Compact Flash Readers: Considerations Before Purchasing

You might be on the market for a compact flash reader because you are a digital image editing enthusiast, an expert photographer, or simply are looking for an alternative to slower models of media storage.

Compact flash certainly fits the bill with a large amount of of your high end media needs. But here are a few considerations before you go out and arrangement a compact flash reader. You want make sure you have a clear idea of what you are looking for instead of saying "I want it all".

For example, does the reader work with all protocols of compact flash or just for a few? You should anticipate whether or not you may be using a flash media convention now or in the future that may not be compatible with a flash reader you are considering.

If you do not care too much about that, then just get a compact flash reader that works with the format you use the most for example some may work with SmartMedia flash, while others could read Microdrive flash standards, but not both at the same time. And ignore the supplementary features.

If you are looking at an USB 2 reader, it should be reverse or backwards compatible with the 1.1 ports in both directions. The reader needs to easily detect whether the card is an USB 2 or USB 1.1 port either by judging the built-in software in the card, or by reviewing the quantity of pins on the card.

That really is all there is to it. Make sure you get faster speeds, i.e. USB 2, with speedy read and write speeds if you use larger more bandwidth heavy media such as high resolution film and photography. A good flash reader will last you at least a few years depending on your needs and your ability to maintain your reader.