The guys behind the CompactFlash Association, or CFA if you prefer, have a new project on their minds, which could prove extremely useful to professional photographers.

It's called the "CompactFlash card with a SATA interface" and as you might have deduced by now it combines the classic compact flash cards with a fast SATA interface, which powers most of today's computer hard drives.

As a quick reminder, the CompactFlash cards are currently available up to 32GB with sustained data rates of 40MB/sec and provide the best flash storage solution for embedded systems, single board computers, prosumer and professional DSLRs.

CFA's press release also informs that CF card slots are in over 360 digital cameras, over 165 handheld/palm-size PCs and over 705 other electronic platforms including embedded systems, single board computers, data recorders, heart monitors, defibrillators etc.

Today's cards feature the PATA (parallel ATA) interface that is limited to 133MB/second. The implementation of the SATA standard would allow professional products to reach even higher transfer rates, albeit devices like digital SLRs would also require modifications.

"The development of a CompactFlash card with a SATA interface will maintain the dominance of CompactFlash in the nonconsumer (embedded systems, single board computers, data recorder, etc.) markets as well as promote its use in other applications. Having the SATA interface will be a significant step for CompactFlash," Mr. Shigeto Kanda of Canon and the CFA chairman of the board said.

The latest innovation in this field consisted in Lexar's UDMA-enabled compact flash cards that allow faster transfer rates when paired with an UDMA device.

If you are a professional photographer and are interested in the latest CFs, you might also want to check the latest SanDisk Ducati cards, which are said to be the company's fastest products to date.