Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

With fast shooting high mega pixel cameras, the CF card can be a major performance factor. Why have one of these cameras and use a card that cannot keep up? When prices started dropping on CF cards, I decided it was time to get yet another one. The Extreme III cards write with a 20 MB/sec sequential read/write speed. These fast write speeds are desirable with large image files. There are cameras with buffers to hold images while writing to the card during continuous shots. At some point if the card cannot write fast enough, your camera will stop shooting until the buffer clears enough room. This card has a high impact rating. For example; if you were to accidentally drop this card 10-foot up to then hit the floor, this card is rated to sustain the fall without damage. Also consider this card can withstand temperatures from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit (as indicated on the package). Since I live in Texas, I doubt I'll ever have a problem with the card getting too cold. It is nice to know that I could possibly leave the card in a car under the hot Texas sun and it may still work. I've yet to test this scenario, and its unlikely I ever will. Sometimes the trade off on price comes from power consumption. Lower priced cards may use more power to do the same job as this card. The low power consumption of this card means a longer battery life. People generally want to know how many images a card will hold. This is a difficult question to answer and greatly depends on both the card and the camera it is used in. The number of images this card will hold on my 20D also depends on the settings used. Let me provide a few settings and image counts for an idea of what this card holds. Shooting Raw w/ISO 100 - 221 images Shooting Raw w/ISO 800 - 206 images Shooting Large jpeg - 479 images Shooting Medium jpeg - 825 images Shooting Small jpeg over 999 images (the 20D cannot provide counts above 999) I use both a 1GB and a 2GB card shooting primarily raw images. Sometimes the 1GB card is more than adequate, but other times I could easily fill the 1GB card quickly. There have been many days where I have taken 200-300 pictures without the opportunity to transfer my images. The 2GB card not only gives me more storage space, but also permits me to change the card in a slow moment before it completely fills up. It is truly aggravating to lose a shot because your card filled up. For these reasons I tend to prefer the 2GB cards. When considering the card size, one should attempt to balance convenience with capacity. Having one card for all your images may be convenient, but it is also putting all your eggs in one basket. Worried about reliability? The Extreme III cards have a dedicated technical support line (1-866-270-5532). Plus it's backed with a lifetime limited warranty outside Europe. The warranty excludes any defects, malfunctions, performance failures or damages to the card resulting from use in other than its normal and customary manner, misuse, accident or neglect; or improper alterations or repairs. If something should go wrong, this CF card comes with the Rescue Pro recovery software. Fortunately I have had no need for the software. For that purpose I cannot give much comment on its usefulness. Overall, I do not notice the benefits of this cards speed over the Ultra II when used with the 20D. The other benefits between this and the Ultra II are not necessarily a big plus for me. I like having the recovery software, so for the few extra dollars I am happy. With a big price difference, I would definitely stick with the Ultra II. If the temperature ratings or the Rescue Pro recovery software is an important feature for you, the Extreme III is the card to get. Otherwise, consider purchasing the Sandisk Ultra II CF Card and save some cash. PROS: Reliable Fast read/write Impact resistant Low power consumption Backed by a lifetime limited warranty Recovery software included CONS: None