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Storage Devices
Description
Storage Devices are used to store digital photographs, audio, video, and other digital information. In general, these devices are memory cards, USB Flash Drives, MicroDrives,
Memory Cards
SD - Secure Digital
SD stands for Secure Digital card. An SD card is a flash memory expansion card that is the same size as an MMC card (32 x 24 x 2.1 mm) and smaller than a CF card. SD cards are non-volatile, solid-state cards with capacities of up to 1 GB. Most digital cameras that accept SD cards also accept MMC cards. If you have a choice, SD cards are recommended, because they are faster than MMC cards.
MMC - Multimedia
MMC stands for MultiMediaCard. MMC is a memory expansion card that is the same size as an SD card (32 x 24 x 2.1 mm) and smaller than a CF card. They weigh less than 2 grams. Some cameras only support MMC cards that have been verified compliant with the MultiMediaCard specification. Compliant MMC memory cards have the MultiMediaCard logo on the card or package. If you have a choice, SD cards are recommended, because they are faster than MMC cards.
XD - eXtreme Digital Picture Card
XD stands for eXtreme Digital Picture Card. XD was developed jointly by Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd and Olympus Optical Co Ltd. They are used primarily in Olympus and FujiFilm digital cameras. XD cards are 20.0 x 25.0 x 1.7 mm in size. Capacities range from 16 to 128 MB.
CF - CompactFlash
CF stands for CompactFlash. It was first specified and produced by SanDisk Corporation. CF is a flash memory expansion card that is 36.4 x 42.8 mm in size (and only a few millimeters thick). They are larger than SD or MMC cards.
There are two types of CF cards: Type I and type II. CF II cards are twice as thick (5mm) as CF I cards (3.3mm). Cameras with CF I slots can only use CF I cards. Cameras with CF II slots can use either type. Capacities for Type I cards reach 4 GB. Capacities for Type II cards reach 8 GB. They are used in some Canon, Pentax, Nikon, FujiFilm, Olympus, Sony, Sigma, Konica Minolta, and Minox digital cameras.
An excellent way to increase storage capacity with a CF II slot is to add a MicroDrive, which is a miniature hard disk that fits in a CompactFlash Type II (CF II) slot. To buy a MicroDrive, go to MicroDrives
MS - Memory Stick
MS stands for Memory Stick and was developed by the Sony Corporation. MS is a flash memory expansion card that is smaller than a single stick of chewing gum. Memory Stick cards are used primarily in Sony, Samsung, and some Konica digital cameras. Capacities range from 4 MB to 1 GB.
USB Flash Drives/USB Storage Devices/JumpDrives/Mini Flash Memory Devices/Pen Drives/Key Drives
USB Flash Drives (also called JumpDrives, Key Drives, Pen Drives, etc.) are portable storage devices that allow easy transport of personal computer data files, image files, video, and audio between different computers and/or digital devices that have an industry-standard USB port. USB Flash Drives plug directly into this USB port for you to transfer and store pictures, songs, and/or data. A flash drive is so small that you can carry it in your pocket and then easily and quickly transfer its contents (your stored photos, music, video, and other data) into another device with a USB port. To select and purchase a flash drive, go to USB Flash Drive Selector.
Other Storage Devices
CD-R/RW
A CD-R or Recordable Compact Disk can be written only once, but read many times. That is, you can not erase images to store new ones. A CD-RW or ReWritable Compact Disk can be written, read, and erased many times. To prevent photos from accidentally being erased, you might want to use a CD-R. However, if you want to reuse the CD, you need a CD-RW. Just make sure the camera supports CD-RW.
MicroDrive
MicroDrives are miniature hard disk drives originally manufactured by IBM that fit in CompactFlash Type II (CF II) slots. Thus, if a camera supports CF II, it is very likely that it will support MicroDrives. Capacities range up to 6 GB. To buy a MicroDrive, go to MicroDrives
Floppy
This is a standard 3.5 inch floppy disk with a capacity of 1.4 MB. Floppies have the disadvantage that they can store very little information and are bulkier than any of the cards listed here. Floppies have the advantage that many computers already have floppy drives.
Some cameras come with some amount of included memory. See Included Storage.
Providing a value
If you want to buy a camera that supports a specific storage device, just select it from the dropdown list. If several storage devices are acceptable to you, then select them all.
In the Suggestions Table, a selection box appears. To select a single item, just click on it. All other items will be deselected. To toggle an item, hold down the control key while clicking on the item.
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