Quick write speeds for large digital photo files - SanDisk Ultra II 1-gigabyte CompactFlash Card

Having finally bit the bullet and bought myself the Canon Digital Rebel camera, I needed a memory card that could hold the sizable files that this camera creates. The first memory card I got specifically for the camera was SandDisk’s Ultra II 1-Gigabyte CompactFlash memory card because of its size and because of its quicker read and write speeds for data.

When you’re dealing with large file sizes, the quicker the better.

Card Basics

Weighing in at a gigabyte, this Ultra II card can hold a lot of information. In terms of ultimate storage capacity though, it all depends on how you are using the card. Even for digital cameras, it all depends on your camera and the resolution that you are saving those pictures at. The number of images you can store on your memory card varies based on the resolution and file format you were saving each image in. Higher megapixel cameras shoot at higher resolutions and pack more data into each photograph, while cameras with less resolution take smaller pictures.

For me and my Digital Rebel, a gigabyte of storage space on the memory card will hold about 160 high-resolution JPEG images or if I am shooting in the RAW mode, about 60 to 70 photos. If I were to put this card into my boyfriend’s 3.2 megapixel camera – I could literally take almost a thousand pictures, even at the highest resolution since the pictures are so much smaller than the pictures from the Rebel.

SanDisk advertises a 9 megabyte per second write speed for this card and in my unofficial comparison to an older standard CompactFlash card that I have, this card does read and write significantly faster than a non-accelerated CompactFlash card. In this unofficial comparison, the write speed on an average photo taken with my Digital Rebel takes at least half the time to write on the SanDisk Ultra II as it does on a standard CompactFlash card, if not even more than that.

When it came to using the card on a lower resolution camera, the difference was not as noticeable because the file sizes were quite small, but the Ultra II was quicker - almost instantly writing small files.

However, for the pictures taken with the Digital Rebel, the difference is quite noticeable and can really make the difference between almost continually shooting to having to wait while the data writes to the memory card.

When it comes to getting the data off of the card and to your computer, the rated speed for the card is 10 megabytes per second, but in reality it is based on both the speed of the card and the speed of the connection you are using to download the data to your computer.

No matter how fast the card is, if you are using an old USB connection, you might as well go and brew a cup of coffee while you are waiting. If you’re using a high-speed connection, then the data will still take time to get off the card, but it does zip along and when you compare it to older CompactFlash cards, the difference is quite noticeable.

Other Details

CompactFlash cards are fairly small and easy to carry. The card is around two inches wide and just under that high and weighs almost nothing. They aren’t quite as small as some other memory cards, but it’s easy to pack them and carry them.

Don’t throw them around or step on them, but in general CompactFlash cards can take normal use (and some abuse) without any problems. They are not waterproof and shouldn’t be exposed to temperature extremes.

SanDisk does offer a limited lifetime warranty on these cards should the card fail. However this doesn’t cover damage to the card that is inflicted by the user (so don’t think you’re going to get a replacement if you drop it in the river).

Well…

If you are working with the larger file sizes that are common with today’s higher resolution digital cameras, you should consider getting yourself one of these cards (if you’re camera takes CompactFlash memory cards).

The SanDisk Ultra II 1-Gigabyte CompactFlash memory card offers both significant storage space and zippy read and write speeds.

Final Thoughts

I never really saw the need for ultra fast memory cards before I had purchased the Digital Rebel, which at 6.3 megapixels, can produce some pretty huge picture files. When it came to lower resolutions, the speed difference wasn’t that great, but now when I am dealing with these larger files, the increased speed of the Ultra II card makes the entire experience much better.

When I’m taking pictures I don’t want to have to wait on the memory card while data is written to it – and while not instantaneous, this card offers significant reductions in wait time when compared to a standard CompactFlash card.

For me, it comes down to the fact that I don’t want to be waiting for a photograph to be written to the card when there’s another photo opportunity coming up and that’s why I’ll stick with accelerated cards like the Ultra II.

I would recommend this card to anyone who needs plenty of storage space for their photos and also wants a quick read and write speed for data on the card.