Cfc Card Reader

Many people that do not have an electronic brain and have just bought a new camera ask what a CF card reader is. It is a compact flash memory card. It has a solid state memory device that will retain data, even if you do not have power to it. CF describes the electrical interface and the physical format of the card. Inside the card are one or more memory chips and a memory controller. CF card reader come in two different sizes.

One size is the CF type I – 36.4x42.8x3mm and the other is CF type II – 36.4x42.8x5.0mm. There is just the thickness of the card is different. Some cameras can only take type I cards. As with the Canon EOS DSLR is able to take both. The first CF reader card was either micro drives or high capacity cards. Even the high capacity cards today are type I; micro drives are type II.  They interface of type I CF card reader will supply up to 70mA to the card and type II interface will supply up to 500mA. The type II is needed if the card draws much power.

In the early days of the CF reader card, the micro drives were higher in capacity than the solid state cards. And the cost per MB storage was lower. Most are equal today. Some claim there is no reason to by a micro drive anymore. As they are a bit larger and will draw more power than the CF reader card, they are not used much anymore. CF card reader can go through the laundry and still come out with no damage.

Speed of the CF card reader is the most important quality, how fast it can read and write data. Mostly the speed in which the card can write is important since it will establish the maximum speed at which the camera will shoot under certain conditions. There are two different types of memory cells in the CF card reader. One is called the Single Level Cell or SLC, and it stores one bit in each cell. The other one is Multi Level Cell which will store two bits in each cell. The fastest CF card reader is best but is more expensive than the Multi Level Cell. SLC also will use a little less power than the MLC.

If buying the high capacity CF card reader they do have some advantages over the micro drives. You do not need to keep changing the cards when shooting. But if the card should fail, you have lost four GB worth of pictures or images. But this does not happen often. Photographers think about the size of memory to use. They would probably lose the same amount of data, but in smaller doses. And it would not happen in just one shoot. It is convenient though to have just one CF card reader and not have to change between cards.

Prices will vary on the CF card reader, depending on the camera and what it is going to be used for. Just keep a lookout for good prices, getting one cheaply is not a good idea not unless it comes with a good rebate.