digital memory

[willadams67]

I was wondering which way I should go for memory. Would people recomed getting several 128MB or should I just get one of the large 564MB (I think) cards. I have heard that the one big card is easier because you are not forced to open up your camera. I have also heard that if something goes wrong with the larger cards your trips pictures may all be gone. What are you guys and gals recomending?

[jasondbaker]

I would recommend at least 256MB or 512MB cards.

[igotoofar]

Something else to consider is "reload" time. With the larger cards it takes longer to write the picture to the memory stick.

With the smaller cards like the 128M, you can take pictures faster.

[DanL]

Size of card you select depends on the type of media you use(Compact Flash, memory stick, etc), the camera megapixels (2,3, 5, 8?), the resolution you shoot (jpeg low, jpeg high, TIFF, or raw), and where you plan to shoot (locally where you can download after a dive, or a week long vacation where you don't plan to download your cards)
I have a 3 and 5 megapixel camera, and usually shoot high res jpeg. I use Compact Flash cards. Started with 125MB on the 3MP camera and that was fine - could get 45 pics on one card. But that was too small for the 5MP camera underwater. I now use a 512MB card on the 5MP camera when shooting underwater because I can get about 110 pics before changing out the card.
As for speed - for Comp Flash cards it's not related to size. Maybe so for other cards, but for CF you can buy cards of different write speeds - from 2x to 12x, I think. But for my camera, an Oly C-5050, I think the max write speed it can use is only 4X, so paying a premium for a really fast card isn't necessary.
For more info, and probably more accurate than my memory, search this site - a LOT of great digital photog info:
I have about 6 cards now - 128's, some 250's and a 512. I fill em all up when on vacation. Watch the prices at - the prices should start to fall dramatically since the major manufacturers have announced wholesale price cuts to about half the recent prices. I just bought a 512MB card with rebate for $59 and prices should come down even further from there soon.
Have fun...
Dan