Nikon Coolpix Cameras typically come with varying amounts of internal memory, as well as a port for SD memory cards. SD (Secure Digital) cards come in a wide variety of sizes, but make sure to buy one large enough to fit your budget, but not beyond what your camera is able to handle (consult your manual for any limitations). The reason you want to buy the largest memory card your wallet can afford is because you don't want to find yourself at a wedding, a family event, or out in the woods staring down a moose, only to find out that your camera is out of memory!
The brand of memory card is also particularly important as well. Does it make a difference? How big do I need? Does the speed rating of the card really matter? Is one large card better than multiple small cards? Keep reading to find out.
Memory Card
Many people buy extra insurance for their cameras and lenses (if it's not already covered under your home insurance policies). Why? Anything can happen! (... remembering when I dropped my Nikon Coolpix 950 in the snow several years back...) With that in mind, why would you buy a really cheap, no-name brand memory card that will hold a once-in-a-lifetime event? Insurance will replace your camera but nothing will replace your pictures after they're gone.
Memory Card Reliability
If you look through your local camera store, you'll quickly notice that there are many, MANY, different manufacturers of memory cards. The top brands, and typically most popular are made by SanDisk and Lexar, which are also the only two brands that Nikon tests their cameras with and recommend to their consumers.
SanDisk claims their SD cards have a MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) of over 1,000,000 hours, which is almost 115 years before the average card fails! Their cards are also rated for over 10,000 insertions and have a built-in erasure-prevention switch to ensure that your files can't be accidentally deleted or overwritten. Lexar offers similar guarantees with their comprehensive line of award-winning memory cards.
Even with the top SD cards, errors do occur but the chances are much less than with no-name brands.
Are Two Memory Cards Better Than One?
Should you buy one large memory card vs buying multiple smaller cards? Opinions on this topic vary, as to the pros/cons. On one hand if you have multiple cards and one gets damaged (dropped in the water, stepped on, etc) they you're still ok because you have other cards you can use. On the other hand, you can buy one large memory card for a lot less money than multiple smaller ones (equal to the same amount of memory).
Your options? There is no wrong choice, only a matter of preference. I personally carry multiple cards with my while I'm traveling, as well as my laptop which I upload the pictures off of my cards on a regular basis. The choice is yours.
How Fast Do I Need?
SD cards come in a variety of speeds, typically faster means more expensive. Which do you need? What does it mean?
The speed a memory card is dictates how fast your camera will be able to save your image from it's internal memory to the SD card memory. It also dictates how quickly you'll be able to upload your images off of the SD memory card to your computer afterwards (although there are other factors influencing that as well). Typically the larger picture file size (a 10 megapixel camera image can be over 5mb is size), the faster the card you'll want. The first trip I took with my Nikon Coolpix 950 had a brutally slow memory card, and my girlfriend (who had the same camera) had a much faster card. We went canoeing and came across a moose feeding by the river. I got 3 pictures of it (one eating weeds, one with a look of terror because it saw us, and one of it running away). My girlfriend got several amazing shots of it eating, a few shocked, and a few of it running away. HUGE difference! Sadly, the savings on the slower card cost me a lot more that day in missed opportunities.
So again, you typically want to buy faster memory cards for cameras with higher megapixels. It's safest to either dish out the extra cash for the faster card, or ask someone at the store which one for your model of camera.
Summary
You'll have very few issues if money is "no object" but in today's times, we need to be more careful with our money. Since you typically don't get a second chance with a lost image (or corrupt memory card), it's recommended you buy the best card possible within your budget. My recommendation? When you buy your camera, try to barter the price down a bit so you can afford the better card.
A great camera can take great pictures, but a bad memory card can save none.
Nikon Coolpix Memory Card
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