What is the advantages/disadvantages of the different digital camera memory’s such as SD, MS/Pro, MMC, XD, and any other that might be out there?
Most point and shoot digitals use the SD (Secure Data) card because its small size allows the cameras to be made smaller.
Sony uses the Memory Stick because, well, they’re Sony, they like forcing you to use their own media. Same for Olympus with the XD cards.
My cameras (Canon Drebel and 20D) use the larger CF card.
Advantages:
CF: The contacts are within the card (pins are in the camera body). 8GB cards work in (most) cameras without a firmware upgrade
SD: Smaller, so cameras can be smaller.
Disadvantages:
CF: Bigger card, cameras can’t be as compact.
SD: Exposed contact points. 4GB and 8GB cards require firmware upgrades in some cameras.
I never used Memory Sticks or XD cards, though I notice that prices for XD cards run 15-20% more than other media.
For the consumer, aside from price, there’s not much difference.
CF: cheapest, has exposed pins that can get bent, physically larger
SD: almost as cheap as CF, physically smaller, no pins to bend, most common in use today
MemoryStick: Sony proprietary, most expensive
XD: used on Fuji and Olympus only, somewhat more expensive, not available in as large size as the others
There are some performance differences, but the reality is that most folks won’t notice the difference when using their cameras. I wouldn’t let the type of memory card used affect my choice of a camera if it really was what I wanted.
Just to clarify - the socket (slot) has pins, just like the PC card slot on laptops. I’m not sure if I’d call that “exposed.” I suppose the pins can get bent under unusual circumstances (e.g. you mash the card into the slot at an angle, or some debris falls into the slot), but I’ve been using cameras with CF slots for many years and I’ve never had that happen.
I have - my sister did it to her camera. If you plan to let children use it you may want to consider an SD based camera, since the connectors in an SD slot are more resistant to poor or forced insertion. Though, nowadays, it generally breaks down into SD for consumer and “prosumer” cameras, with CF being the mainstay of high-end digital SLR cameras.
I second the reservations about Memory Stick (Sony) and xD (Fuji or Olympus) based cameras - the cards are more expensive and it locks you into a brand of cameras.
Oh, from the OP’s list: MMC has been generally displaced by SD so you can mostly ignore that format.
Longer article on the specs for each type, from a Digital Camera review site:
I have seen damaged pins on two different CF devices - not cameras, as it happens, but the principle is the same - it’s reasonably difficult to insert the card at the wrong angle, but something must have happened to interfere with the alignment of the pins - they’re very small, delicate and closely-spaced, so something only has to go slightly wrong to make this happen.
Mainly for that reason, I prefer SD, with Memory Stick in second place.
Are the pins on the CF on the card or in the camera?
Thanks for the link JRDelirious lots of good stuff there.
The pins are in the camera (or other device) and they look something like this(when damaged) the card has a double row of very finely-spaced sockets.
Actually, the last Olympus I bought, 3 years ago, takes SD, XD and CF. There are 2 slots. One for the XD, and one for the other 2 (I think that’s the arrangement). Anyway, you end up with the ability to have 2 card in there at the same time. The only difference between how the camera treats the three is that you have to save to an XD card if you want to have the pictures autostitched into a panoramic picture.
As far as durability, that’s much less of an issue then it used to be. Unless I am taking lots of pictures without access to a computer, I almost never remove the memory card. Picture transfer is done via a USB cable.