lautenk2

The other thing about mini-SD cards is that I haven't seen one in about ten years. I own a couple of micro-SD card to mini-SD card adapters because they were included in the package with a micro-SD card along with a micro-SD card to SD-card adapter (that I have used quite often, they work just fine). Mini-SD cards are about twice the size of micro-SD cards, and SD-cards are larger again. If you do spot an actual mini-SD-card, you will no doubt find that it is 1. old, 2. slow, and 3. small capacity like 2Gb or less.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

That doesn't mean they don't exist.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

Google is your friend. MiniSD & MicroSD are not the same thing.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

Differences? The same memory chip is used in both physical formats... but it's cheaper to make the micro size.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

IDK how much cheaper it is when they usually include the adapter, OTOH, Micro SD is vital for phones today. I had two Palm Treo phones (in the Pre iPhone/Galaxy days...) that actually used full sized SD cards! Not a problem then as the battery alone for a Treo 650 is twice as thick as an entire Galaxy S7! 😉

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

From a reliability standpoint introducing an additional set of electrical contacts, as between a microSD and its adapter, could theoretically reduce the overall reliability of the system. However, if the microSD (or miniSD for that matter) card is kept in an adapter, the chance of having an issue is exceedingly small.

lautenk2

Oh yes, they do exist and your previous post with the photo of all three sizes was excellent. The point is that "mini" and "micro" SD cards are not the same thing, and I get the sense from other posts that many people are no longer aware of the difference. The other point is, even if you actually find one in the flesh so to speak, which you probably won't, the "mini" form factor cards are long past being desirable.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I just learned something today. The mini vs the micro SD card. I have a few SD and micro memory cards. I've never seen one (mini), nor desire to own one..

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

I can think of two advantages of using them:
1. It is easier to lose those itty bitty things.
2. If you have dexterity problems, handling them can produce many comic moments.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I have never used the miniSD or microSD in my cameras (have had them in phones).

In fact, I dislike the small size of standard SD cards, though I do grudgingly use them. For handling I prefer the the larger size of Compact Flash (and now the newer XQD and CFast that are similar size).

Remove the card from the camera to download it, if at all possible. There are several reasons. One is that your camera battery has to be charged up to download from it. If the power level drops too low during a download, the camera might shut off before the download completes, which can corrupt images. There's also risk of someone accidentally turning the camera off or detaching the cable mid-download, which also would likely corrupt images.

Another reason is that the contacts are pretty durable (especially what are used for SD cards... versus the many tiny "pins and sockets" that Compact Flash use).

In fact, I'd rather damage a card's contacts (easily and inexpensively replaced)... or the memory card socket in the camera (more expensive repair, but a sub-module in the camera that's not too pricey)....

The USB socket in most cameras is used with a cable for downloading without removing the card (WiFi is probably too slow and may be more prone to interruptions). BUT, the USB socket in most cameras is quite possibly more easily damaged than the memory card socket... AND, if it ever needs replacement, most camera's USB socket is on the main circuit board and more expensive to repair... both parts and labor... because much more disassembly will be necessary.

So, I recommend simply removing the card and using a card reader. I've done it hundreds of times with almost no problems. In a dozen years shooting digital... as much as 50,000 images a year... the only memory card-related problems I've ever had have been:

1. Connectivity issue when using an external card reader that I'd connected to my computer using a USB hub. As soon as I reconnected it directly, eliminating the hub, problem solved. But since then I've bought a computer with built-in card readers that are even faster and have been utterly reliable.

2. Pulled a memory card from a camera too quickly once (sometimes I use 5, 10 or more memory cards for a day's shoot)... while the camera was still writing to the card. Ended up corrupting some images on the card and had to use recovery software to retrieve about 2/3 of what was on the card. That as an older, slower camera, though. Newer that I use now finish writing almost immediately.

3. Twice I've had memory cards "go bad"... but that happened right from new. One didn't work at all. The other worked once, but after download it locked up for some reason and was unrecoverable.

I've probably used upwards of 100 different memory cards over the years, never damaged a camera or card or had and problems other than above.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Yes, the is a "mini" and a "micro," but the zeal with which you declare the previous answer "bad" shows that
you are one of the way-too-many purported "experts" on UHH, desperate to prove that he is more expert than all the other
would-be experts. (Even the experts have experts.) How so many brilliant people can all reside in a
single virtual place is a mystery to me, but it's super-impressive. >Alan

royb_36-cox.net Loc: Phoenix

Whatever. I had never heard of a Mini SD Card. I noted that many sources are now calling the Micro SD Card a Mini SD in their search engines. However the next post pointed out that a decade ago the Mini SD Card was released and existed for a short time. My post stated that there was no such thing as a Mini SD Card based on incomplete knowledge and research on my part. The right thing to do is delete the bad information in such a post. Since nothing else in the post was useful to the discussion I deleted the whole post. Glad my post gave you an opportunity to VENT!

DI Seller Loc: Knoxville, TN

In a pinch I want used the MicroSD card with an adapter and it work just great