Thread: CF vs. SD - what's the difference?

I just picked up a P&S for my folks, and as w/ probably all P&S cameras, it uses the SD memory cards. Do all the DSLR's use CF cards? I know all the Canons do. So, what's the difference? I can't believe how tiny those SD cards are. But are they less reliable? Slower write speeds?

Originally Posted by Big E

I just picked up a P&S for my folks, and as w/ probably all P&S cameras, it uses the SD memory cards. Do all the DSLR's use CF cards? I know all the Canons do. So, what's the difference? I can't believe how tiny those SD cards are. But are they less reliable? Slower write speeds?

CF cards are generally faster, while SD's are more idiot proof ( no pins to bend in the camera)

Originally Posted by Gunder

CF cards are generally faster, while SD's are more idiot proof ( no pins to bend in the camera)

Excellent, that's what I was looking for. Thanks.

Since we're talking about memory anyway, how does XD compare to Compactflash? Looks like I can get a 2GB Compactflash card with a 150X write speed for about $25 + shipping, whereas the XD cards don't seem to list speed ratings and cost about $15 more for the same amount of memory. The camera will accept both. WWMD?

Olympus XD like Sony Memory Stick is a proprietary interface money grab and nothing more

Originally Posted by Summit

Olympus XD like Sony Memory Stick is a proprietary interface money grab and nothing more

I thought that might be it.

What's the deal with the write speeds? What does 100X, 200X, ect... translate to in terms of actual MB per second.

Originally Posted by Cruiser

I thought that might be it.

What's the deal with the write speeds? What does 100X, 200X, ect... translate to in terms of actual MB per second.

Rob Galbraith maintains an active database of performance of various memory cards. Work safe:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/mul...e.asp?cid=6007

Originally Posted by Cruiser

I thought that might be it.

What's the deal with the write speeds? What does 100X, 200X, ect... translate to in terms of actual MB per second.

X ~ 150 KB/s.

Write speeds are expressed in terms of CD read/write speeds....I think, so not completely arbitrary, but may as well be.