I own an 8GB Lexar Pro and a 4GB Sandisk Extreme IV, both are good cards, I have never had a failure with either one. Go with the Lexar, because of the rebate.

Can't comment on the A700 and cards, but I use 100% transcend now..and had no problems at all.

They do a 266x card, in big sizes for decent prices..which does support UDMA, think the 133x one does too.

I just bought a Sandisk IV 4gig card and it works good so far.I also bought a firewire card reader(Sandisk) that uploads to the computer faster.
Here is a link to card speeds.
http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/index.html

I personally don't see any real added value to buy a IV instead of a new, faster III version, but of course we all think differently. =) At least the first IV -card got some file system corruption issues earlier, but perhaps they are ok nowadays. I don't think, that the memory card is often the neck of the bottle, even when considering the fact, that most of the cards are manufactured in the same factories, of course finished with the different stickers. I'm quite sure all of those cards listed will do, it only depends how much money the buyer would like to spend. Usually I go with the Transcend or SanDisk, no problems so far.

I have 2 Lexar Professional UDMA 300x Compact Flash 4GB cards. They work great with the Alpha 700. I used to be a fan of Sandisk. I guess I still am. However, this card did beat the Extreme 4 in some benchmarks that I saw (but don't remember where).

In the end get which ever one you can get a good deal on at the size capacity you are looking for.

Regards,
Niko

Thanx everyone. I thoroughly researched SanDisk, Transcend, and Lexar -

Because of availability and price, ultimately, I bought 2 Lexar Professional UDMA 300x Compact Flash 8 GB cards -

Why two 8GB cards? Because I do a lot of continuous shooting - see below (My brother-in-law and his daughter).

I find I can get certain nuanced expressions, that I would have missed if I were just waiting for the shot.
For example, row 4, column 2.
That photo goes into a special collection I'm amassing over the next 15 years.
The collection will be revealed 15 years from now, at the exact moment when my niece's date arrives to take her to their high school prom.
The collection is entitled: Photos-to-embarrass-my-niece-when-she's-older.
I reckon, in the 15 years or so, I'll be able to build up quite the collection.
I can't wait to see the look on her face.

Very nice, cherish these moments, they go by so fast.
See Ya!
Kevin

Excellent Results with SanDisk Ultra and Extreme Series I've had great performance using the Ultra and Extreme CF cards from SanDisk. I have not used any others, other than the Sony kit micro-stick, so I do not have a comparison to report.

Just be careful where you purchase you CF cards from because I have read reports of "counterfeit" cards from discount retailers on the market. I buy my stuff like that from B&H, Adorama and Amazon. . . the latter usually has these on sale for great prices when a newer model hits the street and that is about once a month in the world of electronics. . .
cheers!

ps I just saw your final post that is a magnificent contact sheet of some very precious moments!!!

I use both Lexar UDMA and SanDisk Extreme III compact flash cards with my A700. Both brands work just fine, but I will avoid buying SanDisk products in the future because of my dissatisfaction with their marketing programs. When I bought my Lexar cards, they came with attractive cash rebates that arrived very promptly in the mail. Instead of a rebate, SanDisk sent me a "gift cheque" made out to the retailer from whom I purchased the SanDisk card. Unlike the Lexar rebates, the SanDisk "gift cheque" has strings attached to it: it must be applied toward a future merchandise purchase from this same retailer, and it expires on September 18. Unlike most gift cards, the gift cheque cannot be used to make an online purchase. One has to call the retailer to obtain a purchase order number, then mail the gift cheque to the retailer, then wait for the retailer's response. How convenient! And, in my case, all for a paltry $20! Bah, humbug! Speaking as someone who has been a marketing practitioner, educator, and consultant, I think whomever at SanDisk thought up this "gift cheque" program--and, in particular, the executives who approved it--ought to have their heads examined. Consumers don't like offers with strings attached, and I suspect even the retailers aren't too thrilled with having to mess around with these "gift cheques."

I sold all my Sandisk cards on ebay, the whole lot. Why?

Well I found out that their "lifetime" warranty, is only valid for USA customers. If we ain't good enough for that, they are not good enough for my money! Transcend on the other hand do offer a lifetime warranty, and don't care if you are from Texas or Turkey..

Used a few Lexar cards, they are very good, but overpriced being honest. I don't feel the Transcend cards are inferior in any way..maybe the top ones are a touch slower, but its so small, not worth crying about.

Barry,

I found some Transcend cards that had top specs. ... same as the other brands' top cards - "300X , UDMA" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208417.

But, it was still 20 USD more than the equivalent Lexar card (with the rebate). If Lexar didn't have their rebate, it would have made the Transcend a shoo-in as the it was, by far, the best priced for equivalent specs.

By the way, now that I am more aware of Transcend, I'll be more attentive to their products. So, thank you for the introduction.