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Digital Cameras
One the major advantage of digital cameras is you can print only the pictures you want. So you can snap as many shots as needed to be sure to capture those key moments. A digital camera uses removable memory cards to store pictures. A higher capacity lets you take more shots before you need to upload your pictures to your computer.
One the major advantage of digital cameras is you can print only the pictures you want. So you can snap as many shots as needed to be sure to capture those key moments.
Storage capacity The storage capacity of the card is measured in megabytes (MB). The larger the capacity, the more pictures can be stored.
Many digital cameras allow you to set up the resolution a little lower to fit more images into the memory. It's always better to shoot your pictures at as high resolution as possible, you never know when you will capture the perfect picture. What size? Depending on how many MB of memory you buy, you can expand a digital camera's capacity considerably. Larger capacity can be expensive. You may consider buying several smaller cards rather than one large one. That will also provide you some sort of insurance in case your card is lost or stolen so you won't loose all your photos at once. You can buy different size of memory card: 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1G, 2G and now even 4G. How much memory should I buy?
The following table will give you an approximate idea of how many pictures you can store with different memory card size:
Budget for memory card When buying your camera, it will be a good idea to include a portion of Having the extra memory will make your digital experience much easier and fun. My own camera came equipped with a 32MB. Couple weeks later I purchased a 256MB! Since then I purchased a 512MB and 1G. Memory card are affordable. As of today (April 2006), you can get a 512 SD memory card from $10.
You can buy memory cards for you digital cameras almost anywhere. If you are planning a trip soon, take advantage of the Duty Free stores, you will save a few dollars. Otherwise, buying online is the way to go for memory cards. You can spend hours to find the best prices. I always buy my memory cards from Buy.com because of their service and reliability. The best thing with these guys is most of the time memory cards qualify for free shipping. Types of memory cards There are different types of memory cards that come in different sizes. Different types are not compatible with one another, check your owner's manual or camera to make sure you buy the right type. Here a brief description of the main ones: CompactFlash (CF): The CompactFlash card is inexpensive, easy to find and very small, about the size of a matchbook. Available in sizes up to 4G. Compatible with the following cameras: 
There are two physical sizes of CompactFlash - Type I and Type II. Type Type II CompactFlash is usually higher capacity. The main benefit of CompactFlash, besides availability, is that it has a controller chip in the card. The controller chip allows higher transfer rates. Most cameras can't take advantage of this extra speed, though. Only cameras with larger internal buffers - mostly digital SLRs can take advantage of high-speed CompactFlash. CompactFlash is inexpensive, easy to find, and works in a lot of digital cameras. For those reasons, it's one of the most desirable types of digital camera memory. xD: Introduced by Olympus and Fuji in 2002, the xD Picture card is the newest digital camera memory format. It's tiny size - 0.97" x 0.98" x 0.67" - means it can be used in very small cameras. The xD Picture Card can also be used in any CompactFlash compatible camera with the available CompactFlash adapter. It's currently available in capacities up to 512 MB, with larger capacity cards to be available soon. Compatible with most current Fuji and Olympus cameras. Memory Stick: Memory Stick was developed by Sony for their CyberShot digital cameras and other Sony electronic devices. 
Memory Stick is only compatible with Sony digital cameras. That means if you have Memory Stick media for a camera and you decide to buy another brand of camera, the Memory Stick cards you own are not likely to work with the new camera. On the other hand, if you own other Sony devices, there might be benefits to owning Memory Stick. Sony MP3 players, PDA's and selected Sony Vaio computers also accept Memory Stick media. Memory Stick is available in capacities up to 256 MB, and Sony's new Memory Stick Pro is available in capacities up to one gigabyte. Secure Digital (SD) or Multimedia (MMC):The smallest available memory cards(postage stamp size), 
Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard memory allow for very small cameras and can also be used in selected PDAs, organizers, phones, and MP3 players. The current maximum capacity for Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard cards is 512 MB. The only difference between the two memory types is that Secure Digital cards have a write-protect switch for added data security. SD and MMC cards is that SD cards have a technology built-in to allow copyright protection. Compatible with most Canon, Kodak, Nikon and Konica Minolta SmartMedia (SM): The SM is being phased out but should be available for quite some time. Now very cheap, if you buy a digital camera using that type it's probably a good idea to stock up. The SmartMedia card is available in sizes between 2MB and 128MB. Compatible with most Fuji and Olympus cameras.
Don't forget to check out the deals of the week page from the most reliable online stores. Or return to Digital-Camera-Review-Online.com Home page.
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Buying Memory Cards Online
