Customer Reviews

Fujifilm 32 MB xD Picture Card

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Measuring at an incredibly small 0.8 x 1.0 x 0.07 inches, xD picture cards are a new flash storage format jointly developed by Fuji and Olympus, the two largest manufacturers of digital cameras in the world, as a futuristic successor to the SmartMedia card. The xD cards are actually manufactured by Toshiba, known for its promotion of the competing Secure Digital (SD) flash storage format, and are about 1/3 the size of a SmartMedia card and slightly smaller than SD and MMC cards. (Confused by the alphabet soup yet?)

Sidebar: xD stands for "extreme digital"

But smallness does not mean lameness. Fuji and Olympus promise very high read/write speeds (3MB/sec for writes and 5MB/sec for reads) as well as lower power consumption for the xD cards. They also claim that eventually xD's capacity will reach 8GB (!!!), although no timetable has been set. Right now xD cards come in 32MB, 64MB, 128MB and 256MB flavors, and generally cost 50% more than same-capacity SD cards, but their prices are likely to drop quickly as more digital cameras accept the format.

Which brings us to the critical question, how many digital cameras accept xD cards? Not many at this point, and digital cameras that accept SmartMedia cannot use xD. But given the market clout of Olympus and Fuji, we'll surely see more xD-friendly models soon. The question is whether other camera producers (Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Toshiba...) will also adopt the technology. My prediction is since Canon has made a commitment to continued use of CompactFlash, they are unlikely to go with the xD. Toshiba manufactures xD cards for Fuji and Olympus, so they may adopt it if they see serious commitment by the latter two.

Since so far few cameras use the xD format, there is little real-world comparison between xD and competing formats such as SD and Sony's MemoryStick/MemoryStick PRO. Whether you'll need xD is entirely dependent on whether the digital camera you choose will accept it. My advice is pick a digital camera without regard to the storage format it takes, because all the formats out there -- SD, MMC, SM, CF, MS, and now xD -- get the job done.

I just got a Fuji Finepix 2650 digital camera that utilizes the new (and superior) xD Picture Card. Anyone who has *actually* used the xD card knows it is an outstanding product. My first two digital cameras (HPs) used CompactFlash - the xD card blows CompactFlash away.

In the world of performance electronics - size is king. The xD card is about the size of a penny! Last night during the University of Miami vs. Ohio State game, I showed my friends the xD card and they were amazed. They couldn't believe the xD card was so tiny - way smaller than CompactFlash or SmartMedia. For those concerned about compatibility issues, don't worry. With the CompactFlash adapter, the xD card can be used in CompactFlash devices (a huge plus since I've read reports that the xD card will be available in 1+ GB sizes later this year).

My elderly husband received a Fugi digital camera aout 8 to ten years ago. We planned a cruise, as we seldom can go anywhere due to health issues.
He wanted to take his camera but needed memory cards. We searched everywhere we could think to find them but word was they don't make them anymore.
In desperation, I looked on Amazon.com. Thanks

I needed a replacement xD chip for an older digital camera. This one works great. Thanks for the good product and quick delivery

A new format is a good thing. If you dont like change then dont use it. There is no reason to complain. This is a fine way to store pictures, and there is nothing wrong with technological advancement. Good products live on (mostly) and bad ones go away.
The xD is smaller and faster, and has more potential in the long run. If a better one comes along, so be it. It seems to be reliable in terms of storing memory. Isnt that the most important thing?

The xD Card is super small and super cool. What I also like is the convenience of using the FujiFilm USB jump-drive available for $29 which allows you to use the card as a double for file storage, and is a great method of taking a fist full of pics to share with the family.

I'm definitely happy. Incidentally, I bought the FinePix S3000 camera which uses the xD card. There were consistent reviews about problems with indoor pictures with the camera in limited light. The flash does just fine indoors, and I was amazed with the battery life after so many flash shots.

This memory card was great it held a great amount of pictures (100 to be exact) for the concert I was going to. I would recommend it to any and everyone I know.

I could not agree more on the issue brought up here. As if there were not already enough memory formats, yet another one. It seems to be about either desperate, or greedy companies trying to capture customers into their markets forever. Why can't we just have one or two formats of memory?? This is as bad as it would be to have 5+ formats of CD-RoM drives. And SONY is even more guilty than fuji/olympus.
Smartmedia was developed by Toshiba/Fuji/Olympus, and now Fuji/Olympus couldn't get along with Toshiba/Panasonic for the sD card. Memeory cards will become more and more versatile into the future and soon be used in countless devices. We need to standardize the market. We can't afford to buy special memory for each and every device. If you buy Fuji/0lympus, I sincerely suggest you buy a camera that is not limited to xD. Together the people can control the market for our own good..

Update: It seems most people didn't appreciate my comments years ago, but now even Fuji seems to agree with me as their newer cameras I saw were using sD. Y'all are just hatin' on a prophet!!

Just another example of technology forcing us to upgrade. I have been uising SmartMedia for three years, love my Olympus Cameras and now we are going to have this forced down our throats?

Maybe PDA's and MP3's need this, but the camera format we had was just fine!

Do not succumb!

Buy only COMPACT FLASH compatible products.

After your camera dies your memory will live on with other Compact Flash products.