Memory Cards & Accessories
Memory Cards and Accessories
Keep different memory cards and accessories in your photography kit to save and transfer photos captured on your cameras. A memory card is a data storage device that uses flash memory for storing files. It serves as removable and expandable storage for various portable electronic devices. In addition to cameras, you can use memory cards to increase the storage capacities of cell phones, tablets, laptops, portable gaming consoles, media players, and more.
Types of Memory Cards
The two major memory card format families are Secure Digital (SD) and CompactFlash (CF). The SD format includes SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. SDHC (SD High Capacity) cards and SDXC (SD eXtended Capacity) cards raise the maximum storage capacities of cards in this family significantly. They're also faster than regular SD cards. Note that these formats aren't backward compatible. This means you need to know the sub-type supported by your device. However, there are memory card readers that support all three standards. They all have smaller versions referred to as microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC cards.
The CF format is older than the SD standard, and still used in high-end cameras. It offers the high write speeds needed for burst photography. CFast is a faster variant of CompactFlash, and more suitable for shooting high-definition videos and high-resolution photos. XQD is even faster than CFast, and some high-end DSLRs and camcorders support this format.
How Do I Secure Memory Cards?
Protect your flash memory storage from damage and loss by keeping it in memory card cases. These include pouches made of nylon and neoprene, with mesh-lined pockets. Others are metal and hard plastic cases with a rubber lining. Pick a case with slots that fit the kinds of cards you have, and a locking mechanism that holds them down.
To protect your files from getting deleted, look into memory card back-up devices. Some memory card models have slots for CF and SD cards as well as high-capacity internal storage. Some automatically back up the content on flash memory media as soon as you insert the cards. Others have LCD displays that show the card content.
What's a Memory Card Duplicator?
A memory card duplicator is a portable or desktop station that copies the content from a memory card to multiple cards at the same time. It saves time and effort, and makes cloning flash storage a simple operation. Duplicators don't require PCs to make copies of memory cards. Some memory card models can also erase and format these storage devices. Consider copying speed, number of available slots, and memory card compatibility when shopping for a duplicator.
Check out the wide selection of data storage devices at B&H Photo and Video to find all the memory cards and SD card accessories you need.