It doesn't seem that long ago that my DSLR digital cameras all took Compact Flash Memory Cards, and I was perfectly content with CF (other than the fact that they were outrageously expensive).
And then SD Memory Cards came along. I hated them. They were tiny, way too small, just begging to be dropped and lost. I swore I'd never switch to SD from CF.
Oh how time changes things. :-)
I no longer own any devices that use Compact Flash Memory Cards. All my cameras take SD cards, as does my camcorder, and my Zoom H4n audio recorder.
In fact, most stuff takes SD cards these days, and you know what? I'm really ok with that. Just fine actually.
And all those reasons I said I hated SD cards when they first came out? Well, they're pretty much the same reasons I prefer them now.
SD cards are just better.
SD cards are less fragile than Compact Flash cards. They don't have any pins in their interface that can get bent and cause you costly camera repairs.
SD cards are smaller and lighter. You can fit more into a small case and carry more on you.
SD cards allowed us to get dual cards slots in a prosumer level camera like the Nikon D7100, something that was previously only available in much more expensive pro level DSLR's like the Nikon D4s or Canon 1Dx.
Best of all, SD cards are cheaper than ever. Way cheaper than Compact Flash cards!
Check it out. You can get a Transcend 32 GB UHS Class 10 SD card for ONLY $21.99 on Amazon (plus FREE shipping).
By comparison, a Transcend 32 GB UDMA7 400x Compact Flash card is $37.99 on Amazon (which, by the way, is a bargain compared to the hundreds of dollars a card like this would've cost a few years back).
SD cards are practically half the price for a faster, smaller card! You gotta love technology.
Good Lord! You can get a 64GB UHS Class 10 SD for ONLY $41.99!
Or a 128 GB UHS Class 10 SD for ONLY $93.94! (which reminds me I keep meaning to buy one of those).
So yeah... I used to hate 'em. Now I love 'em. Technology changes, and it changes you.
And a word of advice to those of you that still don't like SD memory cards... get over it. Compact Flash is a dinosaur, and I predict it will be gone by 2016.
That's right folks. All cameras will take SD memory cards by 2016. No more compact flash.
Think about it. The mighty Nikon D800 is already half-way there with one CF and one SD slot.
Panasonic cameras only use SD cards right now. Sony too (even their flagship Sony a99). Pentax. Olympus. Pretty much all the camera manufacturers are already all SD. Only Nikon and Canon have a couple of cameras left that aren't.
The writing is on the wall folks. SD has won. Compact Flash is going extinct. All hail SD!
(until micro SD takes over :-)
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