SanDisk CompactFlash hits 16GB

Continuing the march toward ever-larger-capacity memory cards, SanDisk announced three new cards at the Photokina trade show in Germany. Two of the new cards, 12GB and 16GB CompactFlash cards, carry the company's Extreme III moniker, while the third, a 4GB SDHC card bears the Ultra II name. SanDisk says Extreme III cards can withstand temperatures from minus 13 degrees to plus 185 degrees Fahrenheit and rates them with sustained minimum read and write speeds of 20MB per second. SanDisk rates the new 4GB SDHC card at a write-speed of 9MB per second and a read speed of 10MB per second and will sell the card as a bundle with a MicroMate SDHC card reader, since SDHC cards require special SDHC-compatible readers and cameras. That means you should check to make sure your camera is SDHC-compliant before purchasing an SDHC card.

SanDisk has a nifty PDF on its site that explains what SDHC is and also has a page to help you find SDHC-compatible SanDisk products, but you'll have to check your camera's specs to see if it is compatible with the new standard. It would be really nice if the SD Card Association, which manages the various SD card standards, would publish a complete list of SDHC-compatible devices, but they don't yet.

Look for SanDisk's new CompactFlash cards to hit stores in December, while the SDHC card should be available in October. SanDisks expects the 4GB SDHC with MicroMate USB 2.0 reader bundle to sell for about $220, while the 12GB and 16GB versions should carry price tags of $780 and $1,050, respectively.