Lexar Media 128 MB Memory Stick (MS128-281)

Though smaller than a stick of chewing gum, Memory Sticks pack big performance. A 16 MB Memory Stick, for example, has 10 times the storage of a floppy disk. Additionally, Memory Sticks are compact, rugged, reliable, and come equipped with built-in erasure prevention.

The Digital Film Compliance seal assures that your Lexar Media film is 100 percent compatible with your Memory Stick digital camera, and the film is backed by a five-year limited customer-satisfaction warranty.

Next, while the Lexar stick works in my camera, and now works in my memory stick reader, none of my memory sticks work in the sony printer (with a memorystick reader).

Remarkably, Sony customer service AND technical support tell me that Sony does not gurantee compatibility with non-sony memory sticks (even though they advertise that you can print directly from memory sticks, they apparently mean "sony" memory sticks). This is incredible since they LICENSE the memorystick name and receive royalties from Lexar for the sale of Lexar memory sticks.

Just be warned. Sony products are expensive and sony memory sticks are very expensive. Don't be fooled into thinking there is an alternative memory stick. Even though I said it was just like a computer company saying their computers dont work with 3m floppies, Sony tells me that floppies and memory sticks are different.

There is no alternative memory stick that is supported by Sony, and it is hit or miss whether the Lexar stick works. (Lexar told me to call Sony since the stick works in the camera, maybe it was a known printer issue. Sony told me the can't guarantee compatibility even if their advertisements say the product works with memory stick (and not "sony memory stick"). So Lexar gave me the number of a supervisor, who has not returned my phone calls or my E-mail.


Great size for data interchange between Sony devices.   February 25, 2003
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

I recently purchased one of these primarily for use with my Sony DSCU20 digital camera. The 128 MB stick works wonderful, holds approximately 300 2 megapixel images. This is more than what I normally shoot in a day. Alternately a single stick can hold 2 or 3 CDs worth of MP3 files for playing on my Clie, or combinations of these.

I have several Sony gizmos - Clie NR70, Vaio, DSC U20 mini digital camera, DPP-EX5 photo printer, RZ22G desktop - which all use the memory stick for data storage and transfer. I find the 128 MB stick much more convenient for transferring large files such as images, MP3s, etc., between the various devices. This model of the memory stick has the added access light, which is very useful during data transfer to know when the transfer has completed and it is safe to remove the stick. This feature is probably more important on the larger capacity sticks, as data transfer time can be significant, and therefore the risk of inadvertent data loss from removing the memory stick during a write operation is higher than the smaller capacity sticks.


A+ for product, F for rebate   January 19, 2004
solid oak (USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I've been using Lexar sticks for over a year with
a Sony digital camera. I've never had a problem with
a stick going bad, nor have I ever lost a single photo.

Although I crossed my t's and dotted my i's and sent
the rebate form in weeks before the 'must be received
by' date, the envelope was returned unopened, stamped
PROGRAM CLOSED. Not nice.


It works well--better than the rebate.   September 18, 2003
kneeldug (Ohio, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This 128 mb memory stick works quite well in my Clie and in my PQI MS reader. I have no comparison to make to other brands or such. While I cannot comment on their relative product quality (although objectively it seems flawless), I can comment on their rebates.

It took 2 weeks more than the 8 to recieve a "Check # ###### in the amount of $15.00 Mailed on..." and then a date that is several days in the future. This, combined with some not so good reviews from other rebaters makes rebating with Lexar potentially risky.

I wish I would have gotten the switched 256 (128*2, operated by switch) MS. You can never have too much memory.


How many pictures will it store?   November 5, 2004
Brent D. Payne (Chicago, IL)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

How many pictures will it store? It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.

The Lexar Media 128MB Memory Stick, like most 128MB cards, will store on average 142 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 106 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 64 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 51 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 40 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.

I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.