Memory-Card Reviews

Don't pay more than $2 per megabyte for Compact Flash. That's the sweet point. If you don't find it for $2/MB then keep shopping. This is NOT the best price.

I have had no problems with the Delkin card. I purchased a Sandisk card and found that my camera would not recognize it. The Delkin card dropped in without any compatability problems. The lifetime warranty is also very attractive. This is also the best price overall that I have found.

I've checked out quite a few places on-line, looking for a 16mb CompactFlash memory card for my new digital camera. I saw the CEO of Amazon.com talking on a television show about the recent launch of the Electronics section here. So I stopped by and found this price to be the lowest!

Where is the USB compatibility that all the other cards have?

This is a great card adapter. The user who thought it would convert an xD card to a Compact Flash was misinformed and their rating should be held against this product. This card allows you to put your xD or SmartMedia memory card into your PCMCIA-equipped laptop to transfer pictures, etc. It works great and is highly recommended for the price. A rock-solid product in my opinion.

I purchased the Fujifilm XD Picture Card PC Adapter (DPC-AD) and use it with both my laptop and dvd player.

While this is a very functional card, it is not as fast as one might wish for. When I purchased the 192 Meg. card from Kodak, there was no way to determin its speed. As I said, I have "smaller" though faster cards. It does it's job, though not as fast as others

This card works fine, but here is the bitter truth.

The core of all the cards (known in technical terms as the "controller") are made by only a few DRAM manufacturers. Those handful of DRAM manufacturers then sell the "controllers" to the major flash card manufacturers (i.e. SanDisk, Kodak, Olympus, and Viking). The flash card manufacturers then simply throw some plastic casings on the controllers, slap on a label, and ship the cards. As long as the flash card manufacturer is reputable, has a good warranty, and has been around for over 5 years; you will be just fine.

What I am trying to get at? I simply want to make it clear that you should not buy a card based solely on the fact it is made by Kodak. Check the pricing against the other major manufacturers (i.e. SanDisk, Viking, etc.) and then make your decision.

This a great way to get lots of picturs. I think for how much they charge its worth it. This card can hold 200 4 star pitchers.

Better option to buy Lexar Media 256 MB USB 12X High-Speed CompactFlash Card (CF256-12-251). This new card is 12X v/s 4X and also cheaper !! Why buy a slower card and also pay more ?

This was a great CF card at the time. I had found a rebate for it, so the final price ended up being only $... So at the time, it was very cheap and very high capacity CF card. I use it mainly in my PDA, a Toshiba e740. It works like a charm, from the moment I put it in until now it has always worked perfectly. I only had one mishap with it since I bought it. When taking it out, I managed to drop it into a glass of Coke. After drying it out, it did not work at all. I then called Lexar, and they were gracious enough to replace the card no question asked. Wow, great service! I on a regular basis stream mp3's and movies off of this card and have never noticed a speed problem. The only main complaint I have about it is, when ever I try to copy large content on to the card, it takes a while. But just go watch some TV, by the next commercial; an 180meg file would have already been copied.

All in all, I have been very satisfied with it, and would recommend it. But try to wait for a rebate if you can, because they show up all the time.

I had bought the 64 mg Lexar compact flash at Best Buy along with my Kodak DC3400 camera. The price was way more than for this. (but then CF are cheaper now) With the 64 MG, there has always been problems with errors when downloading pictures. My thought of buying Lexar again wasn't high on the list but the price and rebate looked too good to pass up. After using it for a week with hundreds of pics taken, I am concluding that it is wonderful! My camera gets 415 pictures to the best pic mode. It is so wonderful to just use one card during an outing.

Pros:
Excellent accuracy. On-screen maps. Waterproof and floats. Rugged. Big buttons. SD cards (add a card reader and save hours).

Cons:
Big & heavy. Buttons too easy to press accidentally. Serial connection (serial?! why not USB?). Screen hard to read in shadows. Messy menu navigation.

On a like-for-like comparison to other mapping handheld GPS this gets 5-stars. On the basis of what it could have been had Magellan really thought it through, it gets 2-stars.

