One Simple & Unique Feature Makes This Memory Card Fantastic...
Written: Apr 15 '08 (Updated Apr 29 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Phenomenal design, great speed, easy to use
Cons: Feels flimsy when moving the plastic to expose the USB
The Bottom Line: The design and speed of this card make it a great buy. For the amateur photographer with an 8mp camera or less, this should be your top pick.
ace3502's Full Review: SanDisk Ultra® II (1 GB) (SDSDH901)
With my old Canon camera I had a very generic memory card. I got it in 2005 and it was less than 1GB capacity. I didn't have much of a need for a bigger one. My 512mb was sufficient to take care of my 3.2 megapixel camera so I didn't upgrade. Recently however my beloved Canon died and I had to get a new one. I researched and got the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS digital camera and with it my friend who works at Circuit City recommended the High Speed SanDisk Ultra II. Looking at it in the package it didn't look like the conventional memory card so I said whatever and purchased the $30 item. (I'm sure you can find it for much cheaper now with its popularity exploding) A little expensive but I figured I would need a bigger card for the high resolution pics that would be coming out of my new Canon PowerShot SD870 IS 8 megapixel camera.
What You Get
In the case you get the memory card itself, a small plastic case for storage when you're not using it, and also a small keychain case to keep with you on the go. It is on a swivel and snaps into place over the card, securing it as it swings from your keys. Now I'm not a huge fan of lugging stuff around on keychains, plus this is a little expensive to fall out if that were the case so I don't use the keychain very often at all. The directions are very easy to use and follow, and the unit is the standard sized memory card you would use for any digital camera use.
Here's the cool part. Now, thinking I know everything, I open the case and look at the card. It had the same top half of a memory card, but the bottom, rather than being the same width as the top half, was trimmed in on the sides. Effectively the unit looked like a T rather than the square shape I am used to. I thought, man did my friend give me the wrong memory card by accident? I fiddled with it and tried to put it in the camera. It wouldn't fit. The card was thicker than normal cards and wouldn't insert into the regular sized memory card slot in the camera. Ready to go back inside I fiddled with the card a little more and I heard a loud snap of plastic. I cringed at the thought of breaking something I bought five minutes earlier. Come to find out, the snap was a release and there was a hinged half to the card that swings down and covers the lower part of the card. Upon further inspection I realized, it was its own USB port. The card is a normal shaped and sized card but half of the card is on a hinge that swings up and exposes a USB size insert that you can put directly into your computer! I was so thrilled when I found this. Such a simple innovation and I couldn't believe that someone hadn't thought of it sooner. Who knows, maybe since I hadn't bought a memory card in almost 4 years this is the new standard and I'm behind the times. Either way I was still impressed.
The Cards Function / Compatibility
The card works beautifully in my camera. Having the resolution on my 8 megapixel camera set to the highest possible, my camera can hold over 250 pictures. I love the clarity that comes with these pictures, and not having to worry about running out of space on the card is fantastic. For higher than 8mp cameras, I'd recommend a 2GB card, but for anything less this card in my opinion is more than efficient enough. Compatibility is not an issue at all. I have both a Mac and a PC and using the card in either is a dream. The card is compatible on Windows 2000 SP4 / XP SP2 and Mac OS 10.1.2 It simply slides right in to the USB port and appears just as a normal storage device would. Read and write speed is phenomenal. My PC is an older model and not able to handle high speed but my Mac is brand new and transferring even the largest files is a snap. There is never more than a two second transfer time for the largest pictures I have had on the camera.
The one concern is the hinges on the card that cover the USB port. I know SanDisk makes quality products and I'm sure I am just being overly cautious but I try not to open or close it too much if I can help it. The plastic, although strong, feels somewhat flimsy and the snapping noise of it clicking into place always makes me nervous that it will snap right off one day. But up to this point I haven't had a problem with it at all. I'll have to update in a few months to show it is still working just fine.
The USB Function
Wow, is this a great feature. It saves the space on your computer of having to load your camera's program and also the trouble of having to hook up the camera to the computer each time you want to get pictures off. You simply apply a little pressure to the bottom corner of the card while holding the top and it clicks out of place and hinges back to sit flush with the top half of the card, exposing the USB. You gently slide it into your computer (I have a laptop so its very easy for me to access the USB port) and once its in, a small light comes on on the card to indicate its being read and it appears on the computer just as a normal mass storage device would. It is such a simple feature but I am truly glad I purchased this just because of the ease of use and quickness I can take / plug in / upload / and access a picture. It really is great. I think of all the time it used to take me to find the camera cord, plug it into the camera and then to the computer, wait for the program to register and open to access the pictures, wait for it to download the pictures, then open a photo program that came with the camera for me to organize my pictures, mind you I didn't like and never used this program that came with the camera. The ease of use now is so worth it. No cords, no extra programs opening just pop it in and go.
Overall
With the exception of me feeling cautious about the hinge on the card, (most likely being overly nervous), I truly would recommend this to any amateur photographer. The card is efficient, effective, reliable and economical. The size makes it fantastic for holding numerous pictures and the USB function creates an ease of use that I haven't experienced with any other memory card. Definitely a buy.
Specs
1GB Capacity
Built in USB
10 mbs Read / 9 mbs Write
Lifetime Limited Warranty From SanDisk
Compatibility on Windows 2000 SP4 / XP SP2 and Mac OS 10.1.2
Minimum of 10MB/second** sequential read speed for ultra-fast image viewing and data transfer Minimum 9MB/second** sequential write speed lets you cap...More at Amazon Marketplace
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