Can anyone recommend an online Memory Card retailer?

[Vortex Wake]

I am in need of both SD and Micro SD cards for HD video.

Past experience, and reading this (out of date ;) ) eBay guide http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/FAKE-SanDisk-Ultra-Secure-Digital-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001254881 , and this interesting blog http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=918 makes you realise that spotting a fake, online, is almost impossible.

http://i20.ebayimg.com/05/s/07/e8/9b/62_2.JPGhttp://i20.ebayimg.com/05/s/07/e8/9b/62_2.JPG

So does anyone have a preferred vendor online that can provide genuine Sandisk, Kingstone etc Class 6 or above SD/Micro cards?

Whilst it is often true that 'you pay for what you get' , suppliers in the UK such a Jessops don't even do what I want. And Currys in-store prices seem to be about £4 per gig.

So does anyone have a trustworthy online memory source that provides reliable and genuine memory?

[Ecky Thump]

I buy my SanDisk memory cards etc. from Amazon UK and as far as I am aware their free sales delivery service extends to Tenerife.

[Vortex Wake]

I buy my SanDisk memory cards etc. from Amazon UK and as far as I am aware their free sales delivery service extends to Tenerife.

Thanks. But Amazon is in part like eBay? This item is being sold by a third party http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSDQM-008G-B35-microSDHC-8GB-Card/dp/B001D0ROGO/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1316533833&sr=1-5

EDIT Ok, and this is sold by Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-45Mbps/dp/B004JJN262/ref=sr_1_21?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1316533833&sr=1-21


Duh - get it now :D

PS, I have never used Amazon ;)

[Ecky Thump]

Thanks. But Amazon is in part like eBay? This item is being sold by a third party http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSDQM-008G-B35-microSDHC-8GB-Card/dp/B001D0ROGO/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1316533833&sr=1-5

Unlike eBay, Amazon do take notice of complaints from customers, I recently purchased a new Toshiba TV via Amazon, it was not as described and the second party retailer was not interested, but Amazon stepped in and the issue was resolved with the correct TV being delivered and a good will gesture of a £25 credit voucher from Amazon.

[9PLUS]

Have you tried shooting with Lexar professional or Kingston?



I can not see a difference between your SanDisks because you used the same image for each

[timmylish]

I would also add my opinion of Amazon whom I find to be totally helpful and listen to clients when they themselves are not the vendor.

[Ecky Thump]

Have you tried shooting with Lexar professional or Kingston?



I can not see a difference between your SanDisks because you used the same image for each

My Brother in Law uses only SanDisk Professional and Platinum, he thinks they are the "The Cats Whiskers" :)

[9PLUS]

I believe when talking about original SanDisk, Kingston, Transcend & Lexar at Pro level same size & speed

The only difference is price, Memory is Memory at these levels


I shoot with both Lexar & SanDisk and dont see any difference in image quality

[Tom]

This doesn't look bad value and i have used play.com many times in the past with out dramas.

Card link (http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/20254766/Kingston-Secure-Digital-Card-Ultimate-X-CLASS-10-32GB/Product.html?ptsl=1&ob=Price&fb=0)

[dokgolf]

I use a crowd called MemoryC.com (http://www.memoryc.com), have bought memory cards , ram , usb memory sticks, all top drawer quality and have never had a problem with them in 4 years.

[Vortex Wake]

Thanks everyone :)

Just came across this on Amazon

Sort by: Most Helpful First*|*Newest First
*How to detect fake Sandisk micro SD 32GB
*6 Feb 2011 By Dr. Sanjeev SharmaAny attempt to look for some advice to buy a genuine Sandisk microSD (any strength - in my case a 32GB card for my Samsung GALAXY tab) is met by a plethora of internet-based opinions and information as regards the masses of fake cards flooding the markets these days....most originating from some wheelie bin outside a Chinese factory.*

Human that I am, I looked around for a week and realised that dependable sellers (Amazon, Play.com, PC world etc) were all selling a Sandisk 32GB card for £ 70-85 while the shady ones (Amazon marketplace, eBay etc) were dishing them out at £25-40! Hence, I decided to try my luck (and money) and bought one card from eBay after an extensive search. It cost me £35.00 + £1.98 and the seller was a `power seller' with 100% feedback. Nothing could go wrong......or I assumed huh...?*

