Are digital cameras using compact flash getting rare?

[Bonesdad]

Since Canon ditched CF for SD when they eliminated the A75 and A85 cameras...

Is CF going away?

 

[Matthias99]

No, but it's moving upmarket (to 10+MP cameras that actually need the larger capacities and are big enough that the larger cards make no difference).

 

[Bonesdad]

I always liked the CF for it's slightly larger size and heft. The others seem very "misplaceable" to me. Smaller ain't always better in technology...


Anyone know where I can get a good deal on an A85? It's for work and we already have 3 other cameras using CF cards

 

[imported_Kensai]

I don't think so. Agreed with Matthias99. They're still selling though.

 

[corkyg]

No way. All of Canon's top digital cameras (1D, 1Ds, 20D) use Compact Flash.

 

[foofoo]

my a95 is still cf....

 

[imported_whatever]

Originally posted by: corkyg
No way. All of Canon's top digital cameras (1D, 1Ds, 20D) use Compact Flash.

If I remember correctly, the 1DMkII and 1DsMkII support both CF and SD.

 

[jamesbond007]

...and the Rebels!

 

[GprophetB]

both my cams (kyocera and cannon) were/ and are CF (my kyocera broke)

 

[Nocturnal]

CF for LIFE!

 

[Zucarita9000]

Unlikely. Pro cameras all use CF. My PowerShot S70 and soon my new Digital Rebel XT both use CF cards.

They're cheaper and bigger. Sandisk has a 8GB model!.

BTW, even Sony has a dual-card camera now. I forgot wich model, but I know it uses both Memory Sticks AND Compact Flash.

SD is for point-and-shoot, CF is for the pros.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: whatever
If I remember correctly, the 1DMkII and 1DsMkII support both CF and SD.

That is correct. It's called "testing the market."

Some say that today's CF cards are faster. SD cards have fewer pins. More pins means more information that can be sent at the same time.CF = 16-bit databus, SD = 4-bit databus.

But the SD card standard is newer and I believe it takes advantage of synchronous memory bus technology (there's a clock signal & that can help increase throughput, though I'm not sure of the details), whereas I'm fairly sure that CF cards use an asynchronous memory bus (typically you get your data signals ready, then you pull a write line low for a short period of time). If the CF and SD standards had come out at the same time & used the same techniques, CF would win because it has more pins for speed and more volume to put larger memory chips.

But CF is an older standard, and once you have a standard, some of the technology is "frozen" in order to adhere to the standard & can't take advantage of newer technological advances.

My sense is that SD cards will take over a larger share of the market as time goes on (until a new standard comes out), but CF will be around for a while because there are so many devices that use it (and it's a more robust package).

At presdent I also believe CF cards can be had in larger sizes (storage size) than SD.

 

[Bonesdad]

Originally posted by: corkyg

Originally posted by: whatever
If I remember correctly, the 1DMkII and 1DsMkII support both CF and SD.

That is correct. It's called "testing the market."

Some say that today's CF cards are faster. SD cards have fewer pins. More pins means more information that can be sent at the same time.CF = 16-bit databus, SD = 4-bit databus.

But the SD card standard is newer and I believe it takes advantage of synchronous memory bus technology (there's a clock signal & that can help increase throughput, though I'm not sure of the details), whereas I'm fairly sure that CF cards use an asynchronous memory bus (typically you get your data signals ready, then you pull a write line low for a short period of time). If the CF and SD standards had come out at the same time & used the same techniques, CF would win because it has more pins for speed and more volume to put larger memory chips.

But CF is an older standard, and once you have a standard, some of the technology is "frozen" in order to adhere to the standard & can't take advantage of newer technological advances.

My sense is that SD cards will take over a larger share of the market as time goes on (until a new standard comes out), but CF will be around for a while because there are so many devices that use it (and it's a more robust package).

At presdent I also believe CF cards can be had in larger sizes (storage size) than SD.

That's kind of been my take on it as well, I guess my question was directed at the "lower end" cameras. I know the pro camera's all use CF, but I really liked the A60/A70/A75/A85/A95 line of cameras and I'm a little pissed that it is hard to find an A85 now. I can get the A520, but it uses SD...if it still used CF, I would go for it...I have a bunch of CF cards to use, I'm not going to reinvest in a new media just to get a newer camera.

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: Zucarita9000
BTW, even Sony has a dual-card camera now. I forgot wich model, but I know it uses both Memory Sticks AND Compact Flash.

Yep, I had a Sony F828 and it used both forms of media.

Personally, I use a 4GB Hitachi microdrive on my Rebel.

 

[Maiora]

How are the 4G Hitachi micros? Are they fast?

-Maiora

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: Maiora
How are the 4G Hitachi micros? Are they fast?

-Maiora

Hm, plenty fast for my needs. I'm sure the solid-state devices would be faster, especially the ultra-types. It also depends on the camera, too. The higher-end cameras can utilize the higher speeds offered in the newer cards/devices.

Here's a little more info on the latest microdrive technology:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0502/05022401hitachi_6gb%20microdrive.asp

 

[vegetation]

I too prefer CF. Been using for years and years and never a single problem with data loss, something I'm really concerned about when on the road. I don't want to try another standard.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Maiora
How are the 4G Hitachi micros? Are they fast?

-Maiora

I've got a 5GB Seagate Microdrive in my camera (Canon S1 IS), and it's plenty fast for me. The main reason I bought one so large is for video recording - a clip of ~9.5 minutes is approximately 1GB.

Obviously this will vary from camera to camera - my camera is a 3.2MP, so higher resolution cameras (and RAW instead of JPEG saving, for example) will demand higher transfer rates. The higher-end CF cards are without a doubt faster. But you'll pay for it. :gift:

 

[Bonesdad]

so my question is, why did lower end cameras move AWAY from CF? Searching for CF cameras on Newegg, the lowest end is the A95 at about $300. The CF cards sell for about the same cost as SD (at least up to about 256 MB) so why reengineer?

 

[GoSharks]

so that you can make smaller cameras

 

[LED]

Bigger for now can be better and as mentioned they hold more data