2 GB Ultra II Great for Point and Shoot
Written: Sep 19 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Still going after 2 years and over 8,000 photos
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Good for P&S under 6 MP.
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| andrevm's Full Review: SanDisk CompactFlash Ultra II (2 GB) (SDCFH-2048R) |
I purchased a SanDisk Ultra II 2 GB compact flash card for my first DSLR camera, a Canon 20D, back in 2005. The Canon is capable of shooting up to 5 frames per second continuously at 8 MP, or 3-5 MB per JPEG, or 6-8 MB per RAW photo. Thus, I wanted something faster than the basic 1 GB card I had since 2003 in my Canon point and shoot: a 4 MP G3.
While the Ultra II is indeed faster than the basic memory card from most manufacturers, the exact speed of recording and reading is highly dependent on the camera you have. For example, my Canon G3 would not be any better using this card as the processor wasn’t capable of compressing the JPEGs as fast at the card can write them.
That said, my 20D not only “licked its lips”, but actually desired even more speed! While shooting photos of dolphins in sport mode, I found myself filling the buffer often, and having to wait for the memory to store all the photos. This was later resolved by the purchase of an even faster flash card, the extreme III.
Nevertheless, I still use the Ultra II card for common trips. It’s been absolutely flawless, and I never lost a file. I even used the card to transfer other types of files between one computer and another.
I’ve read in many posts that it is good practice to format the card in the camera after each use (after saving the files to the PC). Supposedly, it prevents sectors in the memory from becoming corrupted. I’ve started this practice in the last 6 months or so, for both of my cards – both 2 GB.
I won’t specify exact numbers, as I mentioned above the results are dependent on the camera you have. This review is mostly about the card’s reliability after 2 years, and ease of use. In regards to reading the card, I use a SanDisk flash card reader via USB.
:-: Suggestions :-:
Basic P&S: buy one of this, 1-2 GB model
Fancy DSLR: splurge on a faster model, 2-4 GB
I’m against having one big flash card. If you loose it, that’s a lot of photos you just lost. It’s best to have 2-3 cards.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andrevm
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Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Reviews written: 121
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