Guide: Choose and buy the right memory card

We also want to show you how to recover accidentally deleted photos.


Mobile IT devices such as digital cameras, the latest generation of digital camcorders, multimedia players, current mobile phones and navigation devices usually use memory cards to expand their memory. The mini-memory currently offer a memory capacity of up to 64 GB, but will not stop in front of the Terrabyte boundary in the future. Due to their limited space requirements, you hardly have any weight when building a mobile device. They are handy and very robust due to the lack of mechanical parts (with the exception of the Microdrive). However, manufacturers of mobile IT devices could not agree on a uniform card standard.


Some companies prefer proprietary developments, such as Sony's Memory Stick in various versions or Fujifilm and Olympus's xD-Picture Card. Furthermore, there are new developments such as the SDHC card, which fits into the SD slot but is only recognized by compatible devices. It is therefore all the more important to inform yourself about the expansion of your memory before you buy a mobile device in order to be able to handle the various maps offered by relevant IT markets or online purchases. But even within a card class there are still differences, which are also expressed in the price. It is less the memory capacity, but the possible transfer time of the data to and from the memory card.


Within a memory card class, there are different model variants with manufacturer-dependent designations such as "elite pro", "ultimate", "extreme" or "ultra". These models generally differ in the possible transmission speeds of the data on and from the respective card. We have tested a small trial version of CompactFlash, SD and SDHC cards from Kingston for their transmission speed. We wrote a film-, photo-, music- and document package on Kingston's "Media Reader" card reader and read it out again. Particularly when writing the cards, the high-end variant showed clearly better values ​​than the basic model.


The small Excel test table can be found in the download area. Here you can read the test results and, if necessary, drive your own tests. You need only one stopwatch for the measurement of the transmission time and your own data packets for moving. This test does not replace a laboratory test, but it shows clear differences between the model classes, even if these differ from the theoretical specifications of the manufacturers. So it makes sense to grab a high-quality memory card when a fast data throughput is required.


This can be important, for example, for high-resolution serial recordings with corresponding digital cameras or for data-intensive HD film recordings of current camcorders with card storage. For everyday use in compact cameras, mobile phones or MP3 players, you can also use the inexpensive "no name" cards or the storage media of special offers of various IT markets.


Tips on bargains and a glossary can be found on page 2 ...