Digital Camera Memory Card Buying Guide

For centuries cameras have been cumbersome and inconvenient to use, requiring the user to buy extra film, load it perfectly, and then drive out and pay someone to develop the film. Finally cameras users can say goodbye to all the hassles with digital cameras. Digital cameras have no film to load or develop, just point and click and your images will be stored on a small card within the camera called an sd memory card.

The card

The memory card is a tiny 1 in by 1.5 in plastic card with metal circuits on it. Unlike camera film the memory card is reusable. It can be used repeatedly for years without giving out if properly cared for. When film is developed you are left with negatives that take up space and must be very well protected for them to last any length of time. This is not the case with the memory card; once the pictures are taken they can be downloaded onto your computer for permanent storage.

Your pictures can be downloaded directly from your camera using a docking station or a cable connected to your computer. You can also take the card out and put it directly into most computers to download the images. Memory cards are now cheap enough that you can store your pictures on the cards instead of your computer if you would prefer to. If you chose to store your pics on the card you can print pictures from the camera using a cable or by taking the card out and putting it in the printer slot.

Because of the versatility of these powerful little cards digital cameras have become very popular. There are many different brands of cameras and just as many if not more brands and types of memory cards. They include xd picture card, mmc cards,sd memory cards, memory stick, smartmedia, compact flash, and memory stick pro.

Having so many options can make it quite difficult to chose the right card for your camera. Before you make a choice check your manual or camera to see what card types are compatible with your camera. If your camera can support multiple formats go for the one that has the most space for the smallest price. Also look at the speed of the card and don’t buy a speed higher than your camera can use. Cards are rated by their speed and cost more as the speed goes up. If you buy a card faster than your camera uses you will waste your money and camera still won’t be able to use it.