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Sony Alpha A100 D-SLR
Sony introduces new memory cards for its D-SLR camera that everyone should be familiar with

We've grown accustomed to Sony releasing a new memory card format every few months or so for use in its portable media players and digital cameras. So imagine our surprise with Sony's announcement that it would produce memory cards based on the existing CompactFlash standard.

The move isn't a total blindside to those within the industry, considering that Sony entered the D-SLR market earlier this year. Sony’s highly-praised Alpha A100 supports both CompactFlash and Memory Stick PRO Duo/Memory Stick Duo, so a move to Sony-branded CompactFlash cards was inevitable.

"High end digital camera enthusiasts, from consumers to professional photographers, have a huge and growing demand for storage capacity," said Renaud Isnard from Sony Europe’s Network Media division. "With the addition of CompactFlash cards to its product range Sony widens the choice for users of D-SLR cameras, such as the new Sony A100 model, that are looking for fast and reliable recording media from a leading brand."

The new Sony-branded CompactFlash Type I will be available in 66x and 133x flavors with capacities ranging from 1GB to 4GB.

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WoW!
By Xenoterranos on 1/16/2007 11:33:44 AM , Rating: 5
It just froze down here in S. Texas...I wonder how hell's doing?




RE: WoW!
By Oregonian2 on 1/16/2007 2:37:55 PM , Rating: 3
Where's global warming when you need it?


RE: WoW!
By edge929 on 1/16/2007 3:28:25 PM , Rating: 2
LMAO

"In other news it'll be -15 degrees in Iowa today"


RE: WoW!
By Samus on 1/17/2007 9:06:00 AM , Rating: 2
sounds like memorystick couldn't take the heat...or the bandwidth.


Speed, It's all about the speed...
By Albotron on 1/16/2007 12:40:14 PM , Rating: 2
The main reason they are foced to do this is that Memory Sticks are slow. To fully utilize the camera's burst picture mode you need as fast of a memory device that you can get. Memory Stick isn't it. The Slow as molasses 1.9MB/s minimum write speed doesn't cut it for guys who want to get a whole series of shots as a sports photographer while one guy is still in the air.

There are compact flash cards that will let a guy shoot at 6+ MB/s. On some cameras, this is enough to let a photographer hold the button down to take photos until the memory card is full.




RE: Speed, It's all about the speed...
By Oregonian2 on 1/16/2007 1:55:46 PM , Rating: 3
Not quite true. Sony Memory Stick Pro memories (most all recent sony cameras use the "pro" version, it's required for 640x480 30fps video (which my wifes few year old P&S does)) are quite a bit faster than that. Memory Stick Pro memories go to at least 10 MB/s (80 Mb/s). See: http://tinyurl.com/9a4dz


RE: Speed, It's all about the speed...
By Albotron on 1/16/2007 2:52:17 PM , Rating: 2
Minimum and Max rates are quite different.


RE: Speed, It's all about the speed...
By Albotron on 1/16/2007 2:57:12 PM , Rating: 2
Their statement sais it goes "up to" 10 MB/s, not at least. There are CompactFlash cards which can sustain 20MB/s at the high end.


By Oregonian2 on 1/17/2007 2:42:53 PM , Rating: 2
The article I quoted as backup to my statement was about a particular line of memory stick products, so the "up to" phrase would mean that different sticks within the line (different sizes and perhaps other features) have different speeds. The fastest one in that line runs at 10MB/s (80Mb/s).

Also note that the article was one from 2004 so there may be much faster ones now. The 1.9 MB/s maximum claimed had no links to back it up. Link I provided was sufficient to blow away the speed error given to memory stick products (perhaps an old number from before the "pro" line came out quite a long time ago). There may be ones even a lot faster than that. I wasn't saying that 10-MB/s (80 Mb/s) was the fastest memory sticks go, they may be a lot faster than that, my only point was that 1.9 MB/s wasn't anywhere near correct.

