Fake CF Card?

bryanbuchanan

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I ordered two 2gig SanDisk CF cards from an online retailer, $40 a piece. I immediately noticed the plastic case was a lot crappier than SanDisk usually has, but didn't think much of it.

I used them on a shoot yesterday, and a little over half the images turned out corrupt, some on camera, but most after transferring to the computer. I've NEVER had that happen in 2 years of shooting on SanDisk CF's.

Looking a little closer at these things, they're definitely constructed a little different than any other SanDisk I have laying here. The front label has very slight differences in spacing and printing. Both front and back labels are just barely crooked, something I would expect in mass production, but I have 4 other CF's laying here and all their labels are near perfect.

The Backside label's print bled, like it was printed with an inkjet. There's a very slight difference in the lower part of the "D" is SanDisk, and the paper used is much more yellow than a CF I know to be real.

So am I tripping on this thing or is it really a fake?

please excuse the crappy example photo :)
sandisk.jpg

the card in question is the one on the left btw.
 
hahah thanks man. Lucky for me the place I bought it from says they didn't know it was fake and they're taking the 2 cards I bought back.

Thanks again for your help!
 
Not sure where you got them from but I think most of the cards on ebay are fakes now, I would certainly get them from a reputable dealer, whether online or not.

Most of the fakes will work ok but they are cheaper, slower cards, and in some cases smaller capacities than advertised on the label!

If the price looks to good to be be true it probably is...
 
Not sure where you got them from but I think most of the cards on ebay are fakes now, I would certainly get them from a reputable dealer, whether online or not.

you can also find reputable dealers on ebay .. also selling cf cards. at least in Europe.

since we are at this topic. keep your eyes open when you buy batteries as well ... in partiular some expensive canon batteries. I recently saw an exploded fake canon battery ...
 
most are fakes?
Seems a bit cynical to me but I'd agree a reputable online dealer is the way to go.
Ebay is ok if you check feedback and see what others have bought - read the comments.

i've lost images on a genuine Lexar card thanks to a known issue with Canon cameras. thankfully the imaegs i lost weren't that important so i was ok. The card was returned to Lexar and they replced it with another. I lost a a bit of confidence in the brand though and repalced both lexar cards with Sandisk. I bought them on ebay i think.
i now have 4 x 1gb cards all sandisk and they've been great.

If i remember correctly, i've bought them all on ebay.
 
Your profile doesn't say where you are located but my local Staples has the 2GB Ultra cards on sale thru Jan. 13 for $39.95. If you like using Ebay that is okay, but many local retailers here have been having BIG sales on cards.
 
Most things on ebay, that are new, can be bought for the same price almost from a retailer. I buy a lot of antique cameras on ebay, but I have lost faith in their dealers with less than 99,5 percent feedback.

bought the too good to be true computer and it was too bad to be believed. The dealer had gone out of business before he replaced it (of course)...

Ebay is a good place to get an idea of what a good deal is then I'd research it. I bought my film scanner from a retailer thirty five dollars cheaper than on ebay because there was a rebate and free shipping,

Sorry I know it isnt about cf cards but just more evidence that the buyer had to beware.
 
It's amazing. The Chinese will knock anything off. Rolex watches, I can understand. But memory cards? Amazing.
 
hahah thanks man. Lucky for me the place I bought it from says they didn't know it was fake and they're taking the 2 cards I bought back.

Thanks again for your help!

Thanks for the warning.

Funny part is, before I got to the end of your original message I said to myself, the one on the right has radius cut corners and metalic labels. I bet that's the real one.

Day late buy there was one on a web sellers site (I got told about it with six hours to go) where you got a 2 GB card for $39.95, $20 rebate, and they were offering $10 off the first order for new buyers.

How would 10 bucks have been? I just don't need another right now and the prices will probably drop by June. I still have a stack of 1 GB CF and SD cards, and they work fine.

Watch Sam's Club for specials. I've seen them offering 1 GB CF cards for $20 less than advertised specials at Office Max, Comp USA, or Staples.
 

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