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 Most
people are not aware that digital camera memory cards have
speeds.
The problem
is that the speed is not always printed in the card.
Four digital
camera memory cards are shown to the right, but only one has
the speed printed on it. The 1GB card in the upper right is
identified as a 40X card.
Knowing
the speed of a digital camera memory card is important because
you need to have the correct speed to match the lighting conditions.
If you are familiar with cameras that use film you know that
the higher the speed of the film, the less light was needed
to take pictures. However, with film there was always a tradeoff
between image quality and the ability to take pictures with
low light. For example:
Film with
a 25 ASA speed produced very high quality images, but it also
required a lot of light.
Film with
an 800 ASA speed is excellent for low light conditions, but
would result in poorer quality images.
One of
the advantages of digital cameras is that they eliminate this
tradeoff between image quality and the ability to take pictures
in low light conditions. If you use high speed digital camera
memory, you will be able to take pictures under low light
conditions with no loss of image quality.
The 1GB
card shown above has a speed of 40X. The "X" stands
for "times" (as in 2 X 2 = 4). It means that this
card is 40 times faster than a standard card. This is very
good and it works well in most situations, even in low light
conditions. However, if the batteries in your camera have
died and you need to take a picture at night, we recommend
using an 80X card. An 80X card is so fast that it can take
pictures in almost total darkness without a flash.
While
an 80X digital camera memory card is fast, if you do professional
quality photography, or if you are an amateur who would like
all your pictures to look like a professional photographer
took them, we recommend using an 160X card. The 160X card
has the capability to not only take pictures in the dark without
a flash, but it can also use the full megapixel capabilities
of your camera. For example, if you use an 80X card to take
a picture in darkness, it will be able to save about 3.56
megapixels before the camera shutter closes. This means you
may only get half the picture--usually the left half (this
may vary depending on the brand and model of your camera).
However, a 160X card is twice as fast and will be able to
save a full 6.12 megapixels before the shutter closes.
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