Digital Camera Must-Have
Written: Dec 13 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing storage for the size
Cons: Uses more power than regular flash cards
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| mikej165's Full Review: IBM MicroDrive |
The IBM Microdrive is probably the most important technology that you've never heard of. As handheld devices and cameras increase in importance and capabilities, larger and larger storage will be required; while you may not have already heard about it you soon will.
Contained in a package the size of a matchbook is a miniature hard drive the size of a quarter. IBM offers these drives in 170, 340, 512 and 1 Gigabyte(!) capacities. I recently purchased a 340 megabyte unit for my new 3Megapixel digital camera and have never looked back.
Digital camera users will undoubtedly want one of these drives if they move up to a 2 or 3 megapixel device. Instead of storing dozens of pictures you can store hundreds. In fact, it is reasonable to assume that an entire vacation's worth of pictures can be stored on this drive without ever offloading the pictures during the trip.
There isn't a lot you can say about a device that has no switches, lights, bells or whistles: it simply plugs into your camera or handheld and runs. (If one listens closely you can actually hear the drive operating.)
If you have the need for dramatically increased capacity for your handheld or digital camera, I highly recommend this drive. Before you buy, I have three recommendations.
First, make sure your device has the ability to accept Compact Flash type II cards. These are slightly taller than their type I counterparts and won't fit into the older slots.
Second, the Microdrive uses more power than a flash card. That hard drive platter doesn't spin by itself: it uses power from your camera's batteries. If you have a camera that sucks batteries very, very fast you may not want to buy one of these. I estimate that battery life when using the Microdrive is about 25% less than when not using it. For me, the convenience of large-scale storage outweighs this.
Third, the cost for these units varies quite considerably. The suggested retail for the 340MB unit is $499. Don't pay that, or anything close to it. I just purchased mine for $250 and have seen the 1Gig units advertised for as little as $450. Shop around and save. Take a look at mysimon.com or CNET's Shopper. You'll save plenty.
The IBM Microdrive is close to the perfect storage device for your digital camera or handheld. With prices coming down there has never been a better time to own one. I heartily recommend it to those who need the extra capacity it affords.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mikej165
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Member: Michael Johnston
Location: Long Island, New York
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 8 members
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