Lexar Memory Cards to be discontinued

Heads up on Lexar cards going away. This might be the time to get some Lexar XQD cards.

 

 

www.dpreview.com/news/3111535898/lexar-discontinued-micron-announces-the-end-of-lexar-memory-cards

Never use 'em, so it doesn't bother me overmuch.

 

Except that it might make still camera manufacturers think twice about getting behind XQD cards. With Sony left as the only major supplier it raises all sorts of monopoly, supply and pricing issues.

 

With SD cards available cheaply on every high street, and XQD cards like proverbial hen's teeth. I know which medium would be my choice.

 

Looks like XQD might follow Sony's stupid memory-stick into the pit of oblivion.

Edited June 28, 2017 by rodeo_joe|1

Looks like XQD might follow Sony's stupid memory-stick into the pit of oblivion.

 

I was looking at the Nikon D5 specs last night, and wondered why there was an option for these--except for serious burst shooters. Sony has some great ideas--but great does not translate to popular and affordable. Think Betamax...

 

SD and microSD (with or without adapters) have become the de facto standards. The specs on the XQD are pretty hot--and the door is not quite closed on the Lexar brand yet. I get the feeling that perhaps Micron is not the company to be Lexar going into the future, and perhaps there is enough profit to be made by a smaller, not as diversified company that is not bleeding money everywhere and facing unreasonable shareholder demands.

 

Otherwise, my choice has been SanDisk for everything card, stick, or SSD for a very long time now. Time will tell, and as always, we will deal with the ramifications.

Otherwise, my choice has been SanDisk for everything card, stick, or SSD for a very long time now.

 

I have Sandisk SSDs, and while they've been fine for me I get much better performance out of Samsungs. I'm using an Evo 850 in my current laptop.

 

With that said, I tend to trust Sandisk when it comes to memory cards, although I've held Lexar in equally high regard. I'm sorry to see the latter going away.

Samsung also make very good SD cards, and Transcend is another good brand. Both of them are very competitively priced too.

 

I shy away from Sandisk. It's the only brand of card that's failed on me. There's also the strong possibility of getting a fake. I mean, if you're going to fake a memory card, you're going to target the biggest selling brand, right?

 

Micron's core business is chip manufacture. I can understand if they no longer want to bother mounting and packaging those chips themselves, as well as having the advertising/wholesale/retail chain to deal with.

Sandisk cards area seem to be counterfeited more than other brands. Perhaps it is name recognition that makes Sandisk a target. They sell "Sandisk" cards at bus stops and on the street in China, none of which actually work. It is likely that defective cards make their way out of the factory in lunch pails, or tossed over the fence. You should buy memory cards only from recognized dealers, and be highly suspicious of extraordinary bargains.

 

Too bad about Lexar. I hope they find a buyer for the business. Competition keeps people on their toes and prices down.

I have been using Lexar and Sandisk cards for about 15 years. My experience has been that Lexar cards are some of the fastest cards available and generally very reliable. For pro cameras and even my new D500, speed is of the essense. I will miss the brand if it goes away. I am sad for the company and I am sure it's employees feel even more so. Wikipedia says the company is for sale so I will keep my fingers crossed and say prayers that they are picked up by a company that wants to continue making the brand competitive. I always sensed that Lexar was in an ongoing dual with Sandisk that drove size and speed improvements that benefitted me as a photographer.

Now that I actually have a high(ish) resolution DSLR, I would like some fast cards to go with it. The ultra fast Lexars seem the best in CF-at least from what I've seen-if you need to do things like shove 36mp RAW files onto a card...and then also get them off the card in a reasonable amount of time.

 

It looks like I may need to pony up the money to buy a few cards while they are still available.