Does A Fast Memory Card Matter For Your Digital Camera?

When you buy a new digital camera, they usually include a tiny memory card (e.g. Compact Flash or SD Card) that is big enough for you to immediately try out the camera and fill it with....5 pictures. For most cameras on the market, you will want to purchase a much larger memory card. These days, depending on the megapixel capabilities of your camera, I would suggest a minimum of 512MB or a 1GB card. On my 8 megapixel Canon 20D, my 1 GB card allows me to take about 230 pictures (in jpeg format) before I have to empty the card. Unless I'm specifically taking a day for improving my photography skills, that makes it very convenient to take the camera out for the day and usually not have to worry about running out of room on my card.

Memory cards (of which there are many different types) come in a variety of prices as well. Should you be spending the extra money for these "ultra fast" cards?

Here is a good article from BobAtkins.com that gives you a lot of information about memory cards for your digital camera including which cards to buy and which ones to avoid. Do you need a super fast (60x speeds and greater) card though? His tests show that for some cameras, it makes a huge difference but for others, the camera has a limit on its write speed that even slower cards (12x speeds) can may reacn. The article shows tests from four Canon cameras (the first number is the transfer speed of fast cards and the second is the transfer speed of slow cards):

• Canon Digital Rebel: Fast=1.4 MB/s Slow=1 MB/s


• Canon EOS 10D: Fast=1.4 MB/s Slow=1 MB/s


• Canon EOS 20D: Fast = 5 MB/s Slow=1 MB/s\


• Canon EOS 1Ds mark II = 7 MB/s Slow=1 MB/s

As you can see, if you have a Canon 10D, it might not be worth it to pay the extra money for a super fast card but for a 20D, it would be worth it. Check the specs on your camera to see if it makes sense for you. Of course, you may also decide to spend the extra money just to get a more reliable card. I use Sandisk Ultra II's and have been very happy with both their speed and reliability.