14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Compact Flash vs. Smart Media
Date of Review: Feb 26, 2000
Which is better? CompactFlash? SmartMedia? I am going to give you a detailed comarison of each, and let you make the choice for yourself.
The current staple media for digital camera storage is compactflash, but smartmedia is quickly closing the gap. This technology was developed by Sandisk, but currently many other companies have started making the media.
Differences:
1. SmartMedia does not have a device to read the media built in. Did you ever wonder why a PCMCIA or floppy disk adapter for smartmedia costs $100, but a CompactFlash costs only $10? Compactflash has a device built in the unit to read it. This idea is great, because it reduces the cost of adapters, and if, in the rare case that the media reader should fail, you do not have to replace the entire digital camera!
2. SmartMedia is static sensitive. Any static charge can render this device useless! The contacts are well exposed, and ready to take a jolt. CompactFlash is more contained, and has a much less chance of being destroyed by static.
3. Dangerously Thin. Smartmedia is flexable and thin. Two attributes that do not go well with solid state electronics. The constant flexing of the internal wires can eventually brake the interal contacts.
4. Cameras are limited in memory. Depending on which version of a certain digital camera you have, you will be limited to the size of the smartmedia card you can buy. Camera's that accept compactflash are not limited to the preset size limitations. When, 5 years down the road, you can buy a 512 megabyte compact flash card for $100, it will work in your camera. Most smartmedia type digital cameras only accept up to 64 megabyte cards, where all compactflash card compatable cards can take a 300+ megabyte memory card.
Conclusion:
CompactFlash is very durable - it can withstand a drop of 10g's. The hard casing and wide industry acceptance should make it your choice recording media. The pros seriously outweigh the cons here.
I just bought 2 - 30 meg CF cards for $51 dollars each after shipping. I could not find them for under $70 dollars anywhere, but I hit a 1 hour express auction on Onsale.com just right. Surf the auctions at the right time, and you just might find a deal.