I'd say this (and others like it) are the last of the 2nd generation GPS. Good for their time, but rapidly being obsoleted by developments in other areas. Expect to see a switch to a variety of GPS/PDA/phone/bluetooth/radio combos with much better integration into the wireless PC world coming in the next product cycle.

This was my first GPS. I ended up returning it. Here is my experience:
Cons:
(1) Difficult to use for driving even though it received signals very well. When I bought it I thought it was voice prompted. Actuall it was audio prompted, meaning that it beeps when it thinks you should make a turn.
(2) Rerouting is not automatic. You have to press a button. That's not convenient.
(3) screen is small and black and white. Looks primitive. For $450, I thought it should be better than that.

Pros:

(1) Does have detailed street level info when you load the CD.

The Meridian (h/w)/Direct Route (s/w) combination is the best value going today. It does *not* provide voice directions, but can be set to an audible beep when a turn approaches if desired. It is not color, but color does not really add much to a GPS anyway (and consimes more battery power), it is the resolution that counts and the Meridian is more than adequate.

The nice thing about this GPS is that you can use it in your car for turn-by-turn navigation, while hiking in the woods to keep track of where you are and how to get back, as well as on your bicycle etc. There are better specialized GPS units available (for instance ones for use specifically in a vehicle), but they lack the flexibility of the Meridian to use where you want to use it.

Finally, the Meridian can hold a lot of street level detail through the use of SD cards, where most, if not all, of the competition can only use the built-in memory supplied with the unit. I think you will find this to be a huge advantage when you find out how much you can store on these cards, and how limiting the built-in memory is.

...P>- Has issues with Windows 98, even with downloaded drivers from PNY's website. Windows 98 would "lose" the drive, i.e., not recognize/detect it after a period of usage. Tried the reader with other Windows 98 machines: got the same problems.

- Works perfectly with Windows XP. Installed quickly. No drivers necessary. True Plug and Play bliss.

- Functional, but ugly. ...P>Anyway, just a caveat emptor to Windows 98 users: you may want to look at another vendor for your CompactFlash needs.

I purchased the PNY USB Compact Flash Card Reader at Best Buy... After installing it on my Windows 98 system, the card reader behaved erratically, crashing the system or making the drive disappear from the system (in other words, Windows 98 suddenly can't detect it anymore). Even downloading updated drivers from PNY's website did not work.

To be consistent, I tried the reader with two other Windows 98 machines and got the same problems. Interestingly enough, it works very well with Windows XP systems (no drivers are needed for installation - true Plug and Play at last!).

The transfer rate of the reader is the standard USB 1.1 rate: about 1.5 Megabits per second, slightly faster than a zip drive, since the card reader and media have no moving mechanical parts.

Side note: I was about to give up on getting any flash media and readers whatsoever since I use Windows 98 a lot. However, I have used two other flash products (Sandisk's 128 MB Cruzer using SecureDigital media and JungSoft's 128MB solid-state drive) with no problems on both Windows 98 and XP.

So, caveat emptor: if you're using Windows 98, you may want to look for a reader from a different vendor. If you're using XP (I have not tested the product with Windows ME) and don't mind USB 1.1 transfer rates, the PNY USB reader is an inexpensive solution.

P.S. I gave the product three stars because given the smooth designs of other available products (SanDisk's Cruzer comes to mind), the reader looks an oversized, uninspiring lump of flattened coal (Uh, PNY, hello? Other companies have already done the market research for you: people like silver.) A CompactFlash card is not that large; PNY should have designed a more compact (intended word use) reader that won't burst the seams of my shirt pocket.

Though you need the drivers on the enclosed CD if you have Windows 98, for other operating systems this self-installs when you attach it to a USB port and shows up as a removable drive. Then you can copy files from your CF card at USB speeds. An extension USB cord is included if necessary, but if you have easily accessible USB ports you can just plug it in directly. It's the next best thing to having a built-in CF card reader.

The camera locks up when recording, and it's already fallen outside of it's 90 day parts warranty.

