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Transcend 4 GB Class 6 microSD
by JJJJ
I needed a new MicroSD card to use in my ultra-small Veho Muvi recorder, as the one that comes with it as standard is rather slow. Using a slow card is fine for most digital still cameras, but when used in a video camera, sometimes the data can't be written quickly enough - this leads to either a jerky recording, or no recording at all. ... As Transcend is a brand that I trust, I opted for their 4gb class six card which retails at £5.84 from Amazon - but is it any good?
"Class 6"!?
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Rather than having a speed rating (e.g '20x') printed on its casing, newer MicroSD cards are categorised into a series of classes. 'Class two' cards are capable of writing data at two megabytes per second, class four at four megabytes per second, six at 6mps... and so on and so forth.
Details
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In terms of the specifications of the card, the Transcend is fully compatible with USB 2.0, has A built-in error correcting code (ECC) to detect and correct errors, utilises protection for recordable media (CPRM), and allows in-system programming (ISP) - there's also the write-protection switch to effectively lock data.
I've probably mentioned this before in one of my other MicroSD card reviews, but I still can't get over the fact that so much data can fit onto one of these tiny bits of plastic. Four gigabytes is almost the same amount as the hard drive of my first Apple iMac - and that was only around ten years ago.
Performance
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In use, I've found the card to be speedy and responsive - as well as writing data quickly enough for my needs, the extra speed also means that I don't have to wait around for so long when the card is being securely formatted. Overall, the Transcend 4gb is a great little item which offers good value for money - it also comes with an adaptor which allows it to fit into a standard SD card reader. Recommended.
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Kodak 2 GB SD Memory Card
by davidbuttery
There we are, you see? Even I, high prince of the most appalling old electronic trash, can sometimes turn my attention to products that are something approaching modern, such as this 2 GB SD memory card from Kodak. Curiously enough you don't see a whole lot of Kodak memory cards around; as with their compact digital cameras, they've ... rather let themselves fall behind in this marketplace and so there are at least half a dozen names - the likes of SanDisk and Kingston - who probably have a higher recognition factor than do Kodak themselves, something the company really ought to be concerned about.
There's rarely a great deal to be said about a memory card's looks, but in this case at least the design is bright and colourful. Admittedly that means precisely nothing once it's inside your camera, but at least if - when, in my case - one slips out of your hand and falls into long grass you'll have a better than even chance of ever finding it again! The "2 GB" marker is acceptably prominent, though personally I would have preferred it to have been just a little bit larger. Kodak trumpet something called "Digital Assurance" on the front as well, though what that actually means is anybody's guess, or at least that of somebody who (unlike me) bought their card brand new in a sealed packet.
This is not a high-speed card, and so it's not suitable for more complex or upmarket cameras; it can also become a bit annoying if you're using a high-resolution digicam with large file sizes, and naturally it's of very little use for continuous/burst mode shooting. If that's what you're after, then you should be looking at Kodak's "High Performance" range, which offer considerably more speed. Personally I would be loath to use this card in my Canon PowerShot A710, but I would be perfectly happy to insert it into a simpler, more basic model used only on automatic - or at least near-auto - mode.
As with most two-gig SD cards, the Kodak is not expensive to buy, and £4 or so should be enough to get you one, though you're unlikely to receive it in its original packaging for that price. In all honesty most bog-standard modern SD cards are much of a muchness, and so it's hard to say whether or not the Kodak is better or worse than the equivalent SanDisk item. Really, then, it comes down to pure consumer preference: if you've had good experiences with Kodak products then you'll probably be reassured by using this. If not, you'll want to go elsewhere. Three stars because this really is a card that's... okay. Not great; not awful; just... okay.
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Viking 4 MB CompactFlash Card
by davidbuttery
Now then... there's a little tale behind this review, which I'll keep short partly because I want to get on to the product itself, but mostly because it's very boring. The tale that is, not the product. Though come to think of it... anyway, I remember looking at this very card many, many years ago on some long-defunct website and ... wondering whether 4 MB was really likely to be enough for a digital camera. I felt, as anybody might, that you'd be bound to need at least, ooh, 16 MB. And lo, it came to pass that I was proved right. Well, sort of. Now we're in the world of the 16 *GB* memory card, anything not capable of storing the names and addresses of every electron on the planet is probably considered old hat. I wouldn't know; my area is the stuff that really *is* old hat. Or at least old card. Like this thing.
Anyway, one of these 4 MB Viking CompactFlash cards turned up inside an ancient (and, as it turned out much to my annoyance, broken) camera I bought the other week. I don't think I'd even held a four-meg card in my hand before, so this was actually quite an exciting find. (I bet you're glad you're only meeting me electronically...) I thought I'd better give it a whirl, so I dug out a suitably ancient digital camera - a Canon PowerShot A10, of a mighty 1.2 megapixels resolution - and the first thing to report is that yes, the card fitted well enough. Mind you, it seemed somehow thicker and less (if I dare use this word) sleek than more modern CompactFlash cards, though comparing by eye didn't really reveal any difference.
The A10's photos, at decent quality settings, tend to take up somewhere in the 300-400 KB range. That means that the Viking card can store a rather less than impressive 10-12 photos. Of course, you could reduce the quality, but with a 1.3-mp camera you need everything you can get! As you'd further expect, this card is no speed demon. Whether the image of a ferocious medieval warrior is supposed to frighten the electronics into working faster is something I confess I had not previously considered... but if it's true, it doesn't work. It almost certainly won't be a problem, since only continuous mode really calls for a fast card with old cameras, and with only a dozen photos to a card you're unlikely to be making many of those!
I honestly have no idea how much this card costs on the second-hand market; as I say, mine came with a camera (which being bust is even less use than the card!) and I struggle to see why anybody would want one except as a historical curiosity. In other words, if you don't know why you'd want a four-meg CF card, I think there's a fairly high probability that you don't. Actually, I'd venture that 99% of the people reading this fall into that category, 0.99% of the rest would only be interested for the oddity value, and the remaining 0.01% are me. I'm going to keep mine, though heaven knows what for. To give to a clay-pigeon club, perhaps. In short: this card works, and works unfussily, but it still isn't of much - if any - practical use. Hence, one star.
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