The CompactFlash Association (CFA) is set to approve next month the specifications of a faster type of CompactFlash card which is expected to boost digital SLR shooting.
Called the CFast, the new memory card will be capable of delivering a data transfer rate of up to 375MBps. Current CF cards rated at 300X deliver only at a maximum rate of 45MBps.
Approval for the CFast card specifications is expected to come during the CFA’s meeting on May 12-14. The first versions of the new card will be available around the end of this year for use in devices such as computers. CFast cards for DSLR cameras are expected to follow next year.
The new card is not interchangeable with current CF cards; while the size of both cards is about the same, the CFast card will have a slot instead of pins and will feature different ridges called keys down its sides to prevent it from being used in place of today’s CF cards.
The faster data transfer rates of CFast cards should enable faster continuous shooting with digital SLR cameras. Canon and Nikon engineers are participating in the CFast specification development
[Site: CompactFlash.org]