Digital SLR Camera Memory Shopping Tips

Here are a few other pointers on buying camera memory:

• Remember, most cameras can use only one type of memory, so check your manual for specifics. You don’t have to buy any particular brand, though; it’s the card type that matters — CompactFlash, Memory Stick, and so on.
• Also, check your camera manual to find out the maximum capacity card
  it accepts. Some older cameras can’t use the new, high capacity cards.
• Memory cards come in a variety of “speeds.” No, this doesn’t mean how fast you can stick them into the camera and shoot (sorry, Quick Draw). Rather, it refers to how fast your images can be recorded on them and moved from them to the computer. This speed is specified on the card with a number and an “x” sign: 66x, 90x, 133x, and so on, with a higher number indicating a faster card. Card speed is especially important for cameras that can shoot lots of photos in quick succession; faster cards mean that you can keep shooting without any pauses. Of course, speed equates to cost: The faster the card, the more expensive it is.
  Before you buy, check to make sure that your camera is engineered to take advantage of the higher-speed cards (most point-and-shoot models are not). Also, understand that you probably won’t notice a difference unless you’re shooting at high resolutions — say, 5 megapixels or more. Finally, note that when it comes to how fast you can download images, the speed of the card isn’t the only factor; the capabilities of the card reader and your computer come into play as well.
• As with other commodities, you pay less per megabyte when you buy “in bulk.” A 2GB card costs less per megabyte than a 512MB card, for example.

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