They used to say about computer systems “good, fast, cheap: pick any two”. Until recently the same used to be true of camera memory. You could get “good” memory that was fast but not cheap or cheap memory that would last a lifetime but be very slow. A little while ago that all changed and now you can get pro spec, high spec memory at some very attractive prices.
Latest into the arena of “quality high speed memory at an affordable price” is PNY. Like a lot of digital memory suppliers, PNY have a history in computer RAM and peripheral cards. Their new Optima range is designed for a minimum write speed of 9MB/second, a read speed above 10MB/sec and up to 4GB capacity. There's also a five year warranty. In case none of that spec makes sense to you, it's pretty much identical to a SanDisk Ultra II card and we reckon the Ultra IIs are as much performance as most compact cameras can make use of right now. That would make the PNY Optimas a great candidate if you're looking for new memory.
Secure Digital cards are available in 1GB and 2GB sizes with an RRP of £15 and £44 respectively (OK their press release makes them a penny cheaper…). There will be an SDHC to follow by about March with a capacity of 4GB. Compact Flash cards come in 1, 2 and 4GB for £24, £44 and £80. Eighty quid for a 4GB memory card? I remember paying over £100 for a 512MB…
I'd better stress that these are RRPs because lots of people are discounting memory pretty heavily at the moment - shop hard and you'll find SanDisk Extreme IIIs for less than that but I'd expect street prices on the PNYs to be competitive.
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