SanDisk Extreme® III (2 GB) SD Card (SDSDX320489)

Yes, I know I have an unnatural obsession with portable storage. There are memory cards and flash drives strewn around my desk. Every one of them works, though I can only identify what's on a few select cards and drives. My love for digital photography has only expanded my card collection to include cards of three speeds and five capacities.

I had been happy with my San Disk Ultra II 2 GB SD Memory Card. It had performed well for the last two years, in my Canon Powershot Elph SD 600. The high speed card allowed me to take full advantage of the camera's 2.3 frames per second continuous shot mode. My pictures looked like a flip comic book.

I just upgraded my camera to the newer Canon Powershot Elph SD 1100 IS and couldn't resist a new memory card to go with it. I purchased the San Disk Extreme III 2 GB SD Memory Card because it was a great value and I couldn't resist the promise of higher performance. It has lived up to my expectation.

Memory Card Type
Secure Digital (SD) memory cards are one of the most widely used types and the least expensive. All of the devices that I own that use memory cards, are compatible with SD cards or some version of it (micro or mini). This is the only type that I have a slot for in my Dell laptop and my fiance's two laptops. This is the type that is used in most Canon, Kodak, Panasonic, Casio, HP, and Nikon digital cameras. SD cards are also compatible with my Nintendo Wii, GPS, and digital picture frame. These cards are widely available at electronics stores and I have also seen them in grocery stores and pharmacies.

Brand
I hate to admit that I'm a sucker for brand recognition, but I have always stuck with San Disk since I have had the most experience with them. I used several of their memory cards at work before buying my first camera and card. Since then, I decided to stick with them. I have always found their products to be high quality and reliable. It helps that they're backed by a lifetime warranty.

Performance
I switched over to high speed memory cards some time ago. The higher read and write speed improve device functionality. Digital cameras have less lag and can function closer to factory specifications. I have noticed a significant difference in taking and reviewing pictures since changing over to high speed. These cards are also said to increase battery life, which I've noticed to some degree since switching. These cards also have the added benefit of being able to be used in higher capacities without slowing down. When using my standard 1 GB memory card, picture reviewing would be an arduous task once the card began to fill up. With high speed cards, I've been able to use double that capacity and more without sacrificing speed.

The San Disk Extreme III 2 GB SD Memory Card boasts a read and write speed of 20 MB per second. This is a significant improvement upon even the Ultra II high speed cards. I didn't bench test the card, so I can't attest to the exact accuracy of the advertised figure, but I can say that I tested it against Ultra II and standard cards in both my SD 600 and my SD 1100 IS. I was surprised at how much faster the Extreme III card seems to function. It cut down lag and wait times immensely, both between pictures and when reviewing pictures. I had never felt that either camera was slow at all, so I was taken aback when I saw the difference. The shots using my SD 600's continuous shot mode were even quicker. The performance was not limited to my camera, either. I noticed improvements in the card functioning in my computer (faster transfers), in my GPS (decreased load times), and my digital picture frame (smoother transitions between pictures).

Storage Capacity
This San Disk Extreme III SD Card holds 2 gigabytes (GB) or 2048 megabytes (MB) of data. A small portion of that is devoted to formatting the card. How much data this really translates to depends on the device and other variables.

Picture-wise, it's almost impossible to guess the number of pictures a card will hold without knowing the exact camera. On average, a 4 megapixel camera will be able to store 1,000 images on this card. The actually number depends on the resolution the camera is set to (most cameras have several settings) and the compression. If you set your 6 megapixel camera down to 3 megapixels, and raise the compression, you'll probably be able to hold 4 times the number of images you did at full quality. Kodak cameras have very high compression settings, allowing them to fit more pictures in a smaller storage capacity. My mother's 5 megapixel Kodak holds 1,397 pictures on this card. My new Canon 8 megapixel camera can store 544 images on this card at full quality. It can hold 12 minutes of video from the same camera. My older, 6 megapixel Canon could store 752 photos on this memory card.

Storage capacities for other devices also varied based on the model. In my GPS, 2 GB easily supports the maps of the entire United States. With an average mp3 being 4 MB, this card can store approximately 500 songs. Documents are so small that it would be very difficult to fill this card with Word documents. It would literally hold thousands. Video files vary in size depending on the camera taking them, so an estimate for those would be difficult.

Durability
The San Disk Extreme III 2 GB SD Memory Card is very light and made of plastic. It is very durable and will stand up to most impacts. I think crushing the card would be the only way to cause physical harm to it. A clear plastic case is included which should provide plenty of protection for the card. In addition, I soft fabric case is included that can hold two of the clear plastic cases. These cards will last until my next camera… I'm sure they will last longer, but I have a habit of upgrading when the chance arises.

Price
I purchased two of these cards from Dell for $29.99 each. I was a bit surprised by it, since I remember when standard 2 GB cards were $119.99. This card is a great value.

Recommendation
This card offers a high capacity at one of the higher read and write-speeds available. I highly recommend it for the most bang for your buck.