What to look for in a memory stick

[teddyt]

Hi guys, sorry if you've been asked this question a thousand times but i'm looking for a 512mb SD card. i'm shortly to be purchasing a Pentax optio S5i. The problem is that there are so many different cards. money is an issue so i would like to know if i'm sensible to just buy the cheapest i can find - would cheap ones be inferior in terms of speed etc? should i make sure i get a recognised make? ideally i want to spend no more than 40 pounds. for example would this card

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=61697

be a waste of money??

also would a 512 card be big enough for a 5MP camera? would like 100+ shot storage

i would be grateful for any advice you can offer. i'm sure steve's forum is the place i will find this as its been great in the past.

Thanks eddie

[JimC]

There can be a big difference between the speed of different cards (slower cards usually run around 2mb/second, and fast cards run around 9mb/second).

However, whether or not your camera can take advantage of a faster card is a different story (some can but most can't).

Personally, I'd go for a fast card.

In Secure Digital, I like the Panasonic or Simpletech Standard SD Cards (these are fast 9-10mb/second cards). If these are too "pricey", I'd look at the Sandisk Ultra II (although I personally trust the Panasonic components more).

The Lexar "32x High Speed" Secure Digital Cards are also good (some are actually using Panasonic Components, so they're faster than rated if you get one of these). I'd avoid their "Standard" (versus "High Speed 32x") Cards though (some have been known to use the same components as the standard speed Sandisk SD Cards, since Lexar has used more than one component supplier in the past for their standard speed SD).

In the brand you're looking at (Kingsmax), I have read that their "Platinum" SDCards are rated at 60x, or 9mb/second(probably using the same components as the Sandisk Ultra II cards). But, I have no experience with this brand, and don't see many users reporting that they're using them.

[kjeal]

i would opt for the faster card for a little more money.