P.S. - If anything, CF cards have been on their way out the last few years. Fewer and fewer devices use them (of all brands, not just Sony who is #1 in the number of digital camera sold by a large margin). They're physically huge compared to all of the alternatives and makers have been trying to squeeze size and weight rather strongly. Even my physically large new'ish panasonic videocam uses SD cards instead (used for stills).


Just what I've always wanted...
By GoatMonkey on 1/16/2007 1:08:18 PM , Rating: 3
...memory that installs a rootkit and explodes when I use it.





RE: Just what I've always wanted...
By Sebec on 1/16/2007 1:46:25 PM , Rating: 2
... and lets you experience the 4-D world!


RE: Just what I've always wanted...
By Loc13 on 1/16/2007 3:48:15 PM , Rating: 3
when would people drop the rootkit and exploded battery crap.. it's so old... and they think it's funny to add it to every sony related news, good or bad.


Based on...
By Steele on 1/16/2007 11:54:54 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
...based on the existing CompactFlash standard.


Here's the catch. What does "based on" mean?

Steele




RE: Based on...
By CrasHxxx on 1/16/2007 11:59:33 AM , Rating: 2
Whoa, good point. Still trying to propriatize and already open format? Leave it to Sony...


RE: Based on...
By vdig on 1/16/2007 12:10:00 PM , Rating: 2
If Sony actually does not make the card proprietary in any way, it would be quite surprising in a good way. If they do make proprietary enhancements, but make it still compatible with the standard, it would be ok.

Still, I was one of the many who expected anything Sony to be proprietary. Quite a surprise.


hmm, should I use Sony brand compactflash?
By zsouthboy on 1/16/2007 11:57:45 AM , Rating: 2
which, undoubtedly is just rebranded stuff..

Because I trust Sony in so many other parts of my life.

And, lemme guess, they're CF cards with IMAGEmaxAwesome Technology ™ ?




By Spivonious on 1/16/2007 12:52:10 PM , Rating: 3
No, they use IMAGEmaxAwesome Plus Technology ™


They did CF before.
By Anonymous Freak on 1/16/2007 12:31:19 PM , Rating: 2
Sony has released Compact Flash cards with their logo on them before. They were rebranded MicroDrives.




RE: They did CF before.
By qwerty1 on 1/17/2007 2:41:51 AM , Rating: 2
Microdrives and CF are totally different things. CF is solid state memory and microdrives are, well, small hard drives. Seeing how Sony doesn't have immediate capabilities to roll out CF cards from its own fabs, expect Sony to rebrand cards produced by the lowest bidder.


hahahaha
By Xeronix on 1/16/2007 4:09:49 PM , Rating: 4
lol, you people make me sick, even with good new you still manage to bash sony.




My Collections.
By Cogman on 1/16/2007 11:42:33 AM , Rating: 3
Wha? No new standard? What am I going to do with myself, I was just staring a Memory card collection and it just won't be the same without the predicted 900 standards that sony was supposed to release.




The target market
By Cullinaire on 1/16/2007 12:09:08 PM , Rating: 2
Storage is just as precious to digital cameras as film is to non-digital cameras. Would the pros trust a format that hasn't been field proven for years like CF?
Sony's hand was forced here; they are conceding based on market logic. Wow!




wow
By corporal linko on 1/17/2007 1:49:38 AM , Rating: 2
If Sony would give the option to use SD cards in their point and shoots I would buy one. I like a lot of their digitals but ended up going with Canon because I have so many other devices that use SD. Maybe this is a start(theres always hopefull wishing).




CF spreading?
By Aikouka on 1/17/2007 8:25:43 AM , Rating: 2
This could foreseeably be a good thing, I think. I mean, the one thing I always disliked about my Sony PSP was having to buy the expensive memory sticks when I look at the shelf (or online) and see other types of media that are cheaper for more storage space. Hopefully, with Sony's adoption of CF, maybe they'll allow both in the next PSP and let the consumer decide.




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