Memory Cards

Image by Brent and MariLynn via Flickr

Most new digital cameras today don’t come with memory cards (or if they do, they’re so small that they’re practically useless). The most popular format for point-and-shoot cameras is the SD/SDHC memory card, but if you don’t know your SD from your SDHC, SDXC, microSD, etc., then check out this short primer from Derrick Story of MacWorld. He provides a brief rundown of the various SD-type formats, as well as recommendations on how much storage you need for various camera uses, plus speed and class rating information.


Cutting to the chase, Story basically concludes that you don’t have to worry about speed or class unless you’re shooting in burst mode or video (or need to download images fast), and he suggests these general guidelines for choosing card capacity:

If you shoot Jpeg only: 2-4GB

If you primarily shoot in Raw mode: 4-8GB

If you shoot Jpeg and video: 4-16GB

If you shoot Raw and video: 8-32GB
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