CompactFlash is based on flash memory semiconductor technology. Data, audio, video and images are stored on flash chips rather than the conventional, mechanical, rotating disk drives found in most computers. Flash is non-volatile memory, meaning that once data is saved on the card, it will be retained even if the system's power supply is switched off. Flash is also solid state and has no moving parts. Disk drives have many moving parts and are subject to mechanical problems. Flash is much more rugged and reliable and offers users considerably more protection of data. Mechanical disk drives found in portable computers typically have an operating shock rating of 100-200 Gs, which is equivalent to drop of less than a foot. SanDisk’s CompactFlash has an operating shock rating of 2,000 Gs, equivalent to a 10-foot drop to the floor.
Features:- Weighs a half ounce and is the size of a matchbook.
- Ultra-small, removable data storage system.
- Provides complete PC Card-ATA functionality and compatibility.
- Has built-in, industry-standard compatibility because the 50-pin CF card can be easily slipped into a passive 68 pin Type II adapter card that fully meets PC Card electrical and mechanical interface specifications.
1 Best Value on Market; But You Must Know What You're Buying
The fact of the matter is, at the time of writing this review, there is no better value than this 1 GB disk. It is not as fast as many that you can purchase, but even for me taking wedding photos, my on-camera cache is enough to compensate for that speed. For the average or even semi-professional photographer (unless your goal is to be taking many rapid-fire shots) even this slow speed should be more than enough.
SanDisk quality and their 5 year manufacturer's warranty make this card that much better of a value over the no-name cheap competition.
The card is not perfect. It may fail and you will be stuck with 1 Gig of corrupted imgaes. That could happen with any card that you purchase. The card is slower than some, but most of the cameras being sold today have at least a 4 picture cache which means you will rarely even notice the effects under normal shooting conditions. The card is not the cure-all for the digital storage world, but at the time of writing this review it was only about fifty-nine bucks making it the best value out there that I have seen, all this with no-cost shipping and no sales tax.
So take the plusses and the minusses into account and make your choice...unless you have very special needs that would necessitate a faster card, this will probably be what you should choose.
-Jacob Hantla
2 How many pictures will it store?
How many pictures will it store? It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.
The SanDisk SDCFB-1000-A10 1GB CF Type 1 Card, like most 1000MB cards, will store on average 1137 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 853 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 512 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 409 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 320 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.
One last thing to consider when buying a 1000MB card. Do not necessarily choose the least expensive card available. A 1000MB card should be an investment. You need to consider quality, reliability, and speed with a card of this capacity. Worse case scenario would be you taking this card (and only this card) on vacation with you overseas and for some reason it gets corrupted. Then what do you do? Purchasing a high capacity card changes the game a little, just be mindful of that before you hit the buy button.
I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.
3 Yep..It's slow
I planned on using this in my PDA for music. Its slowness led to skipping and the more files I added the slower it got until it was unusable. I guess that's why they don't tell you the transfer rate.
4 Bad batch
I have used CompactFlash cards before, having great success with usage and loading to computer. BUT, I recently purchased the 1GB SanDisk card from Amazon, and am disappointed to report that it was defective. I lost over 150 photographs. It would not load my photos onto my computer, and in the camera's LCD there were digital streaks/bands across the images.
I exchanged this item for a new one, which had EXACTLY the same troubles. I am not sure if this was a bad batch, or if 1GB disks are not sophisticated enough yet. Again, I have used other type I/II cards without any problems whatsoever.
5 It shouldn't matter
It's kinda pointless to review a CompactFlash card - They work or they don't work - They're all poured into the same envelope -Of course THE prime expectation is that they will work in your equipment - I suppose you could count the transfers in milliseconds, but that's often beyond the domain of a memory card anyway and more to do with the electronics of the digicam - I'm using it with an E20 and have had no problems in field use - but the Oly is a relatively slow writer but that's not a chip problem - Now what would really merit 5 stars and my undying praise would be a breathtaking plunge beneath the $ barrier -- THAT'S exciting. SanDisk 1gb does the job with no problems -- THAT'S satisfying.
6 Does what it should -- hold a ton of stuff
I use it in my PDA to hold GPS files and a large number of songs. Long drives, which I do almost twice a week, are now much less stressful. I look forward to it even.
7 Slow performance, bad for large megapixel cameras
My main problem with this Compact Flash is that the "real-time" performance is very slow. I bought it a year ago for my 5-Megapixel camera, and it makes me wait a long time before I can take my next photo. This gets frustrating when you miss good photo opportunities.
Then, I read this article which reviews Compact Flash cards, and I realized that this particular SanDisk product line is inferior.
The review at DP Review says this Sandisk writes at 6x (where 'x' = 150 KB/sec). I since then, have purchased a 512MB Transcend compact flash which claims to Write at 25x. My camera works much faster now. I have borrowed my friend's IBM Microdrive and that is really fast too.
8 REALLY BIG MEDIA!
Simple - 1 GB of storage, right price. The one I got worked just as advertised. I can take pictures for months before I have to wipe the card.
9 Good card
Reliable card which in my NX70v uses less battery power than other 1 gb cards and much less power than sony memory sticks. Excellent value. Prefer this to viking card as this card uses less battery power in my experience.
