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Another Major Price Drop for Memory Cards


ShunCheung

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Recall that prices for compact flash cards took a drastic drop in

2004, a 1G Lexar CF card went from about $250 in the spring to $100

in the fall. In 2005, prices were rather stable.

<P>

But just in the last week or so, Sandisk slashed their prices

drastically. For example, a <A HREF="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?

O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=356016&is=REG&addedTroughType=category

Navigation">

2G Extreme III</A> is now only $110.

 

A 4G Extreme III is $240, down from about $400 a week ago. A

<A HREF="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?

O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=321880&is=REG&addedTroughType=category

Navigation">

2G 80x Lexar</A> is $98 after the $100 rebate.

<P>

This is welcome news for D200 and D2X owners who can use a lot of CF space.

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Patrick, you aren't the only one. Last year I bought three 2G cards so that I had a total of four before a major international trip, and I managed to fill all of them in certain days, before copying them to hard drives and DVDs in the evenings.

 

I had been holding off for 4G cards because I knew prices would drop. I think I'll get one now, but prices will continue to go down. Therefore, it is always a good idea to get the minimum you need just to get by. There is no need to load up.

 

For those nature photographers who have no access to AC outlets for days and therefore may need a lot of memory card space, this is very welcome news also.

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I remember paying $139.99 for a 64mb CF card for my new Coolpix 775. Last Christmas my store was giving away 1 gig cards with cameras. In the good-ole-days cards came in 8mb, 16, 32, 64, 96, and 128mb sizes. A 512mb card was $999.99. When 1 gig cards dropped below $1000.00 we thought they were cheap. We also believed that digital would NEVER replace film in the consumer market.
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Thanks Dennis; whether we are doing a good or bad job moderating the forum is a matter of opinion, but usually those who speak up are the ones who are unhappy. However, I am always happy to share good deals on equipment.

 

Apparently Adorama has a slightly better deal on the 4G version of Extreme III, but I would imagine that B&H will catch up soon. A 4G card gives you 200 RAW images on that D2X. That means one can go through most wedding ceremonies (not including the reception) without changing cards. IMO, the risk of losing some cards because you are dealing with too many is much higher than one card going bad.

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I meant to mention this on the forum a while back, but I guess now's as good a

time as any.

 

One of the other dad's in my son's pre-school is in R&D with electronic

storage, he gave me a Sandisk 1G Extreme III one day when I mentioned I

had bought a D2H over the summer. We began discussing digital storage

(he's a former photographer) and he told me the plan for CF cards is to be like

a roll of film both in price and storage.

 

In other words, the developers want the cards to become so inexpensive that

photographers will buy them, shoot them, and store them like we would have

done with negatives. I made some off hand comment about 'hill freezing over

before that happened' and he just gave me kind of a sly and knowing smile.

 

I couldn't have made this stuff up. I've got 4 gigs on CF cards now and an

Epson P-2000; I'm holding out for a while longer before purchasing any more

CF, I think more surprises are coming down the line.

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