picture Cards
xD Picture cards are used in Olympus and some Fuji digital cameras. There are three types of xD card available. Standard and types M and H. The M type xD card is similar in most aspects to the standard xD cards, but is capable of having a greater capacity. The third type of card is the H type xD card. The H stands for high speed. This means that photos and movies can be written to and read from the card faster than they can with a standard or M type xD card. If you have an older camera you may find it is not compatible with type H and M cards.

Memory Stick Duo
Memory Stick Duo cards are found in Sony digital cameras. All current Sony models use Memory Stick Duo cards. If you own an older Sony digital camera it may use Memory Stick (without Duo on the end). If this is the case you need to take care when buying. As with Micro SD cards you may be able to use a Memory Stick Duo with a Memory Stick adapter in an older camera, but it is adviseable to check with Sony before buying.

Microdrives
Historically Microdrives were viewed as a useful alternative to CompactFlash cards in high specification digital cameras. This was because Microdrives could hold up to 1 gigabyte of images when CompactFlash cards could only hold around 128mb. Times have changed and the current maximum capacity of the Microdrive lags behind the capacity of a top end CompactFlash card. This has led to a decrease in the Microdrive's popularity.

With some Olympus digital cameras some functions will only operate with Olympus brand cards. Other than that I am not aware of any restrictions on the brand of memory card you can use with a digital camera, but it always pays to check your manual first. Brands I have used without a problem over a number of years include SanDisk, Panasonic, Kingston and Integral.

I personally use a variety of different brands. I use a selection of cards from Kingston, Sandisk and Lexar.

Even if you own high capacity memory cards it still makes economic sense to clear the cards down from time to time and delete unwanted images. Cards have a tendency to fill up quickly.

Once an image has been stored on a computer or elsewhere it can be deleted from the memory card. Shots that you don't want to keep can be deleted immediately by using the camera's menu system. Without housekeeping you will find yourself continuously buying extra cards.

From time to time memory cards can become damaged. There are a number of companies that specialize in retrieving images from corrupt cards. If you need images retrieved there are plenty of online companies offering the service or your local camera shop should be able to provide assistance.

A cheaper and more instant method of retrieving images from corrupted memory cards is to use some Photo Recovery software. This is available to download from the Internet. There is normally a fee to pay, but many companies offer a try before you buy deal. This way you know if the software will be able to retrieve your lost photos before spending money. Many of these packages will only work if you have access to a card reader. The package I use is Image Recall.



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Digital Camera Memory Cards - Last Updated November 2009