Nikon D70 - Flash memory or Microdrive

Hello,
The idea of 4GB of storage is appealing to me so I am considering getting a Hitachi Microdrive with my D70. I am concerned about performance though. Is a 40x flash memory card faster than the microdrive?
If I use the microdrive will there be any decrease in performance?

Thanks in advance
Robert

It depends...If you fill the D70's buffer, it will take longer to clear with a Microdrive than with a 40x card. But I think other than that, you won't see a real difference. Also, there is much ballyhoo about the dependability of Microdrives, since they have moving parts, but I can't really speak to that. So if speed is important, and you do a lot of continuous shooting, I'd suggest at least a 40x card like the Lexar, or a faster card such as the Sandisk Ultra II. Otherwise, I think a Microdrive would work fine for you....

Microdrive's read and write speed is about 33x when it starts up, but when it's fully accelerated, it can get over 100x; HOWEVER, since pic files r 9MB max from a D70, it'll nvr speed up to full when saving pics from the camera. i used to haf a 1G Hitachi Microdrive, and now i switched to Sandisk Ultra II 80x cards. when i used the Microdrive, i can burst about 6pics w/ my D100, and w/ the Ultra II card, i can get appox. 2 more frame b4 it ran outa buffer. So i guess there's not gona b a noticeble difference between a 40x card and a avrg. 33x microdrive. i would go for a 80x card or even the Extreme III card if u really needs brusting, otherwise i would stick w/ microdrive.

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Originally Posted by meatwad

Hello,
The idea of 4GB of storage is appealing to me so I am considering getting a Hitachi Microdrive with my D70. I am concerned about performance though. Is a 40x flash memory card faster than the microdrive?
If I use the microdrive will there be any decrease in performance?

Thanks in advance
Robert

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FWIW, microdrives are limited to 8500 feet and below to avoid head crashes.