SanDisk Extreme III Breaks SDHC Speed Record, Reaches 30MB/s

Generally, memory card manufacturers tend to launch new and enhanced memory cards long before the digital cameras actually capable of taking full advantage of their features arrive on the market. However, that's not the case with SanDisk, who, in order to compliment the launch of Nikon's D90, has just announced the release of a new family of ultra-fast SDHC memory cards, namely the SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30MB/s Edition.

Since it's guaranteed to offer an enhanced level of performance when used together with Nikon's new DSLR, SanDisk gives us a peek at what we should expect from this card. Thus, featuring a 50-percent speed boost from previous 20MB/s cards, the new SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC cards make it possible to record 39 images in continuous shooting mode at 4.5 frames per second with a file size of 6.0 MB JPEG L Fine per image.

The company also points out the fact that all the SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30MB/s Edition cards, which have a Class 6 performance rating, are fully backwards-compatible and they work in any camera, card reader or other device that supports SDHC cards. Which means that, if you happen to have a card reader that supports the SDCH format, you'll enjoy data transfer rates of up to 30MB/s from the card to your computer.

“The high capacities and performance of the SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC cards give users the freedom to shoot lots of high-resolution photos and video clips,” said Susan Park, director of consumer product marketing for SanDisk’s performance cards. “The combination of our new SanDisk Extreme III 30 MB/s Edition SDHC card technology and the Nikon D90 camera maximizes performance.”

And even if they do provide an increased level of performance compared to previous models, the new SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30MB/s Edition cards are quite on the expensive side, since their MSRPs are of around 64.99 for the 4GB card, US $109.99 for the 8GB card, and U.S. $179.99 for the 16GB card. But, then again, after spending around 1,300 US dollars for the D90, what's an extra 180 bucks?

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