CompactFlash (CF) is a solid-state data storage format, introduced by SanDisk in 1994.
It was the most successful of the earlier memory card formats, and is still widely used in digital still and video cameras, with later variants capable of capacities of 256 GB.
There are two different sizes for CompactFlash cards, Type I (3.3 mm thick) and the thicker Type II (CF2) cards (5 mm thick). The Type II slot is usually used by Microdrives or adaptors for other memory card types, although a few early CompactFlash cards were Type II size.
Although their larger size makes them less suitable for very small consumer devices, CompactFlash cards are less susceptible to breakage and easier to insert and remove. However, flash memory is susceptible to data rot due to loss of charge in cards unused for many years.
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Dimensions (Type I): 43 mm × 36 mm ×3.3 mm
Dimension (Type II): 43 mm × 36 mm ×5 mm
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