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[OM] Re: E-500 review and other questions

Subject: [OM] Re: E-500 review and other questions
From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 18:02:51 -0400
Ali wrote:

> 
> What do you think will replace CF? For the size, capacity, and 
> durability of CF - you cannot go wrong.

 From Rob Galbraith's CF Performance database page:
<http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007>
-----------------------------------------------------------

Individual flash memory cells have a limited lifespan. That's the bad 
news. The good news is that their lifespan is measured in the hundreds 
of thousands or even millions of erase/write cycles, and that the better 
controller designs utilize an algorithm that's designed to balance the 
wear across the entire card's cells.

CompactFlash cards are designed to automatically and transparently map 
out memory cells that go bad, or in some cases when they reach a 
predefined limit, i.e. 300,000 erase/write cycles (note that this figure 
is just an example; manufacturers may use a different figure). Cards 
should continue to function long after a few cells have expired, since 
even the busiest photographer's flash memory card won't start turning 
off a significant number of memory cells until after many years of service.

Expect that before then, you will have already moved onto Secure Digital 
(SD) cards, the card type most likely to supercede CompactFlash in pro 
digital SLR cameras. Several models of pro digital SLR from Kodak and 
Canon have both CompactFlash and SD slots, so the move to SD is really 
already underway. But the key point is that the lifespan of a flash 
memory-based card from a reputable maker will be long, and that it's 
more likely you'll retire your flash CompactFlash cards before they're 
no longer able to function because of the number of expired memory cells 
(though cards can, and occasionally do, fail for other reasons).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

> 
> Also why didnt Olympus add USB 2.0 to the E-500?

It's more expensive and, while I'm sure there is someone doing it, I 
don't know of anyone who actually uses the camera's USB connection to 
download images.  It's much faster to use a dedicated USB 2 reader or, 
better yet, a PCMCIA CF card adapter.

Chuck Norcutt


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