You can never have too many memory cards

If following my kids around with my digital camera has taught me one thing, it’s this: you can never have too many memory cards. Now, I should preface this statement with the fact that I shoot in RAW format. What does that mean? Well, it means that I use a special format, a special file type, that does not create any artificial enhancements to the photographs I take. RAW format means the photos are taken as-is, with whatever the current exposure, lighting, colors and hues happen to be. The advantage to shooting in RAW format is that I can then open those RAW files in a photo editor (Adobe Photoshop is my crack of choice) and play with exposures, tones, individual colors and hues to get the exact look that I want. You can’t do that with a compressed JPG.
I should also mention that the average RAW file is somewhere in the range of 3-8 megabytes.

When I first switched to RAW format, I found out how quickly a little 2GB or even a not-so-little 4GB memory card can fill up. I found out while on a family outing, of course, and with no extra memory cards. I’ve since learned the error of my ways, and I now go nowhere without an 8GB memory card in the camera, and a 4GB, 2GB and two 1GBs as backups. I’m a fan of SDHC, so if you were to open my camera or camera bag, those are the types of cards you would find.

Filed Under: General