CF card vs SD card

[theRBK]

I don't see how the pins of a CF card reader can be damaged if the cards are inserted with due care... there are guide rails on the side and they can't even be inserted upside down (I just tried again to be sure)...

basically, can't go wrong with either format... if a camera you want is in one of there formats then it shouldn't really make a difference...

 

[ymmij]

I have both and are using both formats for different cameras. I have not break a single pin nor have I tarnish any surface.

As for the "problem" of reading, it could be due to the reader itself not the memory card.

No doubt the format of memory card makes a little impact in choosing your digital camera, it should not be the main concern. Unless you have like tens of GB of that particular format then you would naturally buy cameras of that type.

I use both SD and CF cards not because I like any of them, but because my camera is using the format. Camera come first then memory card.

 

[emirates]

good for u. i bent a pin before (infact more than once) but fixed them back myself. wasn't really that a tragedy lah. but the best is to be gentle with those flexible dedicate tiny pins

 

[cjtune]

I don't see how the pins of a CF card reader can be damaged if the cards are inserted with due care... there are guide rails on the side and they can't even be inserted upside down (I just tried again to be sure)...

basically, can't go wrong with either format... if a camera you want is in one of there formats then it shouldn't really make a difference...

I think the design shortcoming (my view as a mechanical design engineer) of the CF card system is that the coupling of the reader's pins with the card relies on rather accurate positioning. If the guide rails or pins' straightness were not well-controlled or slightly defective to begin with, or there is a lot of looseness in the slot (from poor or cheapo manufacturing), any misalignment will make pins prone to hitting the solid edges of the card instead of going smoothly into the tapered holes. Frequent hitting, and with force from rather strong users will eventually bend a pin, and the more a pin bends it is more likely it will get hit and bent again, and it just goes downhill from there.

I've seen CF-format SD-card adapters (basically a CF card with a slot for a SD-card) being sold on Ebay but be warned that the transfer speed for those converters may be maxed at a very dismally slow speed and cannot take advantage of your SD-card's x133, x266 or whatever speed. Ask the seller to be sure and so far I haven't found one that is high-speed yet.