SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card (SDSDRX3-4096-A21, Retail Package) Reviews

• Sandisk Extreme III 4 GB SDHC Card with MicroMate Reader - Great SD Set for SDHC Compatible Devices

  
  By A17BUUBOU0598B on 2008-05-21
  The SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card with MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader is a great set. Sandisk cards average about $15 to $20 more per card than some of the off-brands like transcend and dane-elec. If you don't have an SDHC reader, this set includes a reader for your computers that aren't SDHC compatible. If not you can just transfer your pics directly from your camera with your card still inserted.In general I would still choose SanDisk over that one or even over PNY and Kingston.
  
  As long as your devices are compatible with the SDHC format, this card is a great buy. 4 GB is a nice size though I do prefer 8 GB capacity for high capacity storage. Sandisk is generally very reliable in honoring their warrantees, though I have yet to have an issue with their SD or SDHC memory cards.
  
  The class 6 speed is the fastest speed available in mass market SDHC cards. Class 6 guarantees minimum transfer speeds of 6 MBs, but I've gotten speeds up to 20Mbs! That's based upon sequential reads and writes, which isn't totally realistic but still possible to attain in some circumstances. That makes this card perfect for storing pictures in RAW image formats.
  
  
  General SDHC and SD Card Tips
  
  There are a few tips that I've learned the hard way through buying TOO MANY different memory cards.
  1. Make sure your device is compatible with the card! Even in regular SD cards, some older electronics aren't compatible with that large of a size (2 GB). In terms of SDHC cards, make sure your camera or other device is SDHC compatible. SDHC is different from regular SD and only newer devices tend to have built-in compatibility
  2. Once you install this in your camera or device, you will generally want to format the card with your compatible device's interface. That is because the standard formats for certain devices, particularly Canon, are different from the factory installed format
  3. Just like your devices, most computer SD card readers are not compatible with the SDHC format. So use a card reader or download the pictures via USB connection to the camera with the card still installed.
  4. For some reason, placing the card in the locked position allows some older laptops to still read it. This is just to be used in a pinch however, and it won't apply to all systems
  5. If you did not properly format your card, you may be able to save things to it and then have them "disappear." If this happens to you, make sure you use the software recovery tools BEFORE you try to save anything else to your card. That way, you can retrieve your images without over-writing them.
  6. Make sure you know what you are going to use this card for. Once you have set up everything and ensured it's all compatible, you still have to decide on speed. If you are using this for storing RAW images instead of JPEGs or HD video, step up to the faster class 6 speed format if you can afford it.
  7. If you are going to pay more for a faster speed, make sure your device can benefit from it. For example, some Kodak cameras are set to a fixed voltage and cannot go faster than standard speed. So the extra cash spent on Class 4, 5, or 6 is basically wasted.
  
  Conclusion
  
  It's great to start off your SDHC card collection with a set like this that includes a spare reader. It's also a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card is worth it. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
  

• This SD card just works!

  
  By A1O7OEZM7VA083 on 2007-06-12
  For anyone with a fast 10-megapixel camera that accepts high-capacity SDHC cards (check with your manufacturer!), this choice is a no-brainer! Nikon USA reassuringly has this specific card on their "approved" list for the D80 and other recent DSLR models.
  
  Shooting in high-quality RAW format, capacity is now up to 326 images (or more), meaning less chance of running out of image storage -- usually at the worst possible moment -- when you're paying more attention to the scene before you rather than the image count-down indicator. And if you shoot in .jpg format, you now have a virtual warehouse for your images. The free USB reader is a bonus, allowing for quick, reliable image transfers to your hard drive, Mac or Win.
  
  The downside? As of June, 2007, these cards are still relatively expensive and in scarce supply. But, based upon past SD card history, it should become a non-issue over the coming months. Still, if you want speed, reliability AND capacity for your new digital camera NOW, this card is worth the price.
  
  

• Great Memory Card

  
  By A11617B1NW474D on 2007-09-16
  I bought a new Canon PowerShot G9 recently. I had to buy a new memory card. My Canon PowerShot G6 took CompactFlash cards.
  
  Comparison between CF and SDHC
  
  Cost
  
  I had to buy a 2 GB CF card at RadioShack for $80 while I was on Vacation in July. I bought this SDHC for $63, which includes a reader.
  
  Download Speed
  
  This card is much faster than the CF by far. It takes me half the time or more to download photos. Whereas my pictures on my Canon G6 ranged from 1 to 3 MB, the pictures from my Canon G9 range from 3 to 5 MB.
  
