Lexar, a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today introduced Professional UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) memory cards, the latest addition to the company's award-winning Professional line of high-performance cards. When paired with a UDMA-enabled device, such as Lexar's new Professional FireWire 800 Reader, UDMA cards improve the professional photographer's digital imaging experience by reducing the time needed to download captured images to a destination computer.

In addition, the benefits of Lexar Professional UDMA memory cards extend well beyond card-to-computer transfer rates, to improved in-camera performance in several UDMA-enabled digital camera backs and digital SLR cameras expected to be announced later this year. Speed-rated at 300x, or capable of a minimum sustained write speed of 45MB per second, and available in capacities of 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB, new Lexar Professional UDMA cards deliver a 125% performance improvement over Lexar's previous generation 133x CompactFlash product line when the card is used with a UDMA-enabled device.

"Professional photographers today capture a large volume of high-resolution images," said John Omvik, Director of Professional Product Marketing, Lexar. "Our new Professional UDMA 300x speed-rated cards dramatically improve the photographer's workflow by reducing the time needed to download images after a shoot. Working in conjunction with one of our new UDMA-enabled CompactFlash card readers, a photographer instantly benefits by having more time to capture, manage, and share his or her images."

"The positive impact I experienced was dramatic," said professional photographer Reed Hoffmann. "Shooting in RAW mode, I filled six Lexar Professional UDMA flash cards during a two-day shoot in Yosemite. The improvement in my working process was exceptional as I was able to spend half the usual time moving data from the cards to the computer. For me, this is particularly important when I am out in the field working from battery-powered laptops. That time savings helps conserve battery strength and enhances my ability to focus on other client projects," he added.

"UDMA technology can greatly assist professional photographers who have a serious interest in reducing administrative time and improving their digital imaging workflow," said Chris Chute, manager with IDC's digital imaging practice. "At the start of the process, improved in-camera performance will help professionals capture sought-after images much more quickly, while the faster download performance should improve the time needed to manage captured content."

Like all products in the Lexar Professional line, the new 300x speed-rated cards come with a limited lifetime warranty, free dedicated technical support, and a comprehensive suite of software that includes a full version of Corel Paint Shop Pro X, Lexar Image Rescue 3 and Lexar Backup n Sync. Lexar Professional 300x speed-rated flash memory cards will be available in April - Micron Technology.