jps246's Full Review: Memorex SmartMedia card (128 MB) (32502128)
If you are like me and you have SmartMedia devices, then you know that you want the biggest memory cards that you can get. Memorex offers this in a solid and affordable 128-megabyte card.
I have two digital cameras, one a 1.3 mega-pixel model and the other, my newer one, at 4 mega-pixels. Both are Olympus cameras (links below to reviews) and both use the SmartMedia format for image storage. For my older camera, the 64-megabyte and even the 16-megabyte SmartMedia cards were sufficient for most of my picture taking.
However, once I moved up to the 4 mega-pixel camera, it was obvious that neither of these sized chips were sufficient. For full resolution RAW images with a 4 mega-pixel camera, each image is about 10 to 12 megabytes in size. So with a 64-megabyte chip, you’ve only got space for five images at the moment. I rarely shoot in RAW mode, but even a high resolution JPG (one you would take for an 8x10 enlargement) will run anywhere from 5 to 10 megabytes depending upon the quality and type of image. You can quickly see that having 128-megabyte SmartMedia cards is a requirement for my new camera. So soon after purchasing the camera, I got myself a 128-megabyte chip from Sandisk and was quite happy with the storage potential. But soon I discovered that I still needed more space when I was in a situation where I would be taking many pictures (which is almost everywhere for me).
Where did you get it and what did it cost?
I like Sam’s Club, the wholesale arm of the Wal-Mart Corporation (well actually I like any wholesale club, but I have a membership to Sam’s and it is close-by). So I am there fairly frequently and I am constantly watching prices on various electronics. I had my eye on the 128-megabyte SmartMedia cards. At first they were running around $70 to $80 for a 128-megabyte chip, a few months later, it was $50 for the same card and a few months later, it was $39 for the same SmartMedia card. When the price hit that level, I picked up the card.
What does it hold and how does it work?
As I mentioned above, with my 4 mega-pixel camera, in RAW mode, a 128 megabyte SmartMedia card would hold about 11 images. In the various other resolutions, I can hold anywhere from 60 up to several hundred photos. However, if I am shooting in the uncompressed mode, or a higher resolution mode that I would need for enlargements, I need to have several memory cards with me because so few pictures can be held on each card. That was the main reason I ended up having to get a new card. In my old digital camera (which is 1.3 mega-pixel camera), I can fit several hundred standard quality images and even more at the lower resolution settings.
The speed of the recording to the memory card is fair. In my new digital camera, the lag time is significantly less than it had been in the older camera (probably due as much to the new camera as the to the memory card), even though the file sizes were larger. My best guess on saving speed would be about 5 seconds for a RAW image and 2 to 3 seconds in higher resolutions. Low resolutions are almost instantaneous. Downloads from the card to a computer are quick and snappy.
SmartMedia cards are also be used in MP3 players and other devices with a SmartMedia slot. At an average of 7 megabytes per MP3, you’d be able to fit about 18 songs (roughly a single CD’s worth) on a single 128-megabyte chip.
SmartMedia cards are also rugged and easy to transport. I have been working with them for over four years in various incarnations. I have never had a single one break or stop functioning on me. The Memorex SmartMedia card has already bounced around my backpack several times in some rainy and wet hikes, and sat in my car in the sun a few times and has come out no worse for the wear.
Well?
Because SmartMedia is one of the more limited flash memory devices on the market, it stands to reason that if you have devices that use it, you should be picking up as many of the 128-megabyte cards as you can as the prices continue to come down.
Memorex, with its 128-megabyte SmartMedia card, has made a reasonably priced and sturdy card that is well worth what you pay for it. And especially now when memory prices so low and chips hopping around like candy, there’s no good excuse for picking up several extra cards for your SmartMedia devices.
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