Regardless of what digital camera you have or are buying, you'll need a reliable and substantial memory card. There are definitely a variety of brands. If your camera happens to call for a CompactFlash card (there are also kinds like SD/MMC, Memory Stick, and Smart Media) you can choose from brands like SanDisk, PNY, Lexar and even Sony. The fact is that eventually all cards will go belly up. It just depends on how many writes you get out of a given product. If you buy a cheap CompactFlash card you may not get long out of it. If you buy a better brand (like those mentioned) you will probably have better luck.

When I got my own fancy digital camera (Canon Digital Rebel with additional lenses and the like) I knew I needed a large CompactFlash card. At the time 2GB cards were still a bit too pricey so I went with a 1GB card and have been pleased with my purchase since. My choice was the Lexar Platinum 1GB model with a 40x speed. My camera writes at reasonably high quality and with high megapixels therefore it takes a lot of space per photo. I have found that this 1GB model holds almost 300 photos. This is important because I hate changing the card. Yeah, I have another, but imagine being in a situation like a wedding where you want lots of consecutive photos. It is not fun to stop, open your camera bag and dig out another card.

There's not much to say about this Lexar Platinum CompactFlash card. It does work and it has continued to work over the course of some 8000 photos. I have also tested it in my Canon video camera and it also works nicely for still pictures. The card is packaged as you'd expect. It comes complete with its own small translucent plastic case. The card and case are the only things in the packaging.

Lexar says that the 40x card is high-speed with write acceleration technology. It does seem to write very quickly with little pause between photos--in fact I can snap five pictures very quickly and it is only after the fifth picture that it takes extra time to write. I can attest to the fact that it works well in Canon products at least. I've also pulled it out and it works well in my card reader and in both Canon and Hewlett Packard printers. The thing I like about CompactFlash is that it seems somehow sturdier than some other smaller-sized varieties. I feel more comfortable handling it. Considering I'm clumsy and often break expensive gadgets this is important to me.

A limited lifetime warranty comes with the Lexar Platinum 40x CompactFlash card. I don't expect to ever need to use it. When it breaks it will be from use, not because of design or manufacturing faults.

There are definitely both cheaper and more expensive cards out there. Some may work better while others worse. This particular card works well and has never gone belly up while I am busy taking pictures at family functions, in the dead of winter, or at the amusement park. I like it. It was relatively inexpensive. Heck, you can pick your own up now for less than $60 with a little research and effort. It is a good solution for both hobbyists and professionals.

Recommended: Yes

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