SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Memory Cards

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I’ve been pretty happy with my compact flash cards, but there are apparently a contingent out there that’s been whining that their portable memory isn’t good enough. Who might this be, you ask? Try the professional photographers and videographers. These guys are always on the lookout for something that will enable them to take pictures faster or make movies without having to wait for their camcorders to catch up with their flash cards. Well, in an effort to abate the crowds, the memory masters at SanDisk have come up with some new, high-end compact flash cards, SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash, and they’re damn fast.

SanDisk’s new Extreme Pro series of compact flash cards are targeted at the professional market (as if the name didn’t give that away). They’re being touted as the world’s fastest high-capacity memory cards and given their read/write speeds I wouldn’t doubt it. The Extreme Pro has been clocked at read/write speeds of up to 90 Mb/sec. There apparently is some advantage to developing both the flash controllers and memory chips together. These new cards feature the SanDisk Power Core Controller’s dual-lane architecture and software algorithms that are said to double the card’s performance over traditional UDMA-6 bus.

And for those photogs that are fond of roaming around in the Australian outback with the native wildlife, the new Extreme Pro CompactFlash memory cards offer up some pretty rugged features like guaranteed operation at extended temperatures ranging from minus -13F (-25C) to 185F (85C). If that’s not enough, they also feature an RTV silicone coating for added protection against moisture and humidity and can withstand accidental drops of up to nine feet. No word on whether or not they’ll withstand drops of a purposeful nature.

If super-fast portable memory is your thing and you don’t mind spending some serious coin on it, you won’t have to wait long. The SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards will hit store shelves in October in capacities ranging from 16GB to 64GB. They’ll retail in the range of 197GBP ($326) to 657GBP ($1,087).