Tom Douglas

The capacity of an elephant, the speed of a cheetah, April 16 2010

Memory cards are increasingly commodity items, but here is what you need to know before clicking the buy button:

SDHC - Secure Digital High Capacity. These cards are not compatible with older regular SD equipment. If in doubt, check first. Newer kit, especially DSLRs which need the extra storage, almost certainly are ready for SDHC cards.

Class 6 - The Class is the speed for reading/writing to memory. The existing Classes are 2, 4, 6 and 10. High resolution DSLRs need class 6 is you ever plan on taking sequential shots. Class 4 is absolutely fine for regular pocket-sized digital cameras. Class 10 is new and is for the extreme professional level… Read more

High capacity, great value, Mar 31 2010

While moving house last week I came across a 16Mb memory card. How times change!

At 500 times the capacity, this 8Gb unit is a beauty. Huge capacity and, as usual, a very keen price on Amazon.

Two points to note:

- This is a Class 4 SD card. This means it is not really suitable for high spec digital SLRs, such as the Canon Rebel. The Class 4 indicates the read/write speed, and with a Class 4 the card will slow down the camera, and for rapid sequential shots will be a handicap. For such uses you need a Class 6. you will pay much more for one, but will be glad you did.

- Unless you are using a very high resolution camera, you probably do not… Read more

A great little package, wet or dry, Mar 20 2010

I have not owned this long - yes, as usual a product shipped in the US a while before Canadians were allowed to buy it - but it is a mighty impressive package so far. It is a little short of perfect, but is definitely worth the price tag.

The positives:
- Although not heavy, it has a solid feel and the rubberized surface makes for a sure grip in the wet
- It is smaller than you expect. Genuinely pocket-sized
- The software is easy to use and simple to set up. They have put some thought into the balance between simplicity and functionality
- It happily runs in HD, although is better at 720p than full HD 1080p
- Most importantly, it is a full underwater… Read more