The SanDisk xD Picture Card provides the highest capacity in one of the smallest memory formats available today. Featuring rapid data transfer speeds, it is ultra compact for the most portable devices. The SanDisk xD Picture Card is fully compatible with all xD devices
- Embedded Panorama feature for digital cameras with panoramic functionality
- High capacity and high speed tranfer rate
- Small and compact for the most portable digital cameras
- Compatible to all Olympus and Fuji xD-compatible digital cameras
1 Warning: Does not work with Olympus as Advertised
The description listed specifically says "Embedded Panorama feature for digital cameras with panoramic functionality." This is wrong. This card does not support Olympus camera panoramic features.
2 Don't bother ordering here. Item sent not as advertised-
Pictured is the Olympus-branded xD memory card. Right? Same is also pictured on the printed SanDisk insert. But, what you'll actually get is the Fuji-branded xD memory card which is cheaper because it is specifically NOT panoramic capable.
Item appears to have been switched by either Amazon or it's source and plastic re-sealed bu glue or heat.
Someone trying to "stick" Amazon with a swap? Possible. I sent a note to Customer Service to alert them of the error. They said "sorry" from India and would correct and resend. Guess what....I got another pack with the same erroneous Fuji memory card.
In my book, this is called "bait and switch" and I believe it's illegal in most States. Do I dare let Amazon "fix" this error again? What do you think?
3 xD Picture Cards - EL STINKO
The mfgr's promo text says it's fast, but anyone who's ever done even an informal test knows it's dog-slow. In fact, xD is THE slowest-reading/writing media still developed. It's also one of the (if not THE) most expensive per MB, along with Sony's "Memory Stick" (now branching out into even more costly "Pro", "Secure" and "Select" subformats, hopefully helping to wake Sony-worshipers up (Sony is no longer king, folks; the 90's are LONG over. Keep an eye on Samsung - but that's another review - for the best these days).
xD's one benefit: It's small; almost TOO small, and really easy to lose, only coming in black. Fuji and Olympus are the ones to blame, clearly hoping to retain unwitting users who end up forced into xD's incompatibility and expense with one of both mfgrs' wide selection of xD-only digicams. Olympus briefly made cameras with both xD and SmartMedia compatibility, hoping the 128MB limit of SM would funnel users toward xD. Most of those users, to Olympus' dismay, chose five or six SmartMedia cards because they were cheap, and because they could at least be read by most (if not all) media readers, unlike xD, which even now very few readers bother to support.
Oddly enough, Secure Digital (SD) is almost as small, and is one of the FASTEST reading and writing formats in active development. Lots of cameras, MP3 players and other media devices use SD. What uses xD Picture Cards? Cameras. Fuji and Olympus cameras, to be exact. Nothing else of any real popularity. It's unfortunate, but there are a lot of consumer digicam owners who have been humped into a format that has no good reason to exist.
Advice: If you bought a digicam without extensive knowledge of formats as many have done, watch and wait for deep rebates before buying your xD card(s) and be sure to get an xD card branded by the same mfgr as your camera, as (at least with Olympus) any other manufacturer's xD card (even Fuji) won't allow the 'Panoramic' mode to be used. Believe it or not, the camera actually checks the card for the Olympus header information and makes 'Panoramic' mode unavailable if it's not there. Is there any legitimate reason for this? No. None whatsoever. If panoramic photos aren't important to you, at least you've got a few other choices. If underhanded mfgr tactics are unacceptable to you, remember this when you're shopping for your next digicam.
For that matter, when you're shopping for your next digicam, look for fast and cheap media support from mfgrs that attract customers with innovation, compatibility and performance instead of the ones who rope new users and then attempt to chain them up in the backyard using format-inertia. As an illustration of lack of faith in their own format, even Olympus and Fuji know better than to cripple their top-shelf Prosumer/SLR digicams with the all-around speed and price loser that is xD; Both companies' best cameras ALL use CompactFlash, the oldest, cheapest-per-MB, highest-capacity and most popular format. For best speed, compatibility and prices, make your next camera one that uses CompactFlash or SD (Secure Digital) cards. If you enjoy your xD camera (as I once did), take solace knowing that rebates are offered quite regularly. Watch out for them and take advantage!
4 Rate the product, not the service or price!
The xD format is an excellent option for digital camera storage. Why? Speed/Size/Storage Capacity
The xD-Picture Card has one of the fastest read/write speeds on the market. Higher speeds can greatly enhance the user's experience with a product. For example, a photographer can take new pictures or view existing images more quickly with the xD-Picture Card media than with other, slower media formats.
The xD-Picture Card was designed to use minimal power. Users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge.
Small size (about the size of a penny), means smaller devices with lots of storage (512MB available now and plans to go to 8GB!)
I like this format (I've used CF and SmartMedia) and appreciate new technology.
5 Shipped wrong product & didn't refund shiping
I ordered the 512M xD when it was cheaper than the current price, but they shipped me a 256M card instead. They said that it was a price mistake and to return the product for a full refund, which was find with me, but they did not refund the shipping! I can understand if I ordered the wrong product, but this was their error yet they still expect me to pay for their mistake?!
6 More poor service
I just went looking for the status on my order and found it had disappeared - I never even received an email that they were canceling my order. I can understand their pricing policy, but it sure would have been nice if they had communicated that it had been an error. The price they had online was comparable to other memory like Compact Flash so it appeared that it was a good deal, not a price mistake.
7 Amazon doesn't honor their prices on this... Poor service
Just wanted to let everyone know that Amazon had these listed at a much better price 10 days ago... I put one on order and was told originally 1-3 weeks.
Next thing I know I get notified 3-4 weeks. So I decided to hold out. 10 days later I get an e-mail indicating they are cancelling my order due to a pricing issue.
I have waited 10 days already and just find this out.. totally not cool service.
Next time I will look elsewhere and advise everyone else to do the same.
5 year warranty on the product looks very attractive, price per meg at this price is outrageous..
Better off buying a 256 MB Fuji card at Walmart for $99 and submitting the $25 rebate on this one... Rebate good thru 12/31/03.
8 Amazon doesn't honor their prices on this... Poor service
Just wanted to let everyone know that Amazon had these listed at a much better price 10 days ago... I put one on order and was told originally 1-3 weeks.
Next thing I know I get notified 3-4 weeks. So I decided to hold out. 10 days later I get an e-mail indicating they are cancelling my order due to a pricing issue.
I have waited 10 days already and just find this out.. totally not cool service.
Next time I will look elsewhere and advise everyone else to do the same.
5 year warranty on the product looks attractive.. better off buy a 256 MB Fuji card at Walmart for $99 and submitting the $25 rebate on this one... Rebate for thru 12/31/03
9 Great but...
why pay such a premium for the 512 meg size? If you use the dollar-per-meg calculation, it's easy to see why getting two 256 meg cards is a better approach. Not only will you have some change in your pocket but you won't have all your eggs in one digital basket should you lose the card. (Is that possible? Ask me!)
