<Tr> <Th> Usage </Th> <Td> Digital cameras and other mass storage devices </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Extended from </Th> <Td> PCMCIA / PC Card </Td> </Tr> <P> CompactFlash (CF) is a flash memory mass storage device used mainly in portable electronic devices . The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994 . </P> <P> CompactFlash became the most successful of the early memory card formats, surpassing Miniature Card and SmartMedia . Subsequent formats, such as MMC / SD, various Memory Stick formats, and xD - Picture Card offered stiff competition . Most of these cards are smaller than CompactFlash while offering comparable capacity and speed . Proprietary memory card formats for use in professional audio and video, such as P2 and SxS, are faster, but physically larger and more costly . </P>

What does cf mean on a canon camera