Looking for a memory card for your camera? Well then you can simply go to

your nearby camera store and buy any memory card in your budget. Or can

you? As there are a wide range of speeds, formats and sizes available in UAE,

taking your compact or DSLR camera's memory card for granted can be a big

mistake. Choosing the right memory card can be difficult especially if you use a

DSLR camera.

If you are concerned about the storage capacity, then you can find it out from

the LCD display on your camera as it will show you the number of images that

can be saved on your existing card. In case you prefer shooting RAW files, then

I am sure that you will need larger storage space. For

this purpose a 16GB card should be sufficient,

however your personal requirements may vary.

Understand Formats

One of the earliest memory card formats available in

markets across the Emirates is Compact Flash. Although, these cards are still

widely in use but you will not be able to use these in most entry level and mid-

range Digital SLR cameras. However, Compact Flash cards can still be used in

high-end professional DSLR models.

In most camera shops, Compact Flash memory

cards are available in 2 variants: Type I cards for all

cameras; and Type II cards which are no longer

supported or manufactured. Although the Type II

cards had a mini hard disk MicroDriven design, the

robust Type I cards have made them outdated with

its sheer capacity.

Today, SD memory cards are among the most

common memory card formats in the UAE for various

devices including cameras. These are used for a wide

range of cameras, excluding high end professional

DSLRs. Even though these cards are physically

similar, you can find 3 types of cards. SD memory

cards are also among the oldest cards and usually

work with all cameras that have SD card slots.

A new addition is the SDHC cards but these tend to work

well only with cameras that are SDHC compatible. SDXC

memory cards are also new entrants and your camera

should be SDXC compatible if you wish to use them. Last

but certainly not the least important in the list is the XQD

format, which is a brand new format for camera memory

cards. These offer huge storage capacities with extremely

fast speeds in data transfer.

Get the Right One

Now that you have a basic idea about the different formats of camera memory

cards available in the United Arab Emirates, you can finally decide what type of

card will be most useful for you. Once you identify which formats are

compatible with your camera, you can choose whichever format suits your

needs and your budget. There is no doubt that the price of memory card in UAE

is also an important factor while purchasing a new card for your camera.

However, you need to keep in mind that when you use a high-end professional

DSLR or even a mid-rand compact or entry-level Digital SLR, you should not

compromise on the price. A cheap memory card can not only affect the

performance of your camera but it may also damage the device. So it is a good

idea to do some survey regarding the most affordable memory card price in

UAE and get the best one that will match your exact needs.

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