As explained below, it was a fake and after a bit of wrangling (and legal threats!), I got my money refunded. Wisdom dawned upon me and I then bought a genuine one from Amazon UK for £69.99 which was delivered free inside 24 hours! Being at the receiving end of a con, and in the absence of any constructive advice available, I have made the following tips to help the next customer - hope this helps:*

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENUINE AND FAKE Sandisk 32 GB micro SD: (see my self-explanatory photographs for each point)*

1. Package: The genuine pack is sealed and cannot be split open. The fake is just pasted at the edges and my fake item was all loose inside. Again, as far as I am aware, Sandisk does not provide any SD adaptors (Kingston does) but nearly all eBay items have a `free adaptor' inside the same pack.*

2. Check the barcode: If you have a iPhone with a barcode facility (like a Amazon/eBay app), check the barcode on the reverse of the pack. My fake eBay item barcode read 4GB instead of 32 GB.*

3. Check the external details: Sandisk, currently only makes Class 2 for its 32 GB micro SD cards and I confirmed this from Sandisk helpline in the US. eBay sellers are selling fakes as `Class 6 - 10' !!!*

4. Check the inner details: Once you open the pack, check the card. All genuine cards should have a serial number and a manufacturing country's identity. Fake ones neither have any such details and the external details are painted in a hazy style (see photo).*

5. The Catch: When you put in a fake micro SD card for the first time, you will be surprised to find that it reads the correct GB in the properties. Apparently the goons have made a software which enables the card's storage properties to give out a false capacity. One way to check this is to copy at least 60% date of the `claimed' capacity and check the card in 2-3 days time. There will be lost data in all fake ones.*

6. Finally the functionality: Download a simple programme called H2testw (ver 1.4) from the internet. It is German software and the most recommended to test all your portable media including micro SD cards. My fake one showed only 3.96 GB capacity instead of 32GB as claimed.*

7. Where to buy: spend the extra bit of money and buy from genuine big dealers. Amazon is always one of my foremost places but keep away from Amazon Marketplace since the same firms also sell in eBay i.e they are mostly shady and refunds will need a lot of wrangling. Of course, you might occasionally be lucky (as yours truly had hoped!), but one would probably need to be as dumb as me to follow my steps (till I became wiser!.*

[9PLUS]

How much are the SanDisk 64GB Micro SD cards ?

[Vortex Wake]

How much are the SanDisk 64GB Micro SD cards ?

£139




Oh well, I have ordered 64gig of memory on 3 different cards types from Amazon (NOT Amazon market).

Since the cards have reviews from buyers with relevant points such as 'the cards has worked for over 2 months' or 'the card if far faster that same brand lower class', and I have bought from Amazon direct, and not a third party supplier (like eBay), I am encouraged that I will get memory that will not go wrong after 2 weeks or perform as slow as a lower class device etc etc.

[9PLUS]

£139


Blimey is that some new level stuff?

[Vortex Wake]

Blimey is that some new level stuff?

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sandisk-launches-64gb-microsd-card-1028116

[9PLUS]

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/sandisk-launches-64gb-microsd-card-1028116



Isn't that a picture of an SD card?

Thought MicroSD were 15x11?

[Vortex Wake]

'Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
bradavon


18 hours ago

2. This is good because it will mean 32GB MicroSD cards finally come down to decent pricing. As 16GB did when 32GB came out.

Alert a moderator
lgwbailey


22 hours ago

1. is that the right picture for a Micro SD? looks like a standard SD to me...

Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think'

[Balcony]

www.Amazon.co.uk

[karinagal]

I've bought 3 16gb micro sd cards from Amazon for hubby's Galaxy Tab. Not had a problem with any of them (other than the theiving pixies in my house stealing them, hiding them and then putting them back in places I've already searched... But that's another story....!) :D

[9PLUS]

'Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
bradavon


18 hours ago

2. This is good because it will mean 32GB MicroSD cards finally come down to decent pricing. As 16GB did when 32GB came out.