  I never take the card out of the camera. I simply hook my camera up to the computer via a USB cord. It saves wear and tear on the card. I don't really use that much battery power from the camera.
  
  

• Flimsy Case? Updated: I got a dud the first time

  
  By ASHJAZC9OA9NS on 2007-06-30
  I use 2 and 1 gig SanDisk cards and have never had a problem with installing or removing cards. I had this card easily bend when I installed it in my computers card reader. I may have had a dud or defective case but it stands to reason that the plastic case may be thinner on the high gig card cases. Has anyone else had this experience?
  
  Update: I bought another card because I wanted the speed and capacity offered by this product. The case seems sturdy and so far no problems. I'm updating the review from 3 to 5 stars based on the new card, but Amazon doesn't allow change to the original star rating.
  
  

• 20 MB per second, no kidding!

  
  By AZP8N5KC7NGV5 on 2007-10-19
  This device does exactly what it claims and a bit more. Every other memory card I have benchmarked has been overrated, many shamelessly. Sandisk claims 20 MB/s and I measured 20.1 with HD tach, with a 20.2 burst rate! My digital pictures are 18 MB so I definitely need the speed and Sandisk Extreme III brings home the bacon. Well done!
  
  
• Great high capacity SD card for your digital SLR!
  By A3LQSIEA30M0QL on 2007-06-05
  This Secure Disk High Capacity (SDHC) Class 6 memory card is just what I needed for my dSLR photography needs when shooting JPEG + RAW files. Class 6 is the fastest speed available for SD cards which meets my needs especially for shooting multiple consecutive shots on my Nikon D80. I'm planning to get 2 or 3 more SDHC cards since I easily max out my cards when taking photographs when I travel. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Really Fast CardI
  By A13INHN7UX7JY5 on 2007-06-26
  I'm using this card in my Nikon D40X and it has worked out great. It's fast and works well with the included reader. With this card I don't worry about running out of room, even shooting in RAW mode (~10MB/picture) and it has proved reliable. I leave it in the camera all the time, except when on travel, when I need even more storage and have to use less dense or slower memory cards.
  
  
• Wow Great Carder Reader and Card
  By A1IU2VT8D5WYYC on 2007-10-30
  I was having problems reading SDHC Cards on my SD readers, but no problem using my camera. So I scoured all the sites for a good deal on SDHC readers. I was dumbfounded about the inexpensive price that included the Extreme III cards. I have purchased two 2GB Extreme III cards that are great. I can take 3 shots/second with this card. Incredible stop action pics for tennis and football.
  
  The card reader is smaller than my old one I loved, what a plus. It takes the SDHC without a hitch. It comes with a groovy holder that protects the reader and card. This one is definitely a photographer's friend.
  
  I wholeheartedly recommend this combo and I would like to thank everyone that has written reviews on Amazon because I come here first.
  
  
• Great card reader, but a little big at the connector end
  By A2959OYCZX0D4Y on 2007-11-03
  1st off, this is a great combo deal. The SC Extreme III card is the
  fastest available as of right now. My Canon SD950 can shoot 32 mins.
  of 1280 resolution avi's that are crystal clear...
  
  Only a card like this can make that possible...
  
  The only negative about the reader is the fact that its too wide near the USB connector to fully insert into my PC's port. I have to use a USB extension cable to connect it, but that's not a big inconvenience...
  
  
• Super Deal
  By A27RWOUZYI4MBG on 2007-10-11
  Love this little combo. And the price! I have always used SanDisk cards and the Extreme III cards are great for super-fast downloading at 20MB/sec (133x). Never had a problem with SanDisk cards and at this price, it is silly to buy the slower cards for the same price. The MicroMate is just what I want; don't need a big reader with a long cord.
  
  
• Great Reader
  By A1V4U4XU5THRAK on 2007-09-03
  Every bit as good as advertised. What use to take 30 minutes was downloaded in 2 or 3 minutes. Would recommend to anyone looking for fast speed and high capacity.
  
  
• Work great
  By AU4NE466EKOZ7 on 2007-10-20
  Just wish I didn't have to use the adapter to connect it to my PC. My PC has built in memory card slots, but it doesn't handle the super high capacity cards.
  
  
• Screaming Fast with Nikon D80
  By A26WX44IPN1M9T on 2008-02-21
  I've been using my Nikon D80 with an inexpensive 2GB card (Edge ProShot, whoever that is). It was faster when copying to the computer than my last CompactFlash card, but I never thought about how it would work with the camera; a couple of sites and reviews I'd read said that it wouldn't make much difference where the camera was concerned. Fools!
  
