Oly XD cards vs other brands

[Dee]

It's been a while since I had to bother with memory cards. I use the XD card in my 5050 merely as a backup for the CF card. Now that I have a smaller camera that takes only XD cards, I need something more than the 512XD that I have.

This whole card brand thing has me confused! I always thought the Oly brand was one of the best, the prices are/were higher. While recently shopping for 1 or 2g XD cards I see Oly cards made by Fuji or SanDisc. Is the panorama feature on these cards? Some of the prices are less than half that listed for the Oly's brand. So what's the deal?

What about the H rating? Does that mean it records faster? The camera reads it faster? Someone please enlighten me, I feel like a mushroom in the dark!

 

[haha49]

well the h m ect are the card formate meaning your camera may need a frimwere upgrade to be able to see it.. if you go 2 gig vs 1 you tend to pay alot more..

 

[herman]

DEE!!! Long time no see.
As I understand it, the H version is a good bit faster than the M. Either should work in most Oly cameras. What I found on the Oly site indicates you lose some fancy functions if you don't use an Oly card....no big deal to me. You could always get one for those "special" shots.

From the Oly web site:


What is the difference between Olympus’ Type H and Type M xD-Picture Card™ media?


The Type H card provides improved write speeds (two to three times that of other xD-Picture Card media) so images and movies will be saved and formatted to the card more quickly. This means there will be less time to wait between shots and that movies can be recorded in greater resolution.

Each Type H card also comes with a unique authorization code for OLYMPUS Master 1.4 software that, when entered, enables new editing features that can enhance digital photographs with Watercolor, Oil painting, Cartoon Art and 3-D effects.

Don't be a stranger....the old 5050 is still going for me.

 

[Dee]

Hey Herman! I've still got the 5050. In fact I have 3 of them, never want to get without one, ya know?!?! But I decided to downsize just a bit. This last trip I had a chance to play with an Oly Stylus 710. I was impressed with the macro shots I got from it and the housing fits in the palm of my hand. So for those days I really just don't feel like spending the whole dive looking for something to photograph, this small rig will keep me from missing something good! I'm hoping to have some stuff to post after the October trip.

I suspected that was the the deal with the H and M cards. But I'm still confused as to what makes an Oly brand card. Buying it from Oly? The XD card I have is an Oly brand so I'll just make sure to use it if I want to do pano shots. Do you have a preference for Fuji or Sandisk or any other brand XD card?

Thanks

 

[herman]

I am guessing but I would bet that Fuji actually makes the Oly card. From what I can tell the difference in the Oly and other cards is the Oly card comes with some imbedded code that allows you to use some of the fancy features in the Oly software. Only Oly can imbed the code, basically they come with a password in them to open the software, other makers don't have the code. If the card actually says Olympus on it, then it should have the code. I have seen them lots of places, including Walmart and the big electronics stores- Best Buys, ect. As for non-Oly brands, I don't imagine there is any real difference. So far, with similar speed types I have neen no difference in CF cards.

I now have 2 5050s as well. I recently got a set of Inon macro lenses and a wide angle lens so I has a lot of diving to do before I get bored with them. Let me know if you even in NC, we will do a wreck together.....bring the 5050 and the wide angle, you'll need it for the up close and personal shots of the sand tigers.

 

[Dee]

You're gonna love that WA! I use it for close ups as much as anything else. Still need some practice with the macro lens, I have a tendency to get too close. Sounds like a plan, I'd love to see your wrecks and Tigers!

 

[jigo]

the main difference for me is that the biggest oly type H card is 1Gb while the fuji type H has 2Gb. big difference if you're shooting RAW. not really necessary to have 2Gb if you're just shooting jpeg.

 

[Dee]

Thanks, jigo. My 5050 will only take a 1G card and it's plenty for the RAW shots. And as you say, I don't need it for the JPG on the smaller rigs.