I can't find much out about what's wrong on the Internet, and of course, since most of these types of repairs can cost nearly as much as what the camera cost, it's turning into an expensive paperweight.

This camera has disappointed me because I couldn't take movies of my Kauai trip.

I purchased this camcorder about 2 months back. Thought I'd share my experience with all. Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase.

''''''''''''''''LIKES :)'''''''''''''''
1. 680,000 PIXEL CCD
Camcorders at this price range (atleast the better brands) typically have 390,000 or 460,000 pixels. In a MiniDV camcorder, the number of pixels on each CCD significantly affect the video quality. So this one with 680,000 pixels should give you noticeably better video quality than others

2. IMAGE STABILIZATION AND PICTURE EFFECTS
It is surprising how much shake comes into a video even with what I thought was a steady hand at 10x Zoom. Image stabilization can make that shot much more viewable. The nice thing is that you can apply stabilization either while recording or playing it back. The other effect I use a lot is the Fade effect, to seperate different sequences of video

3. AUDIO EFFECTS AND ZOOM MIC
I like to be able to cut out the background noise caused by the wind howling. Also, in relatively quiet conditions, the Zoom Mic can filter out the ambient noise and try to make the sound (from the area you are zooming into) more prominent. Cute!

4. POWERFUL LIGHT
I found this to be quite useful. Digital photography products generally struggle in low light conditions, so this was a must have feature for me. And while it would certainly take up more battery power, my batteries didnt seem to drain out very quickly either

5. WEB CAM MODE
You can also use this as a Web Cam. I've never used this mode but expect it will do as well as any dedicated Web cam in the market

6. DECENT LCD
Though not exactly great when in bright outdoor conditions, the LCD is about as good or better when compared to other camcorders in the market

7. REMOTE - EASE OF USE; and RELIABLE
I found this camcorder to be easy to use. The remote helps playback / operate from a distance. The Camcorder has good build quality and that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling

''''''''''''''''DISLIKES :(''''''''''''''''
1. OPTICAL ZOOM - 10x
I think Optical Zoom is one feature which you can never have enough of! 10x is decent and useful, but frankly, there are tons of models there that offer 20x+. Though I would certainly love more zoom, be warned that the more the zoom, the more the shake that gets into the video; and the lower the picture quality (because there is lesser light incident on the lens). I never use Digital Zoom so Optical Zoom is all the zoom I've got

2. USB CONNECTION AND STILL PHOTO MODE
This has its caveats. Yes, you can transfer videos using the USB 1 connection, but its just not practical. One second of video takes 40 seconds to get downloaded onto the computer (because USB 1 has a bandwidth of only 12 Mega bits per second). Also, you can download only 1 minute of video at a time (which will take you 40 minutes anyway). Just not practical!
I wonder if Panasonic will be upgrading these models with USB 2 support soon - that will be good - its 40 times faster!
Regarding the still photo mode, I was disappointed. I thought 1.3 Megapixels (albeit interpolated) would give me decent shots, but it doesnt. Take others advise and plan on using a [good] camera for stills, they'll leave this for dead. And dont get impressed by the Memory Card feature - its not very useful to have poor quality shots caught on the card.

3. FIREWIRE TRANSFER LIMITATION
Honestly, I don't know how many people would use this feature to store / process their digital recordings. In case you are like me and intend doing so once DVD Writers are cheaper (so that you can dump about 1 hour of video after doing the necessary modifications on 1 DVD), there's a caveat. The firewire transfer mode only does 3 minutes of video at a time. I don't know about other digital camcorders, but this sounds like a trivial irritation

''''''''''''''''MUST HAVE ADD-ONS :O''''''''''''''''
1. MORE BATTERY
The battery that comes with the camera is good for about 40 minutes of Video - with LCD usage and Zooming. I found this out the hard way - the very next day I bought this camcorder, I went out on a cruise by the San Francisco Bay to watch the 4th of July Celebrations. I had captured details of the Alcatraz; and after waiting out in the cold for 3 hours, the fireworks finally started. And as Murphy would have warned, the battery gave way immediately! :'(
You've been warned. There's a decent Panasonic battery that I purchased for [a moderate amount]- that gives me about 2 hours more. Must buy!

