SanDisk Unveils Its Highest Capacity CompactFlash Card

SanDisk on Thursday introduced a 32-GB CompactFlash card, the company's largest CF storage device for professional digital photographers and videographers.

The latest Extreme III CompactFlash is double the size of SanDisk's previous largest product. The new card has read and write speeds of 30 MBps.

The device is not the fastest CompactFlash card SanDisk makes. The company's Extreme IV card operates at 45 MBps, but has a maximum size of 16 GB, which costs $400. The 32-GB Extreme III will cost $300 when it hits U.S. retail stores in October, the company said.

The higher-capacity card is aimed at people who use high-definition camcorders. Users can store as much as 80 minutes of 100 MBps, 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD video, which is of sufficient quality for today's professional video applications, according to SanDisk.

For photographers, the additional capacity is useful for storing pictures shot in RAW format. The format uses 10 times the storage space as regular JPG images, but provides higher-quality images.

The card can operate under temperatures ranging from minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. SanDisk's Extreme III cards are also available with 2 GB, $45; 4 GB, $70; 8 GB, $130; and 16 GB, $240.

SanDisk last week fueled speculation that it was up for sale when a spokesman said the company was "considering various opportunities." The company later confirmed that it has had "conversations" with Samsung, but declined to say whether it discussed a merger.

However, industry bankers and an industry executive told the new service DealReporter that Samsung's acquisition of SanDisk appeared unlikely, due to issues with financing, antitrust. and partnerships.