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I was searing online for a 32 gig flash drive for my camera, and there are quite some differences in prices. A Sandisk is in the $230 range, while other brands were in the $120's. I realize that some have higher transfer speeds (30mbps to 20 in this case) but is that the only difference?
Do some brands physically work better than others?
Aside from transfer speeds, there is no difference in the specifications and they function the same. Also, most vendors produce cards in multiple speed classes, faster being more expensive. However, what you can't find out from the specs is the reliability of the card. Reputable brands like SanDisk are generally less prone to failure than the cheap 'off brand' cards (SanDisk cards do fail, just less frequently). So, the main trade off when comparing cards of the same speed class is cost vs. reliability.
Neuroanatomist is right.
Don't buy cheaper cards. It just isn't worth it. Not only do you run the risk of losing all your photos if the card gets corrupted, but fast transfer speed is a lot more important than you might realise. I foolishly bought a cheap Sandisk card from ebay and found out it was a fake - and it can take over 30 second for my camera to empty its buffer into it and the camera isn't usable for all this time. My genuine Sandisk cards take about 2 second for the camera to empty the buffer and the camera is usable before that.
If you consider the shots you might miss with a slow transfer speed then the extra price starts to look much more worthwhile.
I sold my almost new Canon 30D to a person who was desparately in need of a new camera to replace one that had died. I included a lexar flash card.
The buyerused the card I supplied for a week, and then put in the old no name card that had been used in the dead camera. Instantly, there were two dead cameras. Flash cards can kill your camera, so buy the best.
There was a happy ending, My camera was in warranty, so Canon repaired it at no charge, and the first dead camera arrived back from Canon the next day after my 30D was killed. The bad flash card was destroyed.