SDHC CARDS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SD DEVICES. YOU MUST HAVE A DEVICE THAT SUPPORTS SDHC TO USE SDHC CARDS. SD CARDS ARE NOT THE SAME AS SDHC CARDS.
Numerous incorrect ratings are faulting SDHC cards for not functioning properly. It is very apparent that the buyers are not selecting the correct product for their devices. This problem includes the SD card reader devices - users complain they can access the SDHC cards while the cards are in their device but the card ceases to function in their PC reader.
I fault the Sandisk consortium that agrees on design and standards for SD cards. When the SDHC card was developed the consortium designed it with an identical physical appearance (minus the HC logo) to the standard SD cards - knowing full well that the tech is not reverse compatible. I also fault users for not paying closer attention to their purchases. Most SDHC outer packaging I've seen notes that SDHC cards are not compatible with straight SD devices - different manufacturers just make it more or less prominent on packaging.
Additionally, the primary manner in which SDHC cards are rated, by class, is very misleading. Class (Class 1, Class 2, Class 4, etc) dictates a minimum write speed rather than a range. The SDHC manufacturers tend to omit the actual write speed while advertising the card class - which may be very low or high compared to the indicated class rating. Capacity is the typical consumer focus for many users but there are many interested in actual write-speed performance. This dictates whether or not the card throughput will bottleneck and slow a device - especially important in DSLR cameras and HD cameras where the device will simply slow or stop functioning until the card catches up.
The Class rating system creates unusual situations where cards rated in lower Class can outperform cards in a higher class. Thus the off-brand companies will advertise a 16gb card for a fair margin cheaper than Sandisk or Kingston equivalents. However, the latter (Sandisk & Kingston) products will perform significantly better in use because they both write faster despite similar class ratings. Off-brand SDHC cards are fine so long as the associated device doesn't demand faster performance and the user does not mind suspect quality control.
This PNY product works adequately and can keep up with my Canon 450D/XSi full JPEG burst to about 40 consecutive photos at 1/2000 shutter. RAW format fetches 6-10 consecutive photos on the PNY outpacing my Sandisk Ultra II (Class 2) by about 2-3 photos - expected results. However, the 450D has a limit of 3.5/sec for RAW burst which may now be my limiting factor. I may try the Sandisk Extreme III 30 MB/s at a later date once the price comes down.
Buyers with more demanding devices (such as Canon 50D, 7D, 5D, etc.) may wish to look towards a faster card. PNY Optima 16 GB SDHC Class 4 Flash Memory Card P-SDHC16G4-EF
This SD card is for devices which are capable of using the HC standard which greatly increases the speed of read and write operations. If you don' know for sure that your device (camera, pda, etc.) uses that newer standard instead of the older SD card standard, hold off buying it until you know for sure.
That said, it has worked perfectly in my new Panasonic DMC-FX50 digital camera. Four gigabytes is a LOT of storage to have on a tiny card for your camera or other device. It allows me to shoot nearly an hour of VGA quality video from my camera or shoot over one thousand 10 megapixel photographs.
Since we feel we can never have enough storage space for our digital memories, that's fine with me. At this very low price, getting this card from a major manufacturer is a tremendous bargain.
Recommended.
I have a love/hate relationship with PNY. I've always been enamored with their prices, going back to the days of the GeForce4600 Graphics cards (they were one of the first vendors on the shelves). But they must cut some corners as far as QA is concerned. The plastic housing on all three of these 8GB cards have issues when inserting/ejecting from my Canon HF10, PS3 and Wii. The size of the card is slightly larger than the receptacle. I have the same problem with a Transcend SDHC 16GB card. Odds are, both PNY and Transcend purchase from the same OEM.
I have an 8GB SDHC card from SanDisk. I've never had physical size issues with that card.
I have no complaints as far as speed is concerned. Even though the card is branded as a Class 4 card, the HF10 rates it as a Class 6 and sustained transfer rates are in the 12 - 15MB/s range.
I can't speak to reliability. So far, I haven't had any issues with data retention, but then, I don't use these for long term storage. Nor would I ever recommend anyone use this class of flash for **any** long term storage purposes. That's what tape, CDR and DVDR are for. - Sdhc - 16 Gb - 16gb Sdhc - Sd Card'
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