Digital Camera Memory

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Digital camera photos are usually stored on removable memory cards or discs. The storage capacity of these devices, as well as the camera resolution and compression settings, determines how many pictures can be stored on each memory device. Some early digital cameras stored digital images on magnetic disk drives or mini-CD drives. However, camera memory has evolved to the point where the SD card is arguably the most popular picture storage media today. In any case, when buying a digital camera, it is important to consider media compatibility with any other electronic devices you may own.

Mini CD-R and Mini CD-RW discs are removable storage devices that are found on some Sony cameras. These discs can be read by the CD and DVD drives found on most modern personal computers, but their 3.1 inch (8 cm) diameter along with the required drives makes their host cameras somewhat bulky.
CompactFlash is a small, removable storage device that weighs about half an ounce. It was introduced in 1994 and was designed for PCMCIA-ATA compatibility. A CF Type I card will operate in a CF Type I slot or a CF Type II slot, while a CF Type II card will only work in a CF Type II slot. CompactFlash cards use non-volatile flash memory technology, and are designed to retain information indefinitely without a battery. CompactFlash is supported by leading digital camera manufacturers, is fast and economical, and is available in large memory capacities.
Hitachi Microdrive memory is compatible with CompactFlash slots, but it is rather expensive. It is sometimes found on high-end cameras.
Secure Digital - SD - cards are popular removable storage media devices used in many digital cameras and other consumer electronics products. They are small, fast, economical, and available in a wide range of memory capacities. Furthermore, they are supported by most digital camera manufacturers.
Sony Memory Stick devices are available in several versions for use in digital cameras and other electronics products, but they are only supported by Sony.
The XD-Picture card is a very small memory device that is primarily supported by Fujifilm and Olympus.

Camera Memory Suppliers

SanDisk is a supplier of photo and video flash memory products.
Microtech International features memory and connectivity solutions for digital media devices.
Kingston Technology offers Secure Digital, CompactFlash, and MultiMediaCard memory products.