The newly UDMA-capable Extreme III series exceeds expectations, with a solid “B” grade in JPG testing and the coveted “highly recommended” rating in RAW testing. With the latest rebates, this card is a good bargain - just $29 for a 4GB card. (Be sure to order the 30 MB/sec version, which is clearly labeled as such, and not the earlier 20 MB/sec version.) SanDisk has also recently announced a ridiculous 32GB version of this card ($350 with no rebate).
Apacer’s card clocks in with speeds similar to off-brand cards in the 266-300x range, earning a “recommended” rating in RAW testing and a barely passing “D” in JPG shooting.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Jim // Sep 15, 2008 at 11:58 am
The SanDisk card in the link you provided (to Adorama) does not say it’s UDMA compliant.
I guess your empirical results have more weight than any manufacturer claim… if you tested it and the numbers are good, it should be a good buy.
But I wonder why SanDisk doesn’t explicitly advertise UDMA compliance as Lexar does.
2 The Sports Photo Guy // Sep 15, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Category leaders often don’t advertise their products in a way that they can be readily compared to competitors. Kodak used to do this with film, developing their own scale for measuring grain instead of using the industry standard. SanDisk instead advertises their cards in terms of speed in MB/sec — the 30 MB/sec Extreme III cards are the new, UDMA-compliant versions while the 20 MB/sec versions are the original Extreme III models. Many stores (like Adorama) still offer both types for sale - often at the exact same price.
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