SimpleTech 256 MB CompactFlash (STI-CF/256X2)

Rating:
Summary: This is a package of 2!!!
Review: Hey! I have been using these SimpleTech 256 MB compact flash cards and they are great! By the way THIS IS A PACKAGE OF 2 CARDS, so if you thought the price was expensive, think again!! I have these cards, and I have two of the SanDisk 256 MB (regular - NOT ultra II or Extreme) cards. These SimpleTech cards are MUCH faster than the SanDisk cards. I also have one the Viking 256 MB card. It is almost as fast, but I must say that the SimpleTech cards win for speed. I use them all with the Lexar Media 6-in-one USB 2.0 card reader (ASIN B00008RW8B), which is excellent. It takes about 12 minutes to move the contents of one SanDisk card to the HardDrive, while the contents of a full SimpleTech card can be copied in 5 minutes, and the contents of a full Viking card in about 6 minutes.

I have shot over 20,000 pics on a Canon G3 in the last year using these cards. I had one card failure with a SanDisk card, and it was replaced under the warranty. It wasn't too much trouble to get the replacement, but I'd rather not have the failure in the first place.

One more thing - You'd definitely rather have two 256 MB cards than one 512 MB card, in case of failure. That way, you still have something to take pics on if you are in a place where you can't get a replacement quickly. I always have 3 to 5 cards with me, so when one failed, it wasn't too much of a problem. Also, although I don't speak from first hand experience, I have heard that these baseline cards from all the companies perform faster in the 256 MB sizes than in the 512 MB sizes.

You won't notice a speed issue with anything less than a 4megapixel camera, either. I have shot with dozens of digital cameras from 2 to 6 M-pixels and the only thing that slows you down under 4MP is the camera buffer/cache itself. At 4MP and above, especially with the faster cameras, the card speed can become an issue. But, for example, this card can still keep up with the Nikon D70, although I hope to get some high-speed cards for that cam.

Of course, regardless of the camera speed, the slower cards can still make you wait longer while downloading the images to the computer. If you still use USB 1.1 (12 kBps), then don't worry about card speed. But if you use USB 2.0 (480 kBps) or firewire (400 kBps), card speed will make a difference, as I outlined above.

Hope this helps you!

Rating:
Summary: This is a package of 2!!!
Review: Hey! I have been using these SimpleTech 256 MB compact flash cards and they are great! By the way THIS IS A PACKAGE OF 2 CARDS, so if you thought the price was expensive, think again!! I have these cards, and I have two of the SanDisk 256 MB (regular - NOT ultra II or Extreme) cards. These SimpleTech cards are MUCH faster than the SanDisk cards. I also have one the Viking 256 MB card. It is almost as fast, but I must say that the SimpleTech cards win for speed. I use them all with the Lexar Media 6-in-one USB 2.0 card reader (ASIN B00008RW8B), which is excellent. It takes about 12 minutes to move the contents of one SanDisk card to the HardDrive, while the contents of a full SimpleTech card can be copied in 5 minutes, and the contents of a full Viking card in about 6 minutes.

I have shot over 20,000 pics on a Canon G3 in the last year using these cards. I had one card failure with a SanDisk card, and it was replaced under the warranty. It wasn't too much trouble to get the replacement, but I'd rather not have the failure in the first place.

One more thing - You'd definitely rather have two 256 MB cards than one 512 MB card, in case of failure. That way, you still have something to take pics on if you are in a place where you can't get a replacement quickly. I always have 3 to 5 cards with me, so when one failed, it wasn't too much of a problem. Also, although I don't speak from first hand experience, I have heard that these baseline cards from all the companies perform faster in the 256 MB sizes than in the 512 MB sizes.

You won't notice a speed issue with anything less than a 4megapixel camera, either. I have shot with dozens of digital cameras from 2 to 6 M-pixels and the only thing that slows you down under 4MP is the camera buffer/cache itself. At 4MP and above, especially with the faster cameras, the card speed can become an issue. But, for example, this card can still keep up with the Nikon D70, although I hope to get some high-speed cards for that cam.

Of course, regardless of the camera speed, the slower cards can still make you wait longer while downloading the images to the computer. If you still use USB 1.1 (120 kBps), then don't worry about card speed. But if you use USB 2.0 (480 kBps) or firewire (400 kBps), card speed will make a difference, as I outlined above.

Hope this helps you!