We’re working on a comparison review of various Compact Flash technologies for video, now that consumer media can now be used for recording the HDV production standard format (AVCHD doesn’t count, yet).
Sandisk made a serious jump by pushing throughput from 20 MBps to 40MBps with their new Extreme IV cards. For anyone taking delivery of Sony’s new HDV camcorders, click over to the Tech-STORE – to our new MEDIA- page and snap up the latest version of wicked-fast media!
Quick take: Get the video into your computer 2x as fast. Make sure your camcorder doesn’t hit a bottleneck with a card that slows down as it warms up from use. Get one that has throughput headroom.
Here’s what Sandisk has to say:
NEW YORK, NY, SanDisk Corporation introduced the new SanDisk Extreme® IV line of CompactFlashâ digital film cards. The line is targeted at photographers who require the highest possible performance and the largest capacities. The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are available in capacities of up to 8-gigabytes (GB)* and deliver minimum read and write speeds of 40 megabytes per second (MB/sec.)** making these the fastest flash memory cards in the world. This exceptionally fast card speed is critical when shooting large numbers of high-resolution images.
SanDisk also introduced the new SanDisk Extreme FireWire reader that can transfer images from the SanDisk Extreme IV cards to a computer at up to 40MB/sec. for significantly improved workflow efficiency. These new products were announced at a press conference held in New York City.
The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are targeted at the professional photographer who needs the absolute highest performance and maximum reliability. The company will continue to offer the SanDisk Extreme III and SanDisk Ultraâ II lines.
“The new SanDisk Extreme IV CompactFlash card and SanDisk Extreme FireWire reader offers a number of key benefits,” said Tanya Chuang, senior retail marketing manager at SanDisk. “First of all, the new cards are twice the speed of the current SanDisk Extreme III cards and offer performance that is ideal for high-resolution cameras that require the combination of high performance and large capacities. Lastly, photographers can quickly transfer gigabytes of images from the card to the computer for greatly increased workflow efficiency, an important consideration when working under deadline pressures.”
Fast Cards Ideal For High-Resolution Digital Cameras
SanDisk Extreme IV cards use SanDisk-developed ESP (Enhanced Super-Parallel Processing) technology that combine fast NAND flash memory chips and controller designs, 32-bit RISC processing and advanced algorithms in an architecture that streamlines every aspect of read and write data transfer operations. In addition, SanDisk works closely with major camera manufacturers to ensure the speed and compatibility of its cards.
Wes Brewer, vice president of consumer product marketing, said, “SanDisk has led the market for high performance/high reliability cards for imaging professionals since the introduction of our original SanDisk Extreme I card in 2003. Our SanDisk Extreme III cards have provided the highest performance in the industry at 20MB/sec., minimum read and write performance for CompactFlash and SD formats, since their introduction in 2004. It’s taken nearly a year and a half for our competition to match that performance level.”
Rob Galbraith, publisher of the Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Insights website, said, “The best CompactFlash cards on the market until now are capable of real-world throughput of between 15MB-17MB/second in the best shipping readers we’ve tested. By comparison, the 2GB SanDisk Extreme IV card, when inserted into an Extreme FireWire Reader, tops out at a whopping 38.6MB/second. Given the blazing card-to-computer speed of the Extreme IV CompactFlash cards, the time it takes to transfer a big assignment’s worth of photos is about to be cut significantly.”
Faster Cards And Readers Improve Workflow—The “SanDisk Extreme IV System”
While the speed of the card is important for in-camera performance, card-to-computer transfer rates are becoming an increasingly important workflow consideration. The time it takes to transfer images to a computer can be a bigger bottleneck now that card capacities have expanded into the multi-gigabyte range.
The SanDisk Extreme IV cards and SanDisk Extreme FireWire 800/400reader combine to form a high-speed “system” that dramatically decreases card-to-computer transfer time. Images are transferred at up to the 40MB/sec. speed of the SanDisk Extreme IV cards. For a limited time, the company will offer an introductory bundle pack that includes a 4GB SanDisk Extreme IV CompactFlash card and a SanDisk Extreme FireWire reader.
Extended Operating Temperature Range For Reliable Use Under Extreme Environmental Conditions
SanDisk Extreme IV cards are designed to withstand the industry’s widest guaranteed operating temperature range from a freezing minus 13◦ F (minus 25◦ C) to a scorching 185◦ F (plus 85◦ C). The cards also include RescuePRO® software that allows photographers to easily recover accidentally deleted images, lost digital images or data. The included software is compatible with both Windows and Mac platforms.
Available now in our Tech-STORE on the MEDIA page.
We’ve also added the Sandisk “Ducati Edition” SD card with throughput up to 20 MBps and an integrated USB attachment that makes it easy to copy data without a separate “reader.” Very handy for those few computers still without built-in media card readers.
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