2. VIDEO CASSETTES
These days you can buy a 60 minute cassette for [a small price], you'll need them as long as you don't start burning your videos onto DVD

3. FIREWIRE CARD and DVD WRITER
To burn videos onto DVD. I'll probably wait for DVD technologies to stabilize and prices to drop - maybe a year or two before I buy these

4. CARRYING CASE

5. OPTICAL LENS
I haven't done this yet, but am planning on buying a 2x Telephoto Zoom lens and a Wide angle lens. This way, I get to overcome my main gripe with this camcorder - the 10x zoom

This is an excellent Digital Cam. It has great features that are easy to use. Also, the quality is very good. The only negative is the slow digital picture taking between clicking and being to take another picture. I have owned this camera since it came out. I use it alot and never had any problems with quality or functionality.

This thing is a piece of junk. Who need 8 mb. You can fit like 2 songs with 8mb. Don't get this please. I beg you.

As the previous reviewer noted, 8 meg isn't enough to be useful in an MP3 player. However, the format was designed to be used WITH DIGITAL CAMERAS, not with MP3 players. On my 1.3 megapixel digital camera, an 8 mb card holds around 25 pictures -- just like a roll of film. If you have an older digital camera (Phillips ESP80, Ricoh RDC-4300, Fuji DX-7, and a bunch of others), 8 MB is the biggest card you can use (the cameras won't recognize bigger cards), so this card is an appropriate choice. If your camera's at least 2 years old, check your manual to see the biggest card you can use. If you have a newer camera, however, the $$ per meg is much more attractive with a 16 or 32 meg card.

I title this review tongue in cheek. I agree that not much can be done with 8mb's these days, UNLESS one has a piece of equipment that can only accomodate an 8mb card. And yes I have such a piece of equipment. When I purchased my digital camera, 8mb was it...a year later Olympus offered to upgrade my camera's hardware to accomodate a 16mb card but at a substantial price that I am not willing to pay. I bought my camera because of the glass optics. It once was top of the line and it still continues to take good pictures. So for me finding an 8mb card is worth 5 stars. If I had a brand new MP3 player then I would not even consider an 8mb card. But I don't so I did...

I have a Kodak DC3400. It only has 8MB memory so I could only take about 11 pictures. Now I can take about 40. It is great!

This card works fine, but here is the bitter truth.

The core of all the cards (known in technical terms as the "controller") are made by only a few DRAM manufacturers. Those handful of DRAM manufacturers then sell the "controllers" to the major flash card manufacturers (i.e. SanDisk, Kodak, Olympus, and Viking). The flash card manufacturers then simply throw some plastic casings on the controllers, slap on a label, and ship the cards. As long as the flash card manufacturer is reputable, has a good warranty, and has been around for over 5 years; you will be just fine.

What I am trying to get at? I simply want to make it clear that you should not buy a card based solely on the fact it is made by Kodak. Check the pricing against the other major manufacturers (i.e. SanDisk, Viking, etc.) and then make your decision.

I purchased this card after going through several downloads of my 8mg card for my DC3400. This has been an excellent card that has given me no problems!

It's even taken a spill or two and it's still working without any glitches. If you need quality and durability with high quality downloads then this card is for you!

Several Major Problems
1.The smart media card tends to drop inside the device- there is nothing to hold it in place.
2. Tended to scratch the media card.
3. Failed to read the card about half the time

I had the same problem with the card dropping inside however it really isn't a major problem. The enclosure slot is a bit too large and the card can slide in above the tracks that hold the card in place. If it was an expensive unit, I'd be disappointed with this flaw but I bought it specifically because it was cheap. It works and I'm happy with it.

I teach digital photography and use this reader regularly. It's the only one I've used that consistantly works well with no problems in Windows XP.

This is the reader I ALWAYS recommend to mu students! It's simple, light and does not get in the way.

As to not reading the card every time (Previous reviewer's comment) I'd guess he had a bad memory card. I've used a dozen or more of these readers and have not had a single problem with any of them.