Need to upload pictures from your CompactFlash Card onto your laptop? gets the job done in a flash. Sorry for the pun, but this card makes a huge performance leap over 16-bit PC card adapters.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I work primarily from a laptop computer. CompactFlash to PC Card adapters are definitely my favorite method of uploading my pictures from CompactFlash Cards. Unless you need the PC Card slot for something else, the adapter can live in the laptop - it is like having a CompactFlash reader built in.

I had been using a 16-bit PC Card adapter for years. They weren't fast, but they got the job done. The Lexar gets the job fast - 6 times faster in my tests. Both a Lexar 1GB 40x CompactFlash Card and a SanDisk 2GB Extreme II CompactFlash Card turned in upload performance times of nearly exactly 6x faster with the than with a 16-bit card.

Here are some real number examples (times in minutes):

796 MB, 100 images: 1:52 (Lexar) vs 11:09 (16-bit)
221 MB, 31 images: 0:32 (Lexar) vs 3:14 (16-bit)

Transfer rates are comparable to USB 2.0 and Firewire card readers.

Although I generally don't sit around waiting for the pictures to upload, being able to review them faster is nice. Getting the card back faster for re-use is also nice.

The is both Mac and Windows compatible. To install the Lexar (for Windows at least), put the included CD into the CD drive and press the card into the PC Card slot. Windows will prompt for the location of the new driver - send it to the CD drive. That is it. Press your CompactFlash card into the Lexar and it will appear as a hard drive on your system.

Most higher end laptops manufactured since 1998 are CardBus compliant. The Lexar will not insert into non-compliant slots as it is keyed. The Lexar will accept both Type I and Type II CompactFlash Cards. The Lexar is hot swappable.

I highly recommend the if you are working on a laptop.

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