As we all know the world of data storage is getting cheaper and cheaper with new innovations. Earlier this week Sandisk announced a new CompactFlash (CF) card with a storage capacity of 256GB that is optimized for 4K video recording, and while not cheap – it represents a huge leap forward in CompactFlash Storage.

SanDisk_256GB_CF

Two Hundred and Fifty Six Gigabytes

I am old enough to remember when my mother purchased a 4mb upgrade on the RAM of our first home PC (taking us from 4 to 8), I also remember our first 1 Gigabyte+ hard-drive. So it is still amazing to me to have those memories and realize how far data storage has come.

This new 256GB CF card form SanDisk is specifically designed for 4K video capture, but can you imagine using it for still image photography? Lets put this in perspective a bit, for example purposes lets say that the average photographer is around 20 megapixels these days. That means you are getting RAW files at around 25mb, obviously this varies with content and other factors but for the sake of this example lets go with 25. Based on our example numbers there we are would be able to fit roughly 10,240 full sized RAW images on this one CF card.

I am not sure how you would need that sort of storage space for any form of still photography, nor would I recommend having that many still images on the one card. Sure cards are more and more reliable, but that doesn’t meant that your card won’t get stolen or god knows what else happens to it.

[UPDATE: This new CF card is now available on B&H for under $1,000]

What are your thoughts on this new 256GB monster CF card from Sandisk? Do you ever see yourself needing a card with so much storage? Let us know in a comment below. 

[via SanDisk Press Release]