SD Memory Cards
Most DSLR cameras will require you to insert a memory card to store the photos, and you can take the card out and swap it with another card and continue shooting. Β This is much like a roll of film, except that most memory cards made today are large enough to store hundreds or thousands of photos instead of the very few 24- or 36-exposures that a film roll will allow.
In this article, I am going to focus on SD type memory cards because there is so much information that is relevant to all types of memory, we will dig deeper into the specifics of other types of memory card in a later post to keep this from being extremely long.
When you purchase a DSLR camera you will have to contend with the fact that you will need your photos stored on a device while taking photos. Β When you want to copy your photos off the camera, you will have options... Β Many cameras let you plug in a USB cable and transfer your photos that way, but if you are working on-location all day, you likely will need to store possibly thousands of photos. Β So how do you manage this? Choosing which memory cards you purchase will make a massive impact. Β Let me explain...
Types of SD Memory Card
Because I shoot Nikon, I am going to have a limited number of examples that I am knowledgeable about but in my case, camera (Nikon D810)Β has two memory card slots. Β One is a "CF" card (also called C-Fast) and another slot for an "SD" card (stands for Secure Digital). Β Most people are familiar with SD cards, and use them for a plethora of projects. Β Some small Internet of Things (IoT) computers use an SD card as a hard drive for example. Β SD cards are generally known to be slower than CF cards, but there are also different speeds of memory cards of all types and this is important to pay attention to.
When you purchase your camera for personal use, it is most common to simply buy a 32-Gb or 64-Gb SD card and call it a day. Β This is fine and all, but when you are taking steps to run photo shoots shooting all day, these memory cards can help or hurt you. Β If you have a smaller size, you will be able to store less photos, and that may be desirable because you will have less photos to copy and therefore can enhance your workflow speed, but you will have to swap memory cards more often and this can impact your photo shoot's "flow."
Recently when I shot a birthday party for over 4 hours, I used three 64-Gb memory cards and had well over 1,900 photos taken. Β If I was not prepared for this, I would have had to choose to shoot in a lower resolution format, and most likely only JPEG. Β This would limit my editing abilities and I would not be able to fully edit the photos as necessary to accomplish a high-quality project for our client.Β Because of the fact that I shoot in the highest quality, my camera saves 70 Mb RAW files (Nikon uses .NEF file format). Β This can be frustrating if I purchase memory cards that are not "fast."
Shopping for memory cards can be a daunting task with many options available for different prices... So what's the right one for you? Β That depends on your need and what your camera is compatible with.Β
Memory Card Capacity
Memory cards in the "SD" card shape that fit the same port are not all compatible even though they fit. Β SD cards come in SD, SDXC, SDHC. Β SDHC stands for "Secure Digital High Capacity" and have a capacity between 2Gb and 32Gb, while the former stands for "Secure Digital eXtra Capacity" and can be much larger than 32Gb - up to 2Tb of storage size. Β When you have more storage to copy, it takes longer so there are also many speed "classes".
Memory Card Speeds
When you purchase a large SD card, such as a 256Gb behemoth, you will have to determine the speed class that is compatible with your camera. An SD card speed rating is called a "speed class" and refer to the absolute minimum sustained write speeds. Β Reading and writing to your memory card are generally two different speeds because it is easier to mechanically read information than it is to record or write it to the memory card. Here are some common speed class ratings:
Class 2 - Min 2MB/s
Class 4 - Min 4MB/s
Class 6 - Min 6MB/s
Class 10 - Min 10MB/s
(Please note these are minimum write speeds)
SD Card manufacturers may also list speeds that say "up to" 80 MB/s for example. The wording is important because although it is possible to achieve these speeds with ideal conditions and equipment, you may only see that speed in a burst such as when you copy one file but if you transfer the entire storage space, it will more than likely slow down.
I cannot recommend that you use anything less than a Class 10 - and in fact there are even better memory cards but I cannot guarantee they will be compatible with your device unless it is newer.
UHS Speed Class
The UHS speed class for SD cards stands for "Ultra High Speed" and refers to a sustain writing performance that is acceptable for recording video. Β The maximum read speed for UHS is 104MB/s which is exponentially faster than Class 10. Β UHS started to appear with the growth of 4K-capable video devices that needed faster write speeds.
When you are taking photos at high quality, you are normally fine using any speed memory card, but if you are shooting a highly-active event such as sports, this can affect your performance. Β If you use a slow memory card, the photos will save slower and therefore take longer to write to the memory card. Β When your camera is doing this, any subsequent photos that you take will be temporarily stored in your camera's buffer as it waits to write the photos to the more permanent SD (or CF) card.Β
Different cameras have different size buffers but ultimately you can only take a certain number of photos before you have to start waiting for your photos to finish writing. Β If you spend the extra money on a faster memory card, this can make the difference between getting "THE"Β shot and getting "just a shot" -- which may not work out so well most of the time.
While shopping for memory cards that are UHS, you will find more modern equipment may even require UHS-II speeds, which is a maximum 312MB/s read speed. One important note is these are not sustained speeds, but rather a maximum read possible speed.
What should I buy?
When you are buying memory cards, it may sound obvious to just go buy a big expensive fast card, but it may not work on your device if it is older for example. Β Some cameras can only accept up to 128Gb memory cards, or some cameras may not be compatible with UHS class cards. Β All of this is information that you can find about your camera quite easily.
First, you should start with knowing what is compatible with your equipment, followed by how much storage you need. Β If you are shooting for yourself then you likely aren't going to need to shoot as many photos for an event, or maybe you shoot photos a d put your camera away for weeks at a time... Well if that's the case, then you probably don't want to break the bank. Β For most modern cameras, a UHS or Class 10 memory card with 32Gb of storage space is likely a very good card.
If you are a daily professional who needs to constantly take photos, copy them to storage, and re-use your memory cards, then you likely have equipment that is more capable of reading/writing to the newer memory classes.Β
As a professional, I cannot operate efficiently with less than 64Gb, and all my memory cards are UHS-II so that copying files and shooting bursts are never an issue for me.
Here is a list of a few memory cards available on Amazon.com that you may be interested in:
.productTable{ width: 70%; padding: 5px; margin: 5px; text-align: center; border: 0px; } div.center{ text-align: center; } td{ padding: 15px; }










