I know the prices don't go in a linear progression, but for simplicity, let's assume they do...

Better to get (with a limited budget, of say $100)...1 x 1GB card, 2 x 512MB cards, or 4 x 256MB cards?

Had a discussion with my boss...he bought his new wife a Digital Camera as a wedding present, and was going to get some additional memory cards for her.    I think going with 2 x 512MB is best.  Large enough capacity that you don't have to change cards all the time, but you still have 2 cards just in case one fails (or falls in the toilet, or gets stepped on, etc. etc....).

What are your thoughts?

I used to do the several smaller cards, when the big ones were much more expensive than they are now, but I finally just went with a 1gig card, and I like that much better.  Beats swapping cards back and forth looking for specific pictures when you take a lot of them.

It is very highly unlikely that it will fail, as long as you buy a good brand.

I agree.  I have two and the second is a backup.  My camera is a 4MP.  With a 128MB card, I can take around 52 photos before running out of storage.  For my needs, I don't really see a point in larger disk than 128MB for normal use.  I download to the PC long before I ever get close to 52 photos.

I would say opt for the one big card.

It depends on how you intend to download your images. I never take my card out of the camera, as I use a USB interface to download my pictures. Some folks like to use a card reader.

Quoted:  I think going with 2 x 512MB is best.  Large enough capacity that you don't have to change cards all the time, but you still have 2 cards just in case one fails (or falls in the toilet, or gets stepped on, etc. etc....).

Or you want to use the camera and realize DOH! that the 1 card you got is back home in the computer.

Quoted: Had a discussion with my boss...he bought his new wife a Digital Camera as a wedding present, and was going to get some additional memory cards for her.    I think going with 2 x 512MB is best.  Large enough capacity that you don't have to change cards all the time, but you still have 2 cards just in case one fails (or falls in the toilet, or gets stepped on, etc. etc....).

The two 512 is the best. More flexible, and if one gets corrupted you have a backup.

The bigger the card the better ... You didn't mention what your camera had for Megapixels, but more MP's takes up more space. Ideally you don't want to be swapping cards out every 10 minutes.

I've got 2, 1GB card for my 8.2MP camera, and the 256MB card that came with it as a last resort. This is a good setup for an afternoon of shooting for me.

I'd get the 1GB card, and if you have money leftover get a card reader to download ... much simpler than having to connect the camera everytime (the more difficult it is, the less frequently you'll want to download your images).

Not sure on the card format or camera size--I would guess 5MP from the $250 price he said he paid.  

I'll pass the info along.

AFARR

Two cards is good, but for one of our cameras we have 4-5 cards, because the 64MB xd memory was really cheap and we got several.  64mb cards hold a lot of photos from a 2 or 3 MP camera.

Quoted: Two cards is good, but for one of our cameras we have 4-5 cards, because the 64MB xd memory was really cheap and we got several.  64mb cards hold a lot of photos from a 2 or 3 MP camera.

A 64mb card will hold 5 pictures from my camera