Digital Camera Question About This Page:

[POOH]

I'm still new to digital photography. I have a new digital camera, and would like to buy a memeory card. Here comes my silly question, are all the memory cards the same, or do only certain brands fit in certain brand cameras? It looks like any card will go in any camera, but I would like to confirm this first. I know there a lot of digital camera experts on these boards, so I knew I would get the answer here. Thanks in advance for any info.

[Eeyore Lover]

Hi Pooh:

I have a Hewlett-Packard camera and went to their website where they had a section on what memory cards and how much memory they recommend. It may help to check the site because if you buy a memory card with too much memory your computer may have a hard time printing out/processing the pictures. Hope I helped!

[Dave Marx]

There are sometimes compatibility issues, but it's rare.

The main thing to know is whether your camera uses Compact Flash (CF), SmartMedia, Memory Stick,SD/MMC, CD-R, floppy disk, etc., so you don't buy the wrong one (my dad did just that a couple of years ago, but it did fit my camera, so it wasn't a huge problem).

Some cameras that use Compact Flash may not be compatible with IBM MicroDrive, which is a high-capacity Compact Flash Type II storage device (slightly thicker than Type I Compact Flash). Check with your camera's manufacturer if you're considering a MicroDrive.

Several years ago Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) did a study on the performance of various brands of Compact Flash in various popular cameras. It's a bit technical, but you may find the article interesting.