Digital Memory Wallets
After going digital with my photographic equipment, I found myself carrying 12 SmartMedia cards and 9 CompactFlash cards everywhere I go. Each card comes in a blue transparent plastic case that is not all that bad, until I had 21 of them in my camera bag. There must be a better way of managing them. I ended up looking for the best digital memory wallets on the market. And this article is a review of all the ones I tried.
Case Logic DMC2 Digital Memory Card Case
The Case Logic case seems professionally designed and marketed as an elegant wallet for digital memory cards. The color of the wallet is [TBD] and looks like an expensive personal item. Even the packaging has no frills and used subtle pleasing hues.
The packaging states, "Case holds 6 digital memory cards (including Memory Stick, SmartMedia and Compact Flash cards)." But in my experiments, I find that this wallet really only holds SmartMedia cards well. Each of the six pockets can hold up to 3 SmartMedia cards (without stretching the pocket) for a total of 18 SmartMedia cards.
The CompactFlashes fits fine when the wallet is open. When I tried to close it, the cards on each side of the wallet gets in the way of each other, putting quite a bit of strain on the wallet. Closed, the wallet feels bulged and loses its elegance. To me, this wallet can only hold 3 CompactFlash cards at the most.
I do not have any MemoryStick cards to experiment with. But I can not imagine fitting more than four MemoryStick cards in the bottom four pockets of this wallet. MemoryStick cards in the top two pockets will probably stick out. And the thickness of the MemoryStick cards will probably cause the same conflict as the CompactFlash cards.
FujiFilm Digital Wallet
The FujiFilm SmartMedia Wallet has the same elegance as the DMC2 case. However, opening the wallet will disappoint many. Within are two clear plastic pockets for 2 SmartMedia cards. The pockets look fragile and wear easy with use. And since the wallet holds only two cards, it feels that the wallet is taking up the bulk of the storage space. There is a little mesh pocket on the bottom of the wallet. After three years, I still have not figured out a use for it, except to hold another card awkwardly. This wallet is seems quite useless to me. The only reason why I use it is because I have it.
Memorex FlashGear CompactFlash and SmartMedia Holder
The Memorex FlashGear case looks impressive on my browser. The marketing design is also excellent, with flash words and colors that jump out at me. However, upon arrival, its functionality is a disappointment. Each holder only carries 1 CompactFlash or SmartMedia card. This defeats my goal of carrying multiple cards in one wallet. I think the purpose of the Memorex case is to protect the valuable memory contained within. It probably serves as a better replacement for the plastic container that came with the memory cards.
After some thoughts, I figured the SmartMedia cards might fit in the CompactFlash slot. Since a CompactFlash is thicker than a SmartMedia, if this works, the FlashGear case might be a very practical carrier for SmartMedia cards. Unfortunately, the SmartMedia card is just slightly larger than the CompactFlash card.
The FlashGear cases are stackable for easy storage management at home. And when the memory cards are placed into the cases, they look great; like a showcase.
2004-08-24: I managed to find some use for the Memorex FlashGear case on my recent trip to Seattle. I had shot well over 100 photos on my IBM 1GB Microdrive. At some point during that trip, I had to leave my camera bag in the hotel room and attend a seminar not far away. To me the photos are always more valuable than my camera equipment. I wanted to take the Microdrive with me, without loosing it. The Memorex FlashGear was a perfect candidate for this purpose. The Microdrive, a CompactFlash Type II card, fit in the FlashGear quite snug. Its hard case was rigid and slim. It allowed me to carry it in my back pocket; I would have no chance of leaving it on a table somewhere.
SanDisk Digital Wallet
The SanDisk wallet concept is very similar to the Case Logic wallet concept in that it opens like a book and has pockets on both sides. However, unlike the Case Logic wallet, the pockets do not overlap, therefore, do not cause the bulging problem plaguing the Case Logic wallet. In fact, it holds CompactFlash and SmartMedias equally well. The SanDisk wallet can hold 1 CompactFlash card in each pocket, 4 cards in total. Each pocket can hold up to four SmartMedia cards for a total of sixteen cards.
The pocket concept of the SanDisk wallet is very similar to the FujiFilm wallet. It uses a transparent plastic material that seems a bit thicker and stronger than the FujiFilm version. This wallet is very practical, however, with a seam down the middle and the bright yellow color, it is not the most pleasing one to look at. The seam also reduces the stiffness of the wallet. Holding the wallet on one side, the other is free to flop back and forth, causing it to feel a bit flimsy.
Sony Memory Stick Carrying Case LCH-MA
The Sony Memory Stick Carrying Case is made out of aluminum with a very nice silver metallic finish. It has a very high-class polished style. It feels like a very expensive business card holder. The case opens into two halves and is able to carry memory cards on both halves of the case. In total, the case can carry up to eight Memory Stick's and eight Memory Stick Duo's. That.s right, it can carry sixteen cards all together. The Sony carrying case accomplishes this feat by allowing a Memory Stick to be stacked on top of a Memory Stick Duo in each slot tray. This is a very high-quality case and very functional as well.
- Dimension : 105 x 13 x 69mm (W x H x D)
- Weight : 65g
I had hoped that SD Card is the same size as Memory Stick Duo so that I can carry SD Cards with this case. Unfortunately, SD Card is slightly wider than Memory Stick Duo.
Verbatim Compact Flash/Smart Media Travel Case
The Verbatim case arrives in a white cardboard box, just big enough to hold the travel case. There are no flashy logos, no hyper marketing lingo, and no eye-candy graphics. Looking at the box, I thought I would be disappointed. But to my amazement, the Verbatim travel case has the best quality and the best functionality in this round up of digital memory wallets.
The case is made out of hard plastic that I am sure will protect my priceless contents well. The holder inside is made out of an interesting hard rubber gel. It holds 2 CompactFlash cards in each of its two slots, for a total of 4 CompactFlash cards. Or each slot can be used to hold 7 SmartMedia cards, for a total of 14 SmartMedia cards.
In addition to holding digital memory cards, it can also hold a PCMCIA adapter! This feature impresses me the most, because it has always bothered me to have to carry an adapter for my notebook separately. By storing a memory card in the adapter, the case can carry an additional card. The rectangle shaped case is easy to stack and manage. This case is definitely the best buy.
Related Links
- Make a PCMCIA Slot Memory Card Carrier
- Memorex Flashgear Compactflash & Smartmedia Storage Cases (2-Pack) - Amazon User Reviews
- Sony LCH-MA Aluminum Memory Stick Media Carrying Case - Amazon User Reviews
- Verbatim Travel Case for Compact Flash and Smart Media - Amazon User Reviews
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