In this article, Fusion NET will be taking a look at the Extreme® III CompactFlash® 1GB card from SanDisk. The Extreme III series is SanDisk’s fastest range of high performance, compact memory cards, aimed at the professional photographer.

Founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari, SanDisk has grown to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of flash memory data storage products and devices. Their range of products are now sold worldwide in many photographic and computer retail stores. SanDisk’s ongoing ambition to produce new and compelling innovations ensure that they remain at the leading edge of memory card design.

Over the years, consumers have seen a breed of portable digital devices hit the electronics market, including MP3 players, digital cameras, PDA’s and multi-function mobile phones. It is apparent that there is a competitive market out there to develop smaller, higher-storage portable devices. CompactFlash technology has played an important role in providing reliable, higher-capacity compact storage solutions. CompactFlash technology has been most favorable in devices, such as mobile phones and digital cameras, since it offers a completely removable memory storage system, enabling consumers to upgrade their devices on the go.

SanDisk’s Extreme III CompactFlash 1GB card appears to be an ideal solution for professional photographers since its storage capacity alone enables photographers to store a large volume of uncompressed and compressed images. In approximate terms, the Extreme III can hold up to 130 RAW images and 265 high-quality JPG images on the Canon D10. The Extreme III also holds the title for the fastest CompactFlash card on the market, boasting a remarkable 20mbps minimum read and write transfer speed. Whilst this sort of transfer rate could never be achieved with older digital SLR cameras the Extreme III 1GB card, coupled with an external USB 2.0 card reader, would provide a valuable asset to efficient workflow on the move.

SanDisk’s included Data Recovery software enables users to recover accidental loss of data. This feature is particularly useful for professional photographers, where lost information is often too valuable to discard. Whilst the included Data Recovery feature may work well with accidental deletion of images a full format of the card will undoubtedly impair the true reliability of a successful recovery.

Unlike older forms of compact, high-capacity storage solutions, such as IBM’s MicroDrive technology, the Extreme III card uses no internal moving parts, making it a reliable platform for data storage, as well as for use within extreme environmental conditions.

Conclusion
From our use of the SanDisk Extreme III 1GB card it is safe to say that this is one of the most prestigious CompactFlash memory card solutions currently on the market. Its impressive transfer rates, capacity and reliability make it an ideal solution for the professional photographer. Its small, light weight design also makes it a practical device to carry around and work with on the go. Fusion NET are going to award the SanDisk Extreme III 1GB card with a score of 4.5/5.0 (90%).