Compact Flash

Compact Flash cards (CF) cards are my favorite storage medium for digital cameras.  There are several rational reasons for this otherwise irrational bias.  CF cards were not invented for use only with digital cameras; rather they were introduced as a smaller version of the memory cards used in notebook computers (variously called PCMCIA cards, PC-Card, or ATA cards).  They are wonderfully versatile, and compatible with lots of computer equipment.  They are produced by a variety of vendors (Sandisk and Lexar are my favorites), and come in an increasing array of sizes.   

As an example of this versatility, I can take the Lexar 16MB CF card that came with our Nikon Coolpix 990, and use it in our Nikon Coolpix 950, Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart C30 camera, Hewlett-Packard Omnibook notebook computer running Windows 98 (in a $12 PC-Card adapter), use it with my Casio A-11 Windows CE handheld PC, my Everex Windows CE palmPC,  and a variety of work computers:  Windows 2000 (with $40 PC-Card adapter and a $12 PC-Card adapter), an HP Jornada 820 Handheld PC Pro (which has two slots that can take CF cards), and even with my home desktop computer running Windows 2000 Server via a Lexar USB JumpShot cable.  I can shoot pictures using the Nikon 950 or 990, or the H-P C30, and view the images on any of the devices mentioned above, with no formatting of the card.  

They come in a variety of sizes: from 4 megabytes (MB) to 128 MB+.  The sole factor that limits their utility is their price (which is decreasing rapidly, but still has a way to go). The other drawback to these cards is that they do not last forever.  I have used a lot of them, and they eventually fail, particularly if exposed to static electricity or a lot of dirt.  For this reason my approach to CF cards is one of diversity: I buy several smaller ones (40-64 MB is my favorite size range at present), and then use them like rolls of film.  A 40 MB CF card in a Nikon 990 will shoot about 38 exposures at fine resolution - about the same as 35 mm film.  If the CF card decides to fail, the lost expense is not crippling, and the loss of pictures is probably not catastrophic.  In addition, some of the older cameras can not use the largest CF cards.  

This picture shows several CF cards, two CF<->PC-Card adapters, a small Sandisk carrying case for four CF cards, and a Nikon 990 lens cap for scale. The lettering on the top CF<->PC-Card adapter is not blown out due to glare, the markings are worn off from use.  They are sitting on top of our H-P Omnibook notebook computer.  This is really all you need for image storage for an extended period of use of a digital camera.  When a CF card is plugged into one of the larger adapters, and then inserted in one of the PC Card slots on this notebook PC, it looks just like a disk drive. The pictures taken by a digital camera appear as JPEG files, and can be directly copied, viewed, or edited from the CF card.  Because they are so standard, many office supply and computer stores carry a variety of these cards, so in an emergency, it is not hard to find one.  If you have Photoshop or Thumbs+ on your notebook, it is easy to view, edit, or catalog your pictures shortly after taking them.

Although a notebook computer with PC-Card slots is an excellent accessory for any digital photographer, desktop computers are much cheaper, and offer more computing bang for the buck.  CF cards can be easily connected directly to a desktop computer in several ways, in addition to the software that comes with a digital camera.  Both Lexar and Sandisk make CF adapters that plug into either the printer (parallel) port on a PC, or the USB port on a Mac or PC. The yellow CF card in the picture above is one of the newer Lexar USB enabled cards. The Lexar USB cards use an inexpensive USB JumpShot cable to transfer images to a PC or Mac.

In any case whether using a PC Card adapter or a CF adapter, what you wind up with is direct access to the picture files you have on the CF card, just like a disk drive on a computer.  You can browse them, copy them, or open them for editing using any image editing program on the market.  I recommend copying them to your hard disk before doing any editing, and then only editing a copy.