Popular Science Gift Review - Digital camera memory cards

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Gift Review - Digital Camera Memory Cards

Digital cameras have transformed photography. They're more flexible, they're easier - and you can take as many pictures as you like. At least you can if you don't run out of space. Most cameras come with a pathetically small memory card - yet extra memory is now remarkably cheap. So why not make a gift of extra memory (and at risk of being twee, of extra memories).

Before rushing out to buy, though, check which kind of memory the person you are buying for requires. There are five, totally different and incompatible types. Our featured card is in the tiny Secure Digital/Multimedia format, but see below for all types (note Smartmedia not available in the same large capacity as other types).

You also need to decide how big a card to buy - the bigger, the better within your price limits. As a rough guide, with a 5 megapixel camera you will get around 800 top quality pictures on a 2 gigabyte card. (The more megapixels, the less photos in the same space.)

Memory cards come in a bewildering range - make sure you get the right type. The most popular SD cards, for instance, now have mini and micro versions. See below for some of the most common types:

Mini SD 2 Gb:

Micro SD 2 Gb:

Compact Flash 2 Gb:

Memory stick Pro Duo 2 Gb:

Memory stick Micro M2 2 Gb:

xD 2 Gb:

Want more memory still, or a cheaper, smaller card? Many card formats go up to 8 Gb - click through to the relevant type of card, then scroll down to the bottom of the page to browse to similar types.

Gift category - bargain

Reviewed by Brian Clegg

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