Best camera memory cards for storing all your favourite moments

Photography is not a inexpensive hobby, but the bittersweet information is that buying a camera is not enough, connected its own, to really commencement taking pictures. You mightiness request a lens, if you’ve chosen 1 of the champion mirrorless cameras oregon a DSLR, and of course, a sturdy case oregon bag to support it in, but the bittersweet information is that, without a representation card, you’re not going to beryllium capable to seizure anything.

Unlike smartphones, digital cameras don’t thin to travel with interior storage, truthful you’ll find a slot connected the side, into which you tin slot cards. These travel successful assorted antithetic types, speeds and capacities, and knowing which cards your camera tin judge is the archetypal measurement connected the roadworthy to getting the champion 1 for you.

If you’re into shooting high-res video, oregon person a stills camera specified arsenic the Sony Alpha 1 that tin sprout astatine a precocious framerate with 50 megapixels, past you’ll request a paper that tin support up. Having a accelerated paper means images volition beryllium written to it much quickly, truthful the camera’s interior buffer volition bare sooner, allowing it to beryllium acceptable for shooting again aft taking a burst, but these cards tin besides beryllium among the astir expensive, particularly if you take a ample capacity. If your camera doesn’t necessitate specified a premium card, past determination are myriad slower, cheaper cards you tin take which volition bash the occupation conscionable arsenic good without leaving rather specified a dent successful your wallet.

Capacity is besides thing to deliberation about. While cards are disposable that tin store immense amounts of data, you tin beryllium amended disconnected with 2 oregon 3 smaller cards alternatively of 1 ample one. This is simply a lawsuit of not putting each your eggs successful 1 basket, arsenic cards are tiny and casual to lose, and it besides means you tin person 1 paper successful a paper reader, copying its contents to a hard drive, portion different is successful your camera. Card corruption, wherever the images connected a paper go unreadable, is uncommon but not unheard of, truthful having much than 1 paper means you won’t suffer everything if it strikes.

Whichever you choose, these indispensable small retention devices marque modern integer photography and video possible, truthful it’s worthy picking up immoderate of the best.

SanDisk

Best for: a accelerated SD card

The humble SD paper is the astir communal signifier of representation instrumentality utilized successful integer cameras, and you’ll find a slot that tin instrumentality 1 successful the broadside of galore laptops too. They’ve been astir for a agelong time, and portion not the fastest cards connected the marketplace they tin transportation information swiftly capable to beryllium utile for some stills and video shooting, particularly if you take the UHS-II standard, which adds a distinctive 2nd enactment of electrical contacts connected the backmost of the card.

This paper from SanDisk is badged for V90 transfers, which means a minimum constitute velocity of 90MB/s, but claims a apical velocity acold successful excess of that, astatine 300MB/s, which volition beryllium bully capable for 8K video depending connected your camera’s framerate and bitrate.

ProGrade

Best for: accelerated CFExpress

A sustained constitute velocity of 1,500MB/s puts this CFExpress Type-B paper up of astir different paper types, with a information complaint that tin grip thing modern cameras tin propulsion astatine it. While fewer things volition wide a framework buffer faster, the biggest payment of having specified a accelerated paper volition astir apt travel erstwhile you privation to transcript your files onto a machine for editing, arsenic the process volition instrumentality overmuch little clip utilizing a scholar hooked up to a USB 4 oregon Thunderbolt port.

The cards are expensive, particularly erstwhile you commencement going up done the capableness levels (165, 325 and 650GB models are available) but if you’re shooting each time the time-saving tin beryllium worthy it.

Sony

Best for: ruggedness

Sony makes Tough cards successful SD and CFExpress flavours, to suit its scope of mirrorless and cinema cameras. The Type-A CFExpress cards travel with a built-in vigor descend to assistance with overheating during sustained high-speed writes (their apical velocity is 700MB/s), and Sony claims they’re 5 times much resistant to being dropped, and 10 times much resistant to bending than the applicable manufacture standards accidental they request to be.

All together, this makes for a somewhat pricey paper that’s cleanable for shooting successful rugged terrain, oregon conscionable for bid of mind.

Transcend

Best for: a fund SD card

You don’t person to walk a ridiculous magnitude of wealth connected your representation cards, though it’s an casual happening to find yourself doing. The UHS-II V90 SD paper from Transcend offers 185MB/s constitute speeds and a capableness of up to 64GB (enough for astir 900 earthy files from a 24MP camera) which is much than capable for photographers who aren’t shooting astatine tremendous framerates and resolutions.

It’s good for 4K video too, truthful you don’t request to splash retired if your needs are much modest.

Kingston

Best for: a ample capableness SD card

The SDXC modular allows for cards up to 2TB successful capableness - we’ll request to usage the newer SDUC cards to spell higher than that, up to 128GB. SD cards that really scope 2TB are beauteous rare, but this 1 from Kingston tin store 1TB (still an tremendous magnitude of information for thing the size of a postage stamp) without costing the Earth.

A compromise has to beryllium made, and it comes successful the signifier of a V30 rating, which translates to a constitute velocity of 90Mb/s with a minimum guaranteed 30MB/s. It’s not up determination with the speedsters of the representation paper world, but it’s enormous, and sometimes not having to alteration cards, and juggle the utilized ones, is simply a invaluable thing. Just don’t suffer it.

Lexar

Best for: a fund MicroSD card

MicroSD cards are everywhere: successful your telephone (well, immoderate of them), successful enactment cameras, successful a Raspberry Pi machine and successful that slot connected the broadside of your laptop. They’re a large mode to store a batch of information successful a conveniently tiny way, arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t privation to statement them oregon find them erstwhile you driblet 1 connected a patterned carpet, and this 1 from Lexar brings unneurotic speed, capableness and a tenable price.

The 1066x emblazoned connected the casing refers to the work velocity - 160MB/s - the constitute velocity is much similar 120MB/s, which is inactive bully capable for astir applications.

Lexar

Best for: MicroSD with immense capacity

Lexar again, this clip with a 1TB MicroSD paper that’s been made with games consoles (specifically the Nintendo Switch, which has a slot to instrumentality it) successful mind. Loading games from a representation paper is 1 clip that the card’s work velocity matters much than its constitute speed, and astatine 150MB/s it’s beauteous bully for specified a capacitous card.

Of course, you don’t person to usage it successful a console, you could conscionable arsenic easy gaffe it into the paper scholar of a laptop oregon telephone for a monolithic retention boost.

Integral

Best for: CFExpress Type B connected a budget

Ever since the camera manufacture started moving from SD cards to CFExpress, prices of the second person been high. Integral’s Blue paper offers a immense 1,600MB/s constitute speed, and comes successful capacities of up to 256GB, which isn’t huge, but erstwhile cards are arsenic good priced arsenic this buying 2 oregon 3 isn’t going to enactment excessively overmuch of a dent successful a fund that besides stretches to pro cameras and lenses.