  I shoot RAW but I know a lot of people shoot JPGs at Fine resolution so I tested with both. I put the camera into motor drive mode on each one to see how long it would go at full tilt rapid-fire mode, and how long it would go before the cam quit taking shots.
  
  JPEG
  Edge ProShot: 12 shots in 9 seconds, then 88 more shots in 111 seconds (at an inconsistent rate)
  SanDisk Extreme III: 106 shots in 104 seconds. Very steady framerate throughout.
  
  RAW
  Edge ProShot: It shot 6 raw frames in 5 seconds, then started shooting at a rate of one frame every 5 seconds. I didn't wait around till the buffer was full.
  SanDisk Extreme III: 11 shots in 6 seconds, then a mighty 189 more in 80 seconds!
  
  The Edge ProShot says it's a 130x card, SanDisk claims to be a 133x card.
  
  (Now, I just noticed that I had the camera's Exposure Delay on from when I was doing some macro and long-exposure shots, so the framerates for both would be higher I think with it turned off. I'm not going to redo the tests, I don't want to hammer on my camera that hard. The comparison is clear enough here.)
  
  The computer test: The read speeds between the two cards were equivalent whether I used the Sandisk reader or my old one -- on Windows they read a 1.04GB file in around 81 seconds on windows, and little faster on a MacBook Pro, about 71 seconds. The SanDisk wrote the same folder a little slower -- 96 seconds on Windows, and 81 seconds on Mac. The Edge Pro? It was over ten minutes, on both Mac and Windows, with either reader! I can't explain that, but it certainly shows why the SanDisk was blowing the doors off of it in the camera test.
  
  Both cards were freshly formatted using the D80.
  
  As for the card reader:
  It's nothing to write home about. It showed no speed improvement over the Chinese cheapie Adorama sent me, on either Mac or Windows. It's prettier I guess, but the form factor means I can only use it in certain USB slots on my computers without blocking other slots.
  
  Final conclusion: The speeds on the SanDisk are basically where they should be for what it is. The no-name Adorama sent me has disastrously slow writes, which translates to terrible performance in the camera, where it counts. I don't know how different, say, a 300x card would be in the camera, but at least I can confirm that all ~133x cards are not made equal, and the SanDisk performs predictably and speedily. And the card reader is fine, too. And it's nice to be able to shoot 530 Fine JPGs or 326 RAW files without having to stop and dump. But mostly I'm glad I have this so that my rapid-fire shooting will be usable, where before it was not.
  
  
• 1 Star (reluctently)
  By AHTX68LNGXD6W on 2007-11-15
  I have no problem with Amazon, rather it's the SanDisk warrenty, (Worthless) I assume when I lay out my cash for a product I buy, it all should work, Including the warrenty, software, etc. Not so with SanDisk.
  Along with my Canon G9, I purchased the SanDisk Exteme III complete with adapter & RescuePro software (bummer) Put it all to work with the great expectations I have come to enjoy with Canon Products. And there in lies the problem, One keystroke and I wiped out all my work, no problem right, wrong, SanDisk RescuePro to the Rescue, Wrong Again.. the Program would not accept the Access Code. My 30 day return had expired with Amazon so I returned the SanDisk Package direct to "SanDisk" to no availe, back came A reply a couple weeks later "I believe you were confusing a 7 for a 1 in the serial number" If it's one thing I've learned in the business it's not to make mistakes, and if I do, I go back and try and try again until it's right, there was no mistake here on my part, rather, The software plain did not work. And again the sum is only as good as the whole, the software did not work for me, and now the Warrenty does not either, so I've ask SanDisk to Return the package to me USPS Collect, and they will never have to look at this ugly face again
  
  
• Nice card; questionable addons
  By A2I8BEGV2DJJOP on 2008-08-11
  Card itself seems fine. I bought this package instead of some of the cheaper standalone cards because I wanted the extras.
  
  Sadly the MicroMate card reader is too wide to fit in some USB ports (including those on the front panel of my dell desktop and the side panel of my dell laptop).
  
  If the RescuePro software crashes on startup, be sure to go into Windows Data Execution Prevention options and opt-out the rescuepro.exe to resolve the crash.
  
  
• Sumamente Rapida.
  By A34G08FD0O4ZFP on 2007-09-13
  Aunque los beneficios que ofrece esta tarjeta son diversos, lo mas importante mas notorio es la velocidad de transferencia que da. Es tan buena que es la única razón por la cual hay que comprarla. Trae un pequeño estuche, un lector de tarjeta USB. Puedes transferir desde la cámara ( NikonD40) a la PC casi 200 fotos en menos de un minuto. Es de verdad impresionante.
  Otra cosa importante es que es posible que al llevar tu tarjeta SDHC a un lugar a imprimir o quieras meterla en un computador no sea compatible, ya que las ranuras SD no leen SDHC, así que el lector que trae esta tarjeta puede ser de mucha ayuda ya que es reconocido como un pendrive y no como una tarjeta.
  
  
• Sweet combo... card , reader , RescuePro
  By A2Y1WNETD9AYHO on 2008-04-19
  I was looking for a sdhc card for my D40 and this baby fit the bill just right.... you get a sdhc reader , the class 6 card itself and RescuePro ($40 value onto itself) . The software , rescuePro is on a mini cd and comes with Mac and PC versions with serial number .
  
  Overall a great value , especially if you were to buy these items separately .
  
  
• Ready-Boost, Vista, and EXTREME speed !!!!!!
  By A1T2KOG36XF7BA on 2007-12-28
  I use this card for my HP notebook computer to engage Microsoft Vista Readyboost. What a scream! It's great. Vista ReadyBoost caches data between the system memory and the hard drive. IT'S REALLY FAST and the hard drive seems to coast more often. I think my battery lasts longer and the HP runs a little cooler. Vista Resource monitor shows the SanDisk card regularly caching 200 MB streams. Office programs boot up much faster ... Word in seconds, Excel, PP, Outlook all work much faster. The SanDisk card plugs into the HP notebook card slot. Vista asks if you want to engage ReadyBoost ... say yes and it works. The card is almost invisible. I just leave it there and go about my business. This is definitely worth the purchase for any Vista notebook computer.
  
  
• The MicroMate reader is great -- IF IT IS INCLUDED
  By A1MY46RGWIBVJS on 2008-01-30
  UPDATE 2:
  
  Well this is hard to keep up with! The product description changes often and quickly. Sometimes it shows that the reader is included with the card and sometimes not. So, UPDATE 1 may or may not be applicable depending on the situation at the time you read this.
  
  UPDATE 1:
  
  According to the product description this SDHC card no longer comes with the handy USB reader discussed below. But, the price is now less than half of what I paid for it so perhaps you could buy a similar reader and still beat the price I paid for the combination.
  
  ORIGINAL REVIEW:
  
  Of course the SDHC card itself is fantastic, with its high capacity and high speed. And don't forget SanDisk's reputation for quality.
  
  I would like to point out that the USB reader that comes with it is very useful for those of us with a digital camera who want to display the images on our televisions. Not all digital cameras can act as a USB pass-through to the memory card. This means that the USB cable supplied with the camera is useless for connecting to the USB port of the TV as the TV cannot interface correctly with the camera.
  
  It is quite simple to remove the SDHC card from the camera, plug it into the MicroMate reader, and then plug the reader into the TV. I know that *sounds* more complicated than simply using the camera's USB cable, but for me it turns out to be even simpler: Who carrys around a USB cable? The little MicroMate reader will take up virtually no room in even the smallest camera bags designed for those ultra-compact digital cameras. Also, I have no convenient place to set the camera within cable-length reach of my wall-mounted TV. This is not an issue when using the MicroMate.
  
  The point is that even if you have a camera that *can* act as a USB pass-through to the card you are probably still better off using the MicroMate.
  
  
  
  
• Very useful
  By A1KM7OXUQWX9DD on 2007-10-23
  Cool tool...!! Very fast and useful..! You can use the card reader as a USB memory key with any SD card you own.
  
  
• Fast and Reliable
  By A19GXKJ0GN2WTK on 2008-01-03
  I am using this card with a Powershot G9, which takes very large file sized pictures. It definitely speeds up the camera. The one feature that I love about this package is the recovery software. I use my camera for work and twice I deleted a picture that I didn't mean to. I was able to use the recovery software to retrieve the photos. I was thrilled. The card reader is great - very portable.
  
  
• SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card with MIcroMate 2.0 Reader
  By A1YBVW5LKXKVJ6 on 2008-03-04
  I received this card very quickly after i ordered it. I am using the card in a Canon S 5 IS camera. This is an 8 MegaPixel camera... The card is much faster than the standard cards, which, as a nature photographer makes a big difference in being able to capture wildlife in action. Since it reads faster, there is less time standing there waiting for the camera to write the data and more opportunities to "capture the moment" as it unfolds. Of course that would be a big advantage for taking family photos as well...especially young children! I believe the speed is 144X...nice!! Another advantage to this card is that it holds 1,000 + photos. No need to keep switching cards out in the field. The 4 GB allows you take lots of photos, including 'insurance shots" without worrying about running out of card space.
  
