SD VS xD Memory Cards: Question Of Quality
November 26, 2009
Olympus and Fujifilm released extreme Digital (xD) memory cards in 2002 to a mild reception and few of the advantages of the Secure Digital card, its primary competitor.
Technology has sided with the SD time and time again, and both companies have begun to pull their xD products from the shelves, opting instead to get on the SD bandwagon.
Difficulty With Compatibility
The SD cards enjoy such success mainly because it is compatible in such a wide range of devices. These memory cards are used in everything from PDA’s to video games to camcorders, not to mention the ever popular digital cameras.
On the other hand, the xD card is exclusive to Fujifilm and Olympus digital cameras. There are SD cards on the market now that can store up to 32 GB of space. The maximum for an xD card is 2 GB — hardly enough for most higher end electronics.
As if that weren’t enough, xD cards are well known for their problems with software and camera accessories. Hours of difficulty can result, which can turn off many users hoping for a streamlined process instead of having to pull teeth to get their new gear to work.
Corrupted Data
The entire reason a user takes pictures with a camera to begin with is to remember moments that will never come again. Therefore, it’s incredibly frustrating when the camera corrupts the xD card data — a major error that will more than likely happen at least once to a user over time, if not more often, due to any number of reasons.
Any number of things can cause corruption, like giving the camera commands while it is still working on processing an image, or if you take out your card before powering down your camera.
Corruption hasn’t hit the SD card as hard as it has the xD. It can be a problem in any camera, but the possibility of a customer corrupting files while using an SD card seems to be less than the chances of those struggling to use their xD.
Difficult Pricing
The strangest discrepancy among these memory cards has to do with the price of the limited xD versus the more efficient SD card. A 2 GB Olympus xD card is available through Amazon.com for $17.50, and the SD version of that same size card is priced at $8.49.
Many customers would change cameras just to capitalize on the price difference even if the xD wasn’t as prone to corruption and had more compatibility.
The SD is actually older than the xD — it originated in’99 — but it has changed with the times by expanding its storage space and offering more and more compatibility for every type of device in the market today.
As customers continue to choose the SD over the xD, Olympus and Fujifilm are right to leave behind their xD cards and try something new.
Fujifilm and Olympus still supply xD memory cards for now. The xD digital memory card format can be still bought at normal pricing, so buy one right now if you’re in need of one for your camera. There are many new digital camera models to browse too, so shop for all your digital memory cards at a trusted website today.
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