How To Choose Best Memory Card For Camera

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It may be a challenge in selecting the right memory card for your camera. There are many criteria’s to explain these memory cards. They are Type, Speed, Price, Capacity, etc..Those criteria can be changed from one by one. You can select any type of memory card according to your perception.

At the very first beginning, you should understand and estimate “what is your camera?” & “what kind of memory card you want?.If you prefer to buy a high capacity, Memory card, with lowest price it should be come with a least transfer speed. So, if you prefer to high speed card it may really expensive.

By the way, i think you know exactly ‘memory card is what?’. As usual, a tiny detachable memory store medium which is using to store and transfer data from one medium to another.

So, if we consider about the capacity, it is not a very big scene. There are not very complicated technical details about capacity of the camera memory card. Normally all we know, 1000RAW photographs can be store in 32GB memory card. In here, we can assume that RAW file size is 30MB. As well, 16 GB card can store about 500 photographs. But, if you store those photographs in jpeg format, at least 3200 photos can be store in there. However, that JPEG type photograph size can be 10 MB in randomly.

According to type of the memory card it may be changed from camera to camera. There are many categories can be available in the market today. They are available in ranging from SD card, Micro SD card, M2, etc…But, at the earlier step of the photograph era. They were Secure Digital (SD), Eye-fi card & Compact Flash (CF) card.

Secure Digital card or SD card has used in digital cameras. That is used in Point & Shoot cameras, then transfer into professional cameras.

The capacity is very important to that SD cards. There are many updating, according to their improvement of the technical status.

In 1999- 2GB capacity has introduced to the market. But, in 2006 -64GB capacity had introduced with version as SD Higher Capacity (SDHC) range.

Then, 2009 SD Extended Capacity (SDXC) memory card has been announced as updating. However, those type of cards offers up to 2TB and increased transfer speed.

Eye-fi card is unique SD card, which is used with built-in Wifi. This allows you to transfer data to your desktop, smartphone, laptop, etc. In directly. As well as, it allows clearing off the memory as you shoot, without having a need to replace the memory card.

Compact Flash card (CF Card) has high speed and high capacity. In 1994, it had introduced firstly. That is why, CF cards used as primary card slot of the professional cameras. Currently, cameras have used SD cards and CF cards together as same. SD card’s speed and capacity is equal to CF cards in recently. Normally, two slots have provided to SD & CF cards in cameras. But, some are wishing to slots for 2 SD card slots instead. Some cameras provide extra inside space to other cards. Generally, CF cards more expensive than SD cards in the market.

Speed of the memory card means both writing & reading. So, write speed is the time taken to write the data and the read speed is the time taken to read the data from the card. In here, read speed put into function when transfer the data from the cards and write speed put into play when you shoot.

As the example, SDHC cards have high speed than read speed in partial. However, few of some cards have same write & read speeds.

So, you should pay more attention to the speed of the card, when you buy a new one. When you consider about speed in CF cards are often detailed as X times, and many cards show it as MB per second. As an example, speed is mentioned as 600X in memory card. X means 150KB/sec. Now you can find the exact speed of the memory card;

600X =>       600 x 150 /1000 = 90 MB/Sec

So, here read speed is 90MB per second. When you consider about the fastest criteria to select the right memory card in the market, price is the most top factor. The second deciding factor is capacity of the memory card. An SD card is 50% of the price in the same capacity of CF card.

However, if you use two cards at different speeds, the lowest speed is the deciding criteria for the play. Therefore, you have to use both cards at the same speed.