Attached Link: http://www.lexar.com/digfilm/index.html

"How many pictures will it store?" It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I asked a person who worked in the memory industry for over 7 years to help clarify this perplexing question. I wanted to know how many photos could be fit on a 2GB CF card. I see they recently came out with an 8GB, I'm dreaming of that one! :) The 2GB compactflash card, like most 2000MB cards, will store on average 2275 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 1706 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 1024 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 819 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 640 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera. I hope that anyone considering a bigger storage card finds this useful. Remember, the larger the card, the more you pay, the more of an investment it is. Spend a little more for a better card, you'll be glad of it in the long run for the peace of mind it provides.

Attached Link: http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&folderPath=%252Fhgst%

I'm waiting for this one to come out ! He He I'm only kidding imagine a fault developing on that when you have shot that many pics. Maybe useful for the pro's with their 250Mb images but not for me. It is a more expensive way to go but there is something to be said for having a couple of smaller cards rather than one large one. Something about eggs in baskets springs to mind :)

The question is so complex because each camera compresses the Jpeg image differently. The 10D (6.3MP) will store approx 800 Max size best quality Jpeg images and 240 RAW data files on a 2 Gig card. The bottom line is that it is the amount of compression that any said camera uses determines the storage capacity rather than the amount of pixels. Therefore it is only possible to give approximate storage values.

Right. And it will vary possibly depending on your subject matter as well especially when you take more photos. I also agree about eggs in one basket. If I move up to the 2GB, I'd still keep my other 2 just in case. That is why it is important to get a good one, definately not a SanDisk. ;]

Message edited on: 04/08/2005 14:48

Kort Agree as you said only an estimate - but a useful guide non the less and thanks :) Just on a side note here - have you any idea how long a card lasts for ? Nothing last forever, so what would be considered a good life for a memory card ? He asked while pushing the sandisk under the blotter - lol Richard.

Gulp...I just ordered a 4 gig Lexar...also depends as Kort mentioned on subject matter...and ISO, the higher ISO, more bytes...I know on my 1 gig, I can fit about 120-130 RAW's...(1D mkii (8.2)

Peronally, I prefer CF to Microdrives...just my pref...will tell you in two yrs time how long they last....hehe

Message edited on: 04/08/2005 15:54

The low end ones are guaranteed for 5 years..., the high end Lexar are limited lifetime. I'd say you'd be lucky to get 5 years, and by then you'd be upgrading anyway. :) I have heard bad things about the reliability of SanDisk CF cards. I've never had any type of media card fail me, so I think if they are not abused they should last quite a while. --Kort

Yep to all the caveats. My 1GB card will nominally store 339 jpgs of the highest quality at 5MP. I still haven't filled it up, so I don't know. :-)

I have a half gig (512mb) CF card for my G6. I get about 150 pix on the highest Jpg setting with 7.1 mp! I agree with Onslow about having a couple of cards....hate to have one card that "goes funky" and then not be able to take pix! So far so good...but I am planning on investing in a 1 gig'er soon!

Message edited on: 04/08/2005 18:03

Anyone who could afford it, a Phototainer is a great solution...just d/l the CF onto it, format and start again...invaluable!

What's a phototainer??

Its a portable device, ie, hard drive with 3 inch screen for playback...for d/l'ing cards, mp3's, video etc...Comes in 20, 40, 80 gig sizes...great for a days shooting...;)

Yes those numbers are quite accurate but also think that the more detail etc can effect the file size so that is why the figures can seem to vary one point to bear in mind these devices unlike the Phototainer Jim has are liable to get corrupted more easily and you could lose hundreds of images unless you are able to salvage them.. for this reason I prefer to use smaller sized CF cards I gig max I would only consider one if I used a 8megapix camera and above maybe cos I was used to the 36 limitation of film but 100 images is enough and they are easy to change and be ready to roll again Yes my Micro drives also appear to be very reliable two years old and never one foul up

Mmmmh! I'm afraid I didn't get all that! Would be real cool if u guys could actually type the words in full cos for beginners like myself, this is kinda Chinese! LOL! Danny, what's a Micro drive??

Dan...not corrupted...yet!!...best on the market by any standards :)

Ooooh...I love it when You Guys talk all Technical...it makes My Garters Twang...sigh

Attached Link: http://cameras.about.com/cs/digitalcamera101/a/glossary.htm

@pascale CF = compact Flash...type of memory for some cams a microdrive is like a mini hardrive that some cams can use! They offer higher capacity storage! (which equals more pix) Checkout the link for some other terms that may be helpful! L8r! Joe

Joe, u're a star! Thx a bunch! :D

Here is how I do it...I go to the store...buy the one with the non software issue. I think after 1 gig you need to run something to make it work and can lose it all if you screw up. So....I buy a few 1 gig cards. I know how many images it will hold when it says full and I have to put a new card in. Cards and batteries...always keep a few. It's just that easy!

Exactly! That's how I do it too! I have 3 memory cards and 2 batteries! It takes 2 and half seconds to change it! U guys are SO lazy! ;P

Joe, it's not "like" mini hard drive. It is a mini hard drive, in the format of a thicker Compact Flash card. (CF Type II, to be precise.) And what's funny, the biggest microdrive I saw was 2.2 GB, while the biggest CF is 4GB. The problem with microdrives is that they draw more power, so your batteries might get empty much quicker. BTW, the original MicroDrive was done by IBM and had 380 MB.

pascale: guess its a guy thing :).....hehe

LOL! Well, Doug is a guy as far as I know (r u dear?) and he does it like that too so I guess some are better than others huh! ;P Hehe!

Attached Link: 8GB Lexar CF

Just to clarify, the largest CF right now is 8GB. But at the current $2000, I think I'll be sticking with something smaller, and my cam doesn't support anything 4GB and up anyway. I also can't take advantage of the Write Acceleration technology, so I'll stick to the cheaper 12x cards, that max out at 1GB.

My current CD and xD cards are 256MB each, so I get around 90 JPEG photos on each before I need to clear them and start fresh, and have been working well so far. I'm definately going to look into a 1GB CF soon though.

Yeah, it's a guy thing. ;]

Message edited on: 04/09/2005 03:16