SanDisk Rolls Out New CF Cards for Professional Users

SanDisk, one of the world's leading vendors of Flash-based storage products, has just announced the introduction of its new line of Extreme Pro CompactFlash memory cards, specifically designed to provide professional photographers with a new, high-performance storage alternative for their high-end cameras. According to the Milpitas, California-based company, the new line has been designed using the new SanDisk Power Core Controller, which is basically an advanced memory controller that is capable of enabling read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. With double the speed of the SanDisk previous line of high-end camera memory cards, the new one is available in capacities ranging from 16GB to 64GB.

“The new SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash line is the direct result of SanDisk’s passion, commitment, and break-through engineering innovation to provide best-in-class flash memory cards for professional photography,” Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk, said. “The SanDisk Power Core Controller delivers unmatched write speed and reliability, providing photographers with a spectacular combination of performance, capacity and peace of mind that images are safely stored.”

One of the main features of the new line, according to SanDisk, is the implemented SanDisk Power Core Controller, which is said to deliver a number of benefits, including: increased performance, thanks to the controller's dual-lane architecture and software algorithms, increased reliability, due to the controller's firmware algorithms and 42-bit ECC engine and a simplified design, which enables the card to feature less individual components, integrated on the card's PCB.

The new series will be available in two versions, the SanDisk Extreme CF cards, with capacities ranging from 8GB to 32GB and a performance of up to 60MB/s, and the SanDisk Extreme Pro CF cards, which are available in capacities of between 16 to 64GB, boasting a speed of up to 90MB/s. Price-wise, the first will go on sale for about US$130 to US$375, while the second is expected to become available with an MSRP of about US$300 to US$800.