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Digital Camera Memory

Does Your Camera Support Write-Accelerated Cards?

SUMMARY: Write-Accelerated (WA) cards may speed up photo taking in some circumstances.

It normally takes a certain amount of time, perhaps a half a second, or perhaps several seconds or more for RAW or high megapixel photos, to store a photograph on your memory media. Some newer CompactFlash cards come with a feature called WA, or Write Acceleration technology. In theory, this reduces the photo storage time, allowing you to take photos quicker.

WA-enabled cards are normally more expensive than their slower counterparts. Therefore, if you are planning on spending the money on these cards, first make sure your digital camera supports WA technology. You should be able to find this information in your digital camera's manual. If your digital camera supports this mode, the extra money may be well spent if you take a lot of photos. If not, then you're paying extra money for virtually nothing unless you plan on changing digital cameras in the future.

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