SanDisk 2GB SD Secure Digital Flash Memory Storage Card Review

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bkovacs
Annandale, VA

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Amazing value for digital camera memory

a digital camera geek, always wanting more memory, a techie

Pros

Inexpensive, Lots of memory, Plenty fast enough for video, Good brand

FEB

2008

I have a 10 megapixel digital camera and have it set to take pictures at maximum quality. I take a LOT of pictures, too. In addition, I often shoot video clips with my digital camera, as it does a pretty good job. However, the combination of big picture files plus video clips means that I go through a lot of camera memory. It's not unusual for me to fill up one 1GB chip and pop in another, and a 1GB chip can hold around 265 pictures from my camera.

I solved this problem by getting a SanDisk 2GB SD Card for my camera. I paid $20 at a Radio Shack but have since seen it for as little as $17 elsewhere.

What it is

SD stands for "Secure Digital," and it is probably the most popular format for portable, removable memory chips. Other formats used today include xD, Memory Stick and Compact Flash, but SD seems to be the most popular type. These memory types are not interchangable -- you can only use SD memory if your device has a slot for SD memory. Therefore, you should learn what type of memory your device uses before you go shopping.

An SD memory chip is about 1.25 inches long and about 0.9 inches wide. It is wafer thin and has a slide switch on one edge that can be used to prevent writing to the chip. On the back of the SD chip are nine copper contacts.

SD chips are available in capacities up to at least 8 GB. I have not seen a 16 GB SD chip but it wouldn't surprise me if one existed.

Using it

I use the SanDisk 2GB SD Card in my Canon PowerShot G7 camera. The chip fits in a slot under a door on the underside of the camera, and it is easily installed and removed. Once I have pictures on the chip, I pop it out of the camera and slip it into an inexpensive card reader so that I can move the files into my computer. (Card readers are the best way to move pictures into your computer. If you connect a cable to the camera to move the pictures into the computer, get a $12 card reader... it's much more convenient.)

SanDisk makes higher quality and faster SD chips than my standard 2GB chip but this one has worked perfectly for me. I've had no problems with it being too slow for my picture taking or for video clips. It might be too slow for an advanced digital SLR camera but it has worked perfectly for me.

Summary

For less than 20 bucks, the SanDisk 2GB SD Card is a bargain. If you look really hard, you may find it for as low as $15, which is a steal. I can get more than 500 very high resolution photos on this chip and it has not given me any problems in two months of heavy use. It is the perfect memory chip for any point-and-shoot digital camera that uses SD memory.

I recommend the SanDisk 2GB SD Card.

SanDisk 2GB SD Secure Digital Flash Memory Storage Card is recommended by bkovacs

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Comments about bkovacs’s Review

kid-kansas wrote on Feb 28, 2008 at 5:09PM

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In response to bkovacs's comment from Feb 28, 2008 at 12:45PM:

you're welcome, my old camera used a compact flash card and it was a pain in the butt!

bkovacs wrote on Feb 28, 2008 at 12:45PM

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In response to kid-kansas's comment from Feb 27, 2008 at 11:46PM:

I agree... it's only SD for me from now on. My wife has a camera with Compact Flash but even that seems to be fading away in popularity. Thanks for the comment!

--Bob

bkovacs wrote on Feb 28, 2008 at 12:44PM

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In response to SpokaneMan's comment from Feb 27, 2008 at 12:58PM:

I have other SanDisk memory cards and all have been perfect. One off-brand I have is a little flaky however... better stick to the good brands at these prices. Thanks for the comment!

--Bob

bkovacs wrote on Feb 28, 2008 at 12:43PM

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In response to mrkstvns's comment from Feb 27, 2008 at 9:52AM:

Yeah, Sony has a great reputation for fine products but it's affection for proprietary accessories is annoying. Using SD memory was a requirement when I shopped for a camera; I didn't want to get caught using xD or Memory Stick. Thanks for the comment!

--Bob

kid-kansas wrote on Feb 27, 2008 at 11:46PM

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I prefer the SD cards over the rest, mine is a 1gb and in 2 years has not given me one bit of trouble! ;) Ron

SpokaneMan wrote on Feb 27, 2008 at 12:58PM

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Sandisk is definitely one of those reliable companies when it comes to the SD cards.

mrkstvns wrote on Feb 27, 2008 at 9:52AM

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Every time I see the reasonable prices on SD memory I get SO angry at Sony for pushing their idiotic MemoryStick scheme which costs several times more but delivers no real performance benefit to the consumer. You're lucky to be able to use SD memory. I vow that my NEXT digital camera will use it too...

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Key Features	Type SD Card Capacity 2 GB
Miscellaneous	UPC 788821029355 Product ID 48637612
Product MPN	MPN SDSDB-2048-A11
Other Features	Operating Voltage 2.7 - 3.3 Volts
Dimensions	Width 32 mm Depth 24 mm Height 2.1 mm

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