how many mb = 1 gb

[jann1033]

1000? if so i should get about 600 large fine ( 3.3 mb) files on a 2 gb card? i didn't think i got that many an trying to figure out if i want to get another card
thanks

 

[pisco]

600 images for a 2GB card sounds about right but with JPG compressions the size of the file will vary depending on the amount detail in the image. JPG works by throwing out visual information that it thinks the human brain will not miss. So images with lots of flat color areas like the sky will compress much better than would an image of a lot of trees.

 

[jann1033]

ok that would probably explain it .. i thought i got closer to 500 and figured i was a math dunce

 

[Kelly Grannell]

also depening on the ISO. The higher the ISO, the larger the file size.

 

[mfwit]

1GB = 1024mb

 

[ukcatfan]

1GB = 1024mb

This is true in standard computer conversion, but it usually does not work out that way with flash memory. I believe that they usually use 1,000,000 bytes to equal 1MB instead of 1,048,576. That leads to the differences. It is all a marketing thing to make it look like they are giving you more than they really are. For example, my 2GB CF card is recognized as 1.91GB by Windows and my 256MB one is really 245MB. From what I have heard, this is pretty standard in the flash memory industry.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

and HDD too

 

[0bli0]

depending on manufacturer, 1GB is either 1000 or 1024 MB. don't forget, you never get full capacity as available space - formatting (laying down the 'tracks' where data is stored) takes up a portion. cluster size also contributes to 'lost' memory as files can not share the same cluster. so there is always wasted space in clusters at the 'end' of the file.

so with varying file sizes, and decreased available capacity, you can't do a simple calculation - but you can come pretty close. how big, on average, are most of the files on your hard drive?

 

[WillCAD]

Yeah, storage device manufacturers have been deliberately mislabelig their products for years by counting 1000mb as 1gb, and 1000kb as 1mb.

Windows does the math properly, in multiples of 1024, but manufacturers count in multiples of 1000 to get their capacities, often resulting in capacities written on the box being way more than what you can actually store on the device.

As 0bli0 said, there is also some loss due to formatting and cluster size.

The best way to tell how many pics a particular card will hold is to have a look at the Details view in My Computer, which will have a column for file size. Looking through your pics, you will get an idea of the average file size and can then do the simple math required to figure out how many will fit on your memory card.

 

[Simba22]

not to hi-jack, but if I have a 256mb memory card, approximately how many pictures does that hold?

 

[Adam1217]

i would say a 256mb would hold roughly 75 fine pictures, because my 512mb holds about 150 fine pics on my camera.

 

[caniswolfie]

not to hi-jack, but if I have a 256mb memory card, approximately how many pictures does that hold?

Part of that depends on what kind of camera and JPEG quality. Depending the megapixel of the camera, the size may vary and the JPEG quality and size will alter that as well.

 

[caniswolfie]

Yeah, storage device manufacturers have been deliberately mislabelig their products for years by counting 1000mb as 1gb, and 1000kb as 1mb.

<rest snipped for brevity>

I would say they are necessarily mislabeling their products, but I would say they are deliberately labeling them in this way for marketing. We are expecting they they label them in the Base 2 method of counting the bytes so that a kilobyte is 1024 bytes, etc. However they are using the metric prefixes on the bytes to label their products. In that case a Mega-byte is 1 million bytes per the metric definition of Mega. Kind of sneaky I know.

It's the same kind of marketing fun that includes saying something like 2 grams of fat per serving and then indicate that package has 2.5 servings. Not really mislabeled, but kind of sneaky.

 

[JR6ooo4]

not to hi-jack, but if I have a 256mb memory card, approximately how many pictures does that hold?

Unless I missed the info, we need to know what camera you have. More specificaly what is the megapixel count of the camera's sensor. 3, 5, 6, 8? On most cameras you may vary the file/ picture quality. So Buy much memory and always shoot the largest file size for best results. Unless you are trying to hide the scratches on something you are going to sell on ebay.... heheheheee.

Mikeeee

 

[mabas9395]

Just for a frame of reference for the OP, I have a Canon XT and I shoot in jpg large/fine and I get an average of 230-250 shots per 1 gig card. My default setting is ISO 200 and a fresh card always says 247 shots remaining. Bumping up the ISO reduces that number (as mentioned earlier).

 

[WillCAD]

not to hi-jack, but if I have a 256mb memory card, approximately how many pictures does that hold?

It varies widely, because the file size of a picture is determined by two things - 1) The settings you are shooting (i.e. Large Fine, etc), and 2) The amount that the camera comresses the file when it saves it to the card (every camera does this a little different).

But you can calculate the number yourself by using the method I described above:

The best way to tell how many pics a particular card will hold is to have a look at the Details view in My Computer, which will have a column for file size. Looking through your pics, you will get an idea of the average file size and can then do the simple math required to figure out how many will fit on your memory card.

Size of card (in MB) / average size of pics (in MB) = number of pics per card.

Size of pics in My Computer is usually displayed in KB instead of MB, so you might have to do one extra step to convert the KB into MB:

Size in KB / 1024 = Size in MB.

 

[Geoff_M]

Yeah, storage device manufacturers have been deliberately mislabelig their products for years by counting 1000mb as 1gb, and 1000kb as 1mb.

Actually, there was a recent class action settlement over the issue: https://www.pddocs.com/FlashMemory/ You know, the kind were as a victim you get a coupon or a few bucks and "your" lawyers get seven or eight figures.

 

[Simba22]

Unless I missed the info, we need to know what camera you have. More specificaly what is the megapixel count of the camera's sensor. 3, 5, 6, 8? On most cameras you may vary the file/ picture quality. So Buy much memory and always shoot the largest file size for best results. Unless you are trying to hide the scratches on something you are going to sell on ebay.... heheheheee. Mikeeee

It's a Canon Powershot S2 IS 5mp

 

[Adam1217]

i own a Sony Cybershot