Is there A difference between CD's?

Question

When I was looking at CD's today to use burning photos that I have taken with my camera, I noticed there were regular CR-R and then there were CD's that said that they were Photo CD's

Is there really a difference in the quality of the image when stored on these photo CD's or is this just a way for them to charge more for the product?

I am shooting with a Canon XTI and while some of my photo's are jsut the run of the mill photos some I blow up and frame and if I can get the best quality image from a different CD I will buy them for the ones I want to blow up but if it is all the same I dont want to waste the money.

Answer 1

No difference in regard to photo quality, the difference for CD quality has to do with how error free it is, how long it will last, and how sensitive it is to wear and tear (heat and light too).

A photo cd by itself is no better. Technically any cd can be called a photo cd.

There are a few different grades of CDs. Blue/Green is the cheapest in cost and quality, I'd avoid them at all costs. Silver is your next step up, then gold, then platinum. The color difference is obvious if you can see the bottom of the CD, except for the silver and platiumum which look similar, however the packaging will tell you whats what.

You really have to check reviews too on Brand and Model. The sad thing is quality is inconsistent from year to year on a lot of them, which makes it frustrating and confusing all at the same time. Your best bet is to check reviews everytime you need to buy them.

The higher quality, the longer they will last and the less sensitive to heat and scratches. Regardless, I wouldn't use them as your sole backup if that's your intention. Personally I trust hard drives the most. I backup primary hard drives on other hard drives, and store them away. Every few years I rotate them out, as they won't last a lifetime either. The drastically falling prices on storage, makes this a relatively affordable option.

The best of course is your commercial music CDs of your favorite artists. These go through a completely different process, and last MUCH longer then CD-Rs.

Technically tape has the longest lifetime for backups, something like 20yrs or more, but it's so slow and costs as much as (sometimes more than) a hard drive, I prefer hard drives.

Answer 2

There is no difference in the quality of the image whether it is on your hard drive or on any type of CD. The digital file is the same.

Some cheap CDs will give you errors when recording and waste discs, so I always use a good name brand.

Answer 3

Buy the photo Cd's to use with photos the quality is much better.