Editing CompactFlash (section)

{{Short description|Memory card format}}
{{Redirect|CF2|the 3-inch floppy disk format|Compact Floppy|the chemical compound|Difluorocarbene}}
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{{infobox media 
| name          = CompactFlash (CF)
| image         = CompactFlash Memory Card.svg
| type          = [[Mass storage device]] format
| caption       = A 2&nbsp;[[Gigabyte|GB]] CompactFlash card
| capacity      = {{plainlist|
*2&nbsp;MB to 512&nbsp;GB<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=CompactFlash Association|date=March 2, 2003|first=Bill|last=Frank|title=CompactFlash Specification Allows for the Addressing of up to 137 GB|url=http://www.compactflash.org/pr/030302b.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050512050024/http://www.compactflash.org/pr/030302b.pdf|archive-date=2005-05-12|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.compactflash.org/faqs/faq.htm#capacities|title=Home|last=MemberClicks|website=www.compactflash.org|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318182915/https://www.compactflash.org/faqs/faq.htm#capacities|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*CF5.0: up to 128 [[Petabyte|PB]]}}
| encoding      = Various [[file system]]s
| owner         = [[SanDisk]]
| use           = [[Digital camera]]s and other mass storage devices
| dimensions    = {{plainlist|
*43×36×3.3&nbsp;mm (Type I)
*43×36×5&nbsp;mm (Type II)}}
| weight        = 10 grams (typical)
| extended from = [[PC Card|PCMCIA / PC Card]]
}}

'''CompactFlash''' ('''CF''') is a [[flash memory]] [[mass storage device]] used mainly in portable electronic devices. The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by [[SanDisk]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the SanDisk brand|url=https://www.sandisk.com/about/company/history|publisher=SanDisk|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref>

CompactFlash became one of the most successful of the early memory card formats, surpassing  [[Miniature Card]] and [[SmartMedia]]. Subsequent formats, such as [[Multi Media Card|MMC]]/[[Secure Digital card|SD]], various [[Memory Stick]] formats, and [[xD-Picture Card]] offered stiff competition. Most of these cards are smaller than CompactFlash while offering comparable capacity and speed. Proprietary memory card formats for use in professional audio and video, such as [[P2 (storage media)|P2]] and [[SxS]], are faster, but physically larger and more costly.

CompactFlash's popularity is declining as [[CFexpress]] is taking over. As of 2022, both Canon<ref>{{cite web | url=https://asia.canon/en/consumer/the-eos-r5-c-8k-raw-digital-cinema-camera/news | title=Canon Announces the EOS R5 C 8K RAW Digital Cinema Camera, Capable of Both Cinema-quality Video and High-speed, High-quality Still Image Capture }}</ref> and Nikon's<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nikon.co.il/en_IL/news-press/press.tag/news/bv-pr-wwa1902-nikon-develops-new-firmware-for-its-full-frame-mirrorless-cameras-the-nikon-z7-and-nikon-z6.dcr | title=Press Room }}</ref> newest high end cameras, e.g. the [[Canon EOS R5]], [[Canon EOS R3]], and [[Nikon Z 9]] use CFexpress cards for the higher performance required to record 8K video.

Traditional CompactFlash cards use the [[Parallel ATA]] interface, but in 2008, [[#CFast|CFast]], a variant of CompactFlash, was announced. CFast (also known as CompactFast) is based on the [[Serial ATA]] interface.

In November 2010, SanDisk, Sony and Nikon presented a next generation card format to the CompactFlash Association. The new format has a similar form factor to CF/CFast but is based on the [[PCI Express]] interface instead of Parallel ATA or Serial ATA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/sandisk-sony-and-nikon-propose-500mb-per-second-memory-card-wi/|title=Sandisk, Sony, and Nikon propose 500MBps memory card with more than 2TB capacity|website=engadget.com|date=30 November 2010 |access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20025567-264.html|title=CompactFlash allies rally against dominant SD|date=14 December 2010|website=cnet.com|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=27 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127144723/http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20025567-264.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> With potential read and write speeds of 1 [[Gbit/s]] (125 [[MB/s]]) and storage capabilities beyond 2 [[TiB]], the new format is aimed at high-definition camcorders and high-resolution digital cameras, but the new cards are not backward compatible with either CompactFlash or CFast. The [[XQD card]] format was officially announced by the CompactFlash Association in December 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/12/08/compactflash-association-readies-next-gen-xqd-format-promises-w/|title=CompactFlash Association readies next-gen XQD format, promises write speeds of 125&nbsp;MB/s and up|website=engadget.com|date=8 December 2011 |access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>