With high-end DSLRs and medium format backs now shooting with 12 – 39 Megapixel sensors, and consequently large raw files, the use of large cards (up to 8 GB) has become common. This then means long transfer times when it comes time to move those files to a hard drive.

I recently wrote about the highly synergisticSandisk Extreme IVcards and card reader, and how remarkably fast they were. This lead me to wonder how the just releasedDelkin Expresscard 34CF card reader would stack up.

If you have anApple Macbook Pro15" or 17" laptop, (or a Windows laptop with a similar slot) you’ve probably wondered what was ever going to become available for the Expresscard slot. These slots are replacements for the PCMCIA card slots of yore, and have access to the full system bus. The new Delkin adaptor will fit in either a 34mm or 54mm slot, which makes it compatible with some recent Windows desktop computers as well.

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The Comparison

My comparison test was simple. I used two different cards, an older generation 8 GBSandisk Ultra II, and the latest generation 8GBSandisk Extreme IV. The card reader used for comparison was the new Extreme reader connected to Firewire 800 to a 17" Macbook Pro. The drive being written to was a 1 TerabyteGTechrunning at 7200 RPM, connected via Firewire 800.

The test directory totaled 1.45 GB worth of files.

The following table tells the tale.

Since the Delkin is rated by the manufacturer at 20 MPS and the Extreme IV cards and reader at up to 40 MPS, the results aren’t surprising. The Delkin Expresscard is about as fast as a regular Firewire 400 or USB II reader, but not anything extraordinary. The Sandisk Extreme IV combo, on the other hand, continue to be the fastest cards and readers currently available.

December, 2006