When you need to choose a new memory card for your device, you may find yourself faced with many options – not only in terms of speed or capacity, but also in terms of brands and budget.
As the technical capabilities of cameras improve and 4K video quickly takes its edge over Full HD recordings, storage and recording solutions must also adapt quickly to these new requirements.
Increasingly, the best memory card for camera needs not only large storage capacities but also performance, enabling them to handle high data flows. They must also be able to keep up with the ultra-fast camera functions that are now available. For example, when shooting in bursts.
In this article, we will review the best memory cards for cameras and help you reduce the number of options. So, let’s go through the very best that are currently available and find the perfect memory card for your camera…
Contents
- 1 Best Memory Card For Camera In 2023 – Top 14 Rated Reviews
- 2 Best SD cards for Camera
- 2.1 1 SanDisk EXTREME PRO 64GB MicroSDXC LG Mini Card
- 2.2 2 Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC UHS-II Card
- 2.3 3 SanDisk SDSDXPK-064G-ANCIN Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB – SDXC UHS-II
- 2.4 4 Transcend TS64GSDC700S SDXC/SDHC 700S Memory Card
- 2.5 5 Lexar Professional 633X SDHC / