I just bought a Nikon 8700 and am using a Sandisk 128. I was thinking that I need a larger card before we go on vacation and was wondering if brand name really makes a difference or are they like cameraswhere everybody is going to have different opinions?

There are, but it goes more in groups. The higher quality brands come with better warrenties and they stand behind their products better.

They also usually don't fail as quickly (i.e. last longer.)

Generally, the better cards are:

Lexar, Sandisk, Delkin, Transcend... I think I"m forgetting a few more.

Except for SanDisk, most brands mark their cards with a "X" speed factor. These generally seem to be a good way to compare speeds. The camera is the limiting factor in how fast they write, so don't expect to get the exact speed they say (and eventually faster cards won't be faster because the camera can't write any faster) but there don't really seem to be any fudge factors. I don't know of a card which says "40x" but is actually dog-slow. Maybe they do that in the cheaper brands, but not in the brands I would consider buying.

Eric

As Eric mentioned earlier, reliability and speed are the primary set of differences. For all we know there may be only 2-3 makers out thare.. but branding their products differently.

I am hunting for Flash cards, and came across a great article that MAY help you out in this regard. I dont know what type of memory the Nikkon uses, but the article will give you a good idea of the factors. http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/mul...e.asp?cid=6007. Some of the information came as a surprise. Memory cards I feel are less of a religious issue than cameras and lens.

All the best.

Amitava