Why are xD picture cards so expensive?

[Goc]

Any explanations?

Are they so much faster than i.e. SD cards? Or is it just another example of companies "strong-arming" customers?

[VJ]

Well, for one, they are smaller....
Perhaps also less common (so less manufacturers make them, so the price can remain high)...
Perhaps there are licences that manufacturers must obey when making them (e.g. pay certain amount to "creators" of the xD card)...

Jörg

[az]

...and they're newer

AZ

[GuchiGuh]

they are not that expensive? at least not in Singapore/Taiwan/Hong Kong

[Goc]

Well... Here 256 Mb xD picture card costs around 200$, while SD costs 100$...

I think Fujifilm and Olympus together with one more company created xD standard for one reason or another... I'm just being curious. Is it simply to draw more money from customers, or the new type of card has some advantages over the older types? Heh... I think it's the first choice.

[gt40]

Actually here they are both about the same price: $130 cndn for 256mb, and I have seen them as low as $100.

[magog]

You can get 256 MB for 100 EUR and 128 MB for 47 EUR (both Fuji xD cards).
These are the lowest pricetags so far here in germany.
I'm currently taking a closer look at the Olympus C-740 (10x optical zoom and 3.2 MPixel).
Nice toy!

[az]

BTW, Minolta just announced the Dimage Z-1. 10x zoom F2.8-F3.5 lens, 3 MP, 450 EUR, spacey design, manual controls, innovative EVF... Also, Fuji recently announced another 10x zoom cam...

https://www.dpreview.com

AZ

[VJ]

Euhm, fellow moderator, isn't this very off topic ? The Z1 doesn't use xD cards...


Jörg

[Goc]

[az]

Fellow Moderator, this was in response to magog's semi-Off Topic post. Let's not split threads, shall we?

AZ

[VJ]

Not quite, Fellow Moderator...
The camera Magog mentioned *does* use xD cards... However, you followed the 10x-zoom aspect of his post... So I think I can let this one pass now...

Some more info of the EVF on the Z1:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/z1_pg2.html

(about halfway down, there is a flash animation; looks strange to me... )


Jörg