  The Micromate is handy. It is small, flat, and easy to tuck into a small camera case. It worked well in my laptop..no problems getting the memory card in or out...no problems with downloads into my Apple computer.
  
  
• Perfect match for my Nikon D40!
  By A3H9D44HWBEODM on 2008-03-10
  I have been using this card for a couple of weeks now and absolutely love and highly recommend it. For the extra few dollars it is worth it, the 20MB read/write is just amazing as I can take pictures pretty much as fast as I want, and downloading to my dell 1st gen xps laptop is a breeze. The camera connection to the USB port detected the camera right away and I was transferring photos within seconds. The included reader also connected quickly worked flawlessly and without a hitch. There is also a recovery program included in the package to help recover damaged files IF something happens, but I haven't had to use this yet (and I hope I never do..) The media reader is wide, so if the space is tight between your PC's USB ports you will want a USB a/b extension adapter too.
  
  A few side notes to help avoid the possibility of trouble with your (this or any media) card..
  1. To ensure the best compatability between card & camera, always use your camera to format the card (instead of your PC).
  2. When read/writing between your camera or card and your PC, never break the (USB)connection while a file is transferring (obviously), but also it is best to always disconnect the windows device driver first before unplugging the USB cable or risk card corruption and potentially loose all of your pictures.. How I do this on my windows PC when I'm all done sharing the pictures is this:
  a) On the windows desktop, open a My Computer window and (mouse) Right-Click the removable media drive letter that the PC is reading from..
  b) Select the "Eject" option. Thats all...
  This will safely disable the drivers and let you remove the media.
  3. Have fun!
  
  
  
• A great package!
  By A3RGHO0Q938FRS on 2008-04-04
  This is a great deal. The memory card is fast, it worked with both of the cameras I tried it in Lumix DMC-LZ7 and the Nikon S550. The reader is very convenient, has a nice case and clip for storing in my computer bag. Very handy for trips.
  
  
• Good card, bad reader
  By A15QKMLM7YA5XQ on 2008-05-05
  I put a three stars only because of the reader. The card is great, huge capacity and fast. But too fast for this reader!! It is not a reader that is able to reach the speed of the card, so on your computer you won't transfer pictures as fast as you should. So if you don't care, this pack is for you. Otherwise get one with a fast reader.
  
  
• Robust, portable, affordable...
  By ANA0DD1H4T7R2 on 2007-11-21
  OK, so it's not the fastest card in the world, but it's big, affordable, and you just push it in and it works first time; it works just fine for both my D40 Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens and the L11 Point and Shoot Nikon Coolpix L11 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom. Always remember to format the card in camera, particularly if you are changing cameras frequently. The included MicroMate USB reader is compact and robust enough (with its little plastic cover) just to toss into the camera bag for use with a strange PC, requiring no driver installs (handy for locked-down work PCs). Just remember to shoot jpg as a more portable format and not raw if you need to do that. I like this - I bought two of them!
  
  
• Pricy, but worth it!
  By A1NIXDK9BTXMWY on 2008-01-02
  I've only used it once so far, but the card reader is a really nice deal because you don't need to turn your camera on to download the pictures or whatever to your computer; which is a big deal for travelers! Also, it comes with a small carrying case, nice bonus!
  
  
• You need this!
  By ACDJBTUIODRUR on 2008-01-13
  If you have a 10 mega pixel or above camera you need this drive. It holds up to 100 12mp pics and transfers data at lightning speed. So no waiting between pics for it to save them. Also the USB reader allows you another way to transfer the pics incase there is no SanDisk reader where you are at (older laptops for instance).
  
  
• Good but .......
  By A2BEVTLEDTT5FY on 2007-06-14
  Huge quantity of memory but it could be faster.
  
  
• SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card
  By A3SNK9D2DGUAT3 on 2007-09-26
  The SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card works well with my Cannon TX-1 camera for both stills and video.
  
  

• Kwik Tek Dry Pak Alligator Wallet (4-Inch x 4-Inch)
• SanDisk 2 GB SDSDX3-2048-901 Extreme III SD Memory Card (Retail Package)
• Kingston 16 GB SD4/16GB Secure Digital High Capacity Card
• SanDisk SDSDHV-008G-A15 8GB Video HD SDHC
• Transcend Ultra Performance 133X - Flash memory card - 2 GB - 133x - SD

• Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
• Canon PowerShot SD870IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
• Canon Digital Elph Accessory Kit for Canon SD880IS, SD990IS, SD890IS, SD950IS, SD900, SD870IS & SD850IS Digital Cameras
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
• Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)