Camcorders that make full use of a removable SDHC memory card are some of the fastest expanding markets in electronic products. Until just recently camcorders could only use SDHC storage cards for still photos. With old models, hard drives, DVD player, and video tape drives were typically the devices used to store video recordings.

“SD” stands for Secure Digital. “HC” means High Capacity. Other than Sony, all the makers make use of a SD or SDHC storage device for their flash memory video cameras (Sony has its own proprietary design). Sandisk, a major manufacturer of flash storage cards, has even started promoting certain SD and SDHC flash memory cards as “video” cards.

All memory cards aren’t created equal. Regardless of whether it’s called a video card or an SDHC memory card, there are distinctions among SDHC memory cards you ought to know about before buying one.

SDHC Memory Card Interoperability

A camcorder that says it works with SDHC memory cards always works using an SD card as well; however, it doesn’t apply the other way around. If the video camera declares it works with SD cards, then that’s all it functions with; it can’t be utilized using a SDHC storage device. That is the exceptional case. The majority of modern camcorders can work using both.

A number of the cheap video cameras won’t work with all SDHC memory card capacities. Just because your video camera is SDHC compatible does not mean it works with capacities at the higher ranges. You would need to check your instructions to be sure it works with 16GB SDHC class 10 and under or 32GB SDHC class 10 and under

SDHC Memory Card Capacities

SD memory cards top out at 2GB of memory capacity. An SDHC storage device can range from 4GB to 32GB in size. More capacities mean you can hold more video and photos. If you’ve got one of the new high definition camcorders you’ll need to get an SDHC memory card. If you have a standard definition video camera you can most likely get by with an SD memory card.

SDHC Memory Card Classes

Slow SD or SDHC flash memory cards probably are not able to keep track of the huge quantity of data a high definition digital video camera can feed into the flash memory card. If your SDHC flash memory card is too slow your camcorder will not be equipped to record a thing.

To better understand, an SD or SDHC memory card is designated one of 4 classes to indicate its minimum speed: classes 2, 4, 5, and 10. The higher the class, the faster the card is. The class represents the minimum megabytes per second (MBps) of the flash card; the rate it can accept and store video recording data. Class 4 is rated at 4 MBps, class 6 is rated at 6 MBps, etc. You should expect to pay a correspondingly high price for a high class SDHC flash card.

Often the exact speed of an SDHC memory card is higher than its class rating. Likewise, video camera manufacturers, as well as manufacturers of other SDHC based devices, can design devices which require higher data transfer rates than the nominal speed indicated by the class. As a result of this it is best to think of class general categorization for price comparison purposes, however, you should certainly consult the particular specifications of your device before purchasing a specific SDHC memory card. Don’t depend entirely on class.

Some brands advertise the speed of the camcorder prominently outside the package while others might bury it in to the small print of your documentation. Wherever it happens to be, you ought to check this essential specification before purchasing a SDHC flash memory card.

In case you have a standard definition video camera, either a SD or SDHC flash memory card of class 2 speed should do the task. The best quality video you can record works very well using this class of SDHC flash memory card.

Your best bet for a high definition video camera is going to be a class 6 SDHC flash card. A class 10 SDHC flash memory card should work, based on how tolerant to specification limitations your camcorder and SDHC memory card are designed. Make sure your camcorder can go that speed before paying the extra money it will cost you for a class 10 flash memory card.