Panasonic 48 GB and 64 GB SDXC Flash Memory Cards review

I was asking myself is it worth spending over $300 for RP SDW48GE1K 48 GB SDXC Flash Memory Card, or even $500 for Panasonic RP SDW64GE1K 64 GB Flash memory card - Class 10 - SDXC Memory Card?

Well, it's hard to say, but here are some important things you have to understand to make your decision.

Btw, I'm using Panasonic Lumix LX5 camera (old LX3 review), that's why I chose Panasonic memory cards. I like when my things are 100% compatible, even it costs a bit more sometimes, but you will understand why.

The whole idea behind this super-fast performance memory card was to be able to store images rapidly when you have your camera set to burst mode. With a regular memory card you would see a delay between images and maybe the moment you wanted to capture would happen in between the shots. 

Both of these Panasonic SDXC Memory Cards have nearly the same capacity as a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc. Imagine that! This makes it a big deal for recording AVCHD high definition video, high-resolution, or even RAW still photos. As you know very well, Lumix LX5 have RAW pics, but also now can produce high definition AVCHD videos. When used with Panasonic's camcorders, which, btw, I don't have, the SDXC memory card can record approximately 6 hours and 20 minutes of video in HA mode, and 20 hours and 20 minutes video in HE mode. To me this sounds perfect and enough. So, simply said the SDXC Memory Cards will allow you to enjoy superb performance when using with an HD camcorder or a digital interchangeable lens camera, for high-speed burst shooting when taking still photos.

Regardless to all this, the question if spending $500 on a memory chip is still worth, is in the air. Is it worth the money?

It's true that the 64 GB and 48 GB SDXC Memory Cards, along with other Panasonic GOLD line Memory Cards, provide longer lifetime, thanks to the adoption of Panasonic's newly-developed Super Intelligent Controller. With the new Super Intelligent Controller, flash memories are automatically refreshed with error corrections, thus preventing data damages and providing longer lifetime.

The errors usually happen when you power off your camera or camcorder, and they call it accidental corruption of memory. The new technology is designed to minimize accidental corruption caused by a power interruption, such as the Memory Card being removed while data is being transferred. Panasonic's SDXC Memory Card robustness is reliable even under severe temperature condition from -13°F to 185°F**.

One thing you have to make sure with your camera and camcorder, is that it supports SDXC memory card, because some devices don't.

In addition to Panasonic, Kingston launched 64GB SDXC UHS-1 Class 10. UHS-1 is the new class of ultra high-speed bus architecture cards for the SDXC format. The card is designed for fast data transfer speeds of 104MB/sec and future cards using the specification will be able to hit 300MB/s.This much speed and storage are far from cheap. Kingston will ship the card at the end of the month for $499.

One thing that some early adopters of SDXC cards noticed with SanDisk Ultra® SDXC™ Card 64 GB, on Windows XP, you need to install a patch in order to read this memory card. So, either use a patch, Windows 7, or a Mac. It will work that way.

Obviously SDXC cards may not be right for everyone's pocket, but if the speed and lot of memory at your disposal is what you care about, then...