Alert a moderator
lgwbailey


22 hours ago

1. is that the right picture for a Micro SD? looks like a standard SD to me...

Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think'



?.........................

[Vortex Wake]

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Comments quoted come from the Techradar page.

[Vortex Wake]

The cards from Amazon have arrived.

Notice that they all come in the manufactures own packaging.

The Sandisk card comes with free online software protection too - you won't get that with a fake eBay or Amazon 'market' third party supplier.

http://tapatalk.com/mu/50074abc-935e-76c9.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/50074abc-936d-ed0b.jpg

[9PLUS]

does the MicroSD do well with HD video?

[Vortex Wake]

I decided to run a speed test on a number of cards I have collected .

I used these Sandisk info pages http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-e200-series/test-your-microSD-HC-card-s-actual-transfer-rate-with-this-free/td-p/84325

and used this memory tester http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/h2testw-14-gold-standard-in-detecting-usb-counterfeit-drives/

Firstly I tested the unbranded 16gig card from eBay (the one that goes faulty after a couple of weeks - meaning a reformat)

__________________________________________________ _______________________


Unbranded ebay 16gig micro sd Class 10

Writing speed: 14.5 MByte/s
Reading speed: 19.3 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

If it was not for the fact that the card became faulty, it would actually appear (?) to be a very fast card.


__________________________________________________ _______________________


Genuine SanDisk 4gig Class 4

Writing speed: 7.55 MByte/s
Reading speed: 20.5 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

Better than its class :)

__________________________________________________ _______________________


Genuine SanDisk Extreme Pro 16 gig from Amazons OWN warehouse

Writing speed: 16.7 MByte/s
Reading speed: 19.5 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

As expected :)

__________________________________________________ _______________________


Genuine Samsung 16 gig class 10 from Amazons OWN warehouse

Writing speed: 17.0 MByte/s
Reading speed: 20.4 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

Far better than quoted class :) :)

__________________________________________________ ________________________


Genuine Lexar 32gig micro SD class 10


Writing speed: 11.0 MByte/s
Reading speed: 19.1 MByte/s
H2testw v1.4

As expected :)

__________________________________________________ ________________________


Transend 16 gig class 10 from eBay

Writing speed: N/A
Reading speed: N/A
H2testw v1.4 NO Test

Card lost - believed dog ate it :(

__________________________________________________ ________________________



Conclusions:

If you required a 'good' memory card i.e. high capacity AND speed for HD movies or fast still shooting then buy a genuine branded card from a bona fide retailer .

Example:

A 16 gig class 10 card.....................

Currys or Jessops(say) £40 .
Comments: Ideal for immediate use from a genuine high street seller.

Amazon (say) £30 .
Comments: Buy ONLY from a listing stating 'Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.' , (Otherwise you may get a substandard fake sold by a 3rd party), Cheaper than the high street.

eBay (say) £20 .
Comments: Cheaper price often means no packaging and hence has the real possibility of a substandard fake card.





Why should you worry about a fake card or unbranded card?

There are different issues with fake or unbranded cards;

1/ The card may work for a few weeks then fail - meaning data is lost and cannot be recovered.

2/ The capacity of the card may not be what is stated on the card.

3/ The speed (or class) of the card may be slower than stated on the card - meaning video frames or pictures are not captured due to the card not keeping up write speeds.

[Chrislaff]

I got a 32gb cat 4 SanDisk microsd from Amazon £35 and its flawless, records HD Vid perfectly writes at just over 4meg a sec reads about 8 meg a sec...Stay well away from ebay - if it looks to good to be true....It is lol

[KirstyJay]

Another one for Amazon. You can always limit your search to items sold by Amazon themselves, therefore no 3rd party involved :)

[Vortex Wake]

Another Tenerife holiday on the way , and 2 new full HD cameras to try out , and look what arrived today from Amazon direct :D

http://img.tapatalk.com/50074abc-e530-e569.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/50074abc-e541-15ce.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/50074abc-e54d-e1be.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/50074abc-e565-4d16.jpg

I think I'm an SD card freak :D




Dear Cheggers , I want to swap 2 16cards for an action man in West ham football kit ;)