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I came here to post my review for the Kingston 8GB Class 6 SDHC Card. Then I realized that several products and reviews had been collected on this page. The Kingston 16 GB SDHC Class 4 Memory Card is also now being sold here. I actually own and use almost all the products listed here except for the 4 GB SDHC card from Kingston. I do have other 4 GB SDHC cards, just not that one. I will try to list as much info as possible to help all those shopping for one of these Kingston memory cards.
The 2 GB, 2 GB Elite Pro, and 2 GB Ultimate Cards
The 2 GB regular SD card from Kingston is pretty comparable to the Sandisk card, which I also own. It's a steady performer at a good price, still only around $10. Just for the sake of clarity, the technical details speed rating of 5 MB/sec read speed and 1.5 MB/sec write speed applies to the basic card. The Elite card is 50x, giving you up to 10 MBs read and 5 MBs write and the Ultimate card basically doubles those numbers.
The only criticism I can list about the basic 2 GB card is that in my Nikon camera I definitely notice the lag after taking pictures. That was the original reason why I stepped up to the Elite Pro and Ultimate Cards. With the Elite Pro I experienced only a mild improvement in the performance, but the Ultimate really gave me a noticeable improvement.
Is it worth it to buy a faster 2 GB card for twice or three times the price? I would actually say "NO" and here's the reason why. 2 GB used to be a lot of storage, but now 8 GB is the benchmark. 16 GB SDHC cards are soon to become common too. Most people who are buying 2 GB cards are doing so because they are basic users or have older devices that can't use larger SDHC cards. For that reason, few people will want to pay the extra cash at the 2 GB size. Get the basic card if you just need the largest compatible card.
My SDHC specific review points
As long as your devices are compatible with the SDHC format, 8 GB is the way to go. Granted 4 GB is a nice size too, but most users who need cards that are SDHC compliant are probably using it for RAW image storage on high end cameras. To me 8 GB capacity on this guy makes it perfect for high capacity storage.
The class 6 speed is the fastest speed available in mass market SDHC cards, meaning that you would have to step up to much more expensive professional rigs to improve upon the speed of this 8 GB card. Class 6 guarantees minimum transfer speeds of 6 MBs, but I've gotten speeds on the order of 20MBs writing and reading! Those are real world numbers I have been able to get. It should be noted that I buy a lot of external hard drives with USB 2.0 speed ratings of 480Mbs that have actual production speeds of less than this guy! That makes this card perfect for professional photographers storing pictures in RAW image formats.
The 8 GB SDHC Class 6 is on par with the Sandisk Extreme III cards that are about $15 more per card on average. If you don't have an SDHC reader, you may opt to get the package with a reader included to download your pics. Sandisk SDSDRX38192 Extreme III SDHC 8GB Card with MicroMate Reader
General SDHC and SD Card Tips
There are a few tips that I've learned the hard way through buying TOO MANY different memory cards.
1. Make sure your device is compatible with the card! Even in regular SD cards, some older electronics aren't compatible with that large of a size (2 GB). In terms of SDHC cards, make sure your camera or other device is SDHC compatible. SDHC is different from regular SD and only newer devices tend to have built-in compatibility
2. Once you install this in your camera or device, you will generally want to format the card with your compatible device's interface. That is because the standard formats for certain devices, particularly Canon, are different from the factory installed format
3. Just like your devices, most computer SD card readers are not compatible with the SDHC format. So use a card reader or download the pictures via USB connection to the camera with the card still installed.
4. For some reason, placing the card in the locked position allows some older laptops to still read it. This is just to be used in a pinch however, and it won't apply to all systems
5. If you did not properly format your card, you may be able to save things to it and then have them "disappear." If this happens to you, make sure you use the software recovery tools BEFORE you try to save anything else to your card. That way, you can retrieve your images without over-writing them.
6. Make sure you know what you are going to use this card for. Once you have set up everything and ensured it's all compatible, you still have to decide on speed. If you are using this for storing RAW images instead of JPEGs or HD video, step up to the faster class 6 speed format if you can afford it.
7. If you are going to pay more for a faster speed, make sure your device can benefit from it. I've read, for example, that Kodak cameras are set to a fixed voltage and cannot go faster than standard speed. So the extra cash spent on Class 4, 5, or 6 is basically wasted.
Conclusion
I've had good luck with all my Kingston memory cards. If you only can go up to 2 GB based on your device limits, save the cash and stick with the basic card. If you can use SDHC, the 8 GB SDHC card is awesome as long as your device is SDHC compatible. An SDHC card reader can be bought separately if your PC doesn't have a compatible slot. Make sure you review your needs; if you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card is worth it.
Enjoy!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Kingston 4 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card SD6/4GB
Kingston Technology's Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) memory card is designed to meet the storage demands of high-quality digital still and video cameras and other high-resolution image recording devices.With a 4 GB capacity, the SDHC card offers larger-volume data storage and optimized recording performance with support for FAT 32 file formats. With a Class 6 rating, the card delivers a minimum data transfer rate of 6 MB per second for optimum performance with SDHC devices.For added reliability and durability, this solid-state SDHC memory card is built of nonvolatile memory components and has no moving parts that could wear out or break. Although identical in size to today's standard SD card, the new SDHC cards are designed differently and are only recognized by SDHC host devices. To ensure compatibility, look for the SDHC logo on cards and host devices such as cameras and camcorders. Fully compliant with the new Secure Digital Association 2.00 specification, this memory card is backed with a lifetime limited warranty.
Click here for more information about Kingston 4 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card SD6/4GB
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