IBM's 340MB Microdrive is what everyone dreams of when it comes to storage on a digital camera. This is a CompactFlash Type II Microdrive so you will need a CompactFlash Type II slot. (CF Type II) It is also compatible with PCMCIA Type II but you will have to get an adapter to use it. (You cannot use it in a single CompactFlash Type I slot.)
This is great storage not only for the digital camera but also for laptops, MP3 players, PDAs and other portable handheld devices.
The 340MB Microdrive is 1.7 inches by 1.4 inches and is only 5.0mm thick. This is a small drive that only weighs 16 grams. This is really a small hard drive!
Prices list it for $399, shop around I found one for $234.
Cameras that can use the Microdrive
Not all digital cameras with a CF Type II card slot will work. Here is a listing of digital cameras that were tested by IBM. There are other digital cameras not listed that seem to work well with it, so you will have to be the judge if your camera is not listed.
Cannon: Powershot Pro70, Powershot S10, Powershot S20 and Pro90.
Casio: QV-2000UX/Ir and QV-3000EX
Fujifilm: S1
Hitachi: MP-EG10W
Kodak: DCS315
Minolta: RD-3000
Sanyo: VPC-SX500
Performance
The IBM 340MB Microdrive has a significant performance over current flash memory, it has a data rate exceeding 3 to 4 MB a second.
Now the Microdrive seems to be about 1 to 2 seconds slower than the CompactFlash cards when opening an application file. Most people will never notice any difference.
Writing and transferring files seems to be the best in performance for the Microdrive.
Overall
It seems to be a reliable storage device, I have only used one in a Cannon Powershot S10 and I was very impressed with it. It showed that it could take 848 photos in the fine mode of 1600 x 1200, that is a lot of photos. Now as far as using it on other devices, I cannot help you with.
It does seem to eat your batteries quicker than the CompactFlash cards and you have to be careful not to drop it, it could damage it.
My experience with it, makes it one of the best storage devices for a digital camera if your camera can use one.
IBM also has a 1 gigabyte version out if you need even more storage.
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