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08/21/09
Sony makes some intriguing cameras, perhaps most notably the just-announced Cyber-shot DSC-WX1, but, under NO conditions, at all, would I EVER consider buying a product that locks you into non-standardized memory cards.
08/21/09
I personally have not tried it but I know they do sell microSDHC to memory stick adapters. They are like $4 and they even have some with dual slots for 2x8gb. Olympus also has a sdhc to xD adapter for some of their cameras too.
So although propriety formats suck, at least there are some made in china solutions.
Memory stick doesn't bother me too much anymore. My old sony W1 gets my old PSP memory sticks and point and shoot cameras make it very difficult to use up 2gb of space.
I saw that video.. and I like that camera a lot, just wish it was cheaper.
Now upgrading from the compact flashes for my dslr to SDHC is another story
08/21/09
08/21/09
That a card reader does or does not read these cards does not mean the MS card is not proprietary. To the contrary, the only way you're going to actually use a Memory Stick is to capture images, and these Sony cards work ONLY with Sony cameras/devices. You want a Sony camera? You must use a Sony memory card--and that kind of a closed loop system is, ya' know, the very definition of "proprietary".
By comparision, (most of) the rest of the camera world uses either SD cards (consumer level) or CompactFlash cards (pro level), all much more widely available from many brands/vendors and, therefore not only being more accessible, but also more competitively priced. I own and actively use several models of cameras—including Nikon and Canon (and the Sony DSC-R1, which uses CF cards)—and can and do freely interchange cards across all of them.
"Plus doesn't Olympus do the same thing with their cameras?"
Not quite as badly in that the Olympus xD card format is also used by Fuji, possibly others. If I'm not mistaken the difference is that Olympus allowed their format to be licensed by others (as in Fuji), whereas Sony did not (but I could be wrong about that).