Camcorder Flash Memory
Flash memory camcorders use flash memory – that’s obvious. But what’s not so obvious is that flash memory comes in different “packages”. The inner workings of all flash memory are essentially the same. A memory chip stores data (like your videos) as a series of 0′s and 1′s. The details of how that works aren’t really that important to this discussion, but what’s important to you is the speed, size and form factor of the memory you need.
Flash memory comes in many different sizes and types. The thumb drive that you use to store your computer files is an example of flash memory. Most camcorders though use what’s called Secure Digital High Capacity cards (SDHC). The SDHC cards come in 3 sizes, standard usually just called SDHC, Mini SDHC, and Micro SDHC. They basically function the same and look similar in shape although different in size. More than likely your cell phone uses a Micro SDHC card, most camcorders use the standard card although some use the Mini SDHC card. Smaller devices tend to use the Mini SDHC. There are adapters that allow you to use the smaller cards in a device that uses a standard card, as long as the size and speed are compatible, then you’re fine.
As a little side note there are some older cards out there called SD cards, that aren’t as high capacity as the newer SDHC ones. Devices using SDHC are backwards compatible with SD cards, although the speed and capacity of the older card will probably not be enough.
Speaking of speed, the class of the card is another thing to consider. You’ll see cards rated class 4, class 6 etc. The higher the number, the faster the card. Most flash memory camcorders use at least a Class 4 card, your camcorder manual should tell you what you need. You can use a faster card with no problem, it will probably cost more, and you won’t really see any performance gains.
To further confuse the issue there are some proprietary card by manufacturers like Sony. Their memory stick, released in 1998 was one of the first flash memory cards out there. The older models look nothing like the newer models, but the newer Memory Stick 2 (MS2), looks very much like a SDHC card. The memory stick PRO duo, looks almost identical to an SDHC card, and at first glance could be mistaken for it.
Sony MemoryStick PRO - notch is on the left.
SDHC Card - Notice the notch is on the right.
The photos above aren’t to scale so it looks like the Sony card is much larger in size although they’re very similar. Notice that the notch on the Sony card is on left when looking at the top, with the SDHC card the notch is on the right. This is just one way to tell them apart, in other aspects they’re pretty similar which can be confusing.
If you’re getting a new camera then your owners manual should tell you exactly what size and speed memory you’ll need. If you’re buying a used camera and can’t get the manual then you can always go to the manufacturers website and download the manual for free. Remember the three things to look for and you should be able to find the camcorder flash memory that you need.
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