I got my card online for $62 (shipping and tax included) and hope to get $10 back via a mail-in rebate. It is a more expensive card, but cheaper per megabyte than the 512-MB cards.
Construction
Just as my previous Kingston SD cards (as well as Sandisk 512 MB SD card, but unlike Lexar SD card), this card came with a semi-transparent case made of plastic - a useful item for card storage. The SD card itself seems to be well-built, but, as with any electronic device, I would not recommend to put it in extreme weather conditions or apply strong bending forces to it. I normally keep it in an internal pocket of my camera bag or in the camera itself.
The card has size that is standard for SD cards - 24mm x 32mm x 2.1mm.
Write Protection
The card has a mechanical switch that provides write protection. I never use since it is pretty difficult to erase all pictures at once or format the card in my camera accidentally. Also, after I fill one card with photos, I remove it and store in the aforementioned translucent case thereby avoiding the danger of deleting images unintentionally.
While the card is in use, I keep it in my camera most of the time, sometime placing it in its protective case. I transfer pictures to my computer as soon as feasible. I used to use the USB port of the camera to transfer the photos to my computer. But now I use the card reader as it is much faster.
Speed
The card provides transfer rates of up to 8.2 MB/s for read operations and up to 7.7 MB/s for writing (about 61x). Using the card with my 5-Megpixel Panasonic FZ5 in its TIFF mode, in which the files are 14 MB each, I saw a meaningful difference with the, supposedly standard but really fast, Sandisk card.
The 14-Megabyte TIFF file took 3-4 seconds to write, whereas the Sandisk was about 1 second slower (4-5 seconds). And the standard Lexar 512MB SD card took 5-6 seconds.
I did some tests in my card reader (Dazzle 8-in-1 USB 2.0 Hi-Speed). The result was interesting. This high-speed Kingston 1GB SD card was very similar in performance to the standard SanDisk 512MB SD card, but just a little slower reading files.
I estimate that the read speed was about 4.5 MB/s and write speed was about 3 MB/s. For comparison, the Sandisk card did slightly better at 5 MB/s and 3 MB/s. But at the same time, my camera can write slightly faster on this Kingston card. Strange.
But it is clearly superior to the standard Lexar card, which could only write at 1.7 MB/s and read at 4.5 MB/s.
Capacity
At 1 GB, the card fits about 1100 2-Megapixel pictures in Fine mode or 380-400 5MP photos in Fine mode. Using TIFF, I can fit about 72 14-Megabyte photos.
Warranty
The card came with lifetime warranty. Although it is good to have this kind of warranty, I am sure than you will be able to buy 8 Gb card for peanuts in a couple of years from now. And the warranty will not help you if your valuable photos are lost. Therefore, backup is essential. As soon as feasible, I copy my photos to my computer and burn them on CDs or DVD.
Durability
Since the card has no moving parts, I expect high reliability and durability, especially taking into account the fact that I don’t abuse it. My previous cards, for instance, have no signs of use on the exterior and work as well as new (I sold some of them for close to or more than what I paid for them).
Uses
The card can be used in devises that accept Secure Digital cards (e.g. digital still cameras, Panasonic e-wear cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, etc.) Currently, more manufacturers are switching to Secure Digital cards, thereby indicating that SD is superior technology. Even Canon is switching to SD in their PowerShot line (their SD line or Digital Elph cameras and upcoming Canon S2 IS).
You can also use it for backups or data storage/transfer using a memory card reader.
The SD cards are also cheaper than some other media types (xD cards used in Fuji/Olympus cameras as well as Sony Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo).
Bottom Line
The Kingston Elite Pro 1GB Secure Digital Card is an inexpensive, good and very fast SD card. I highly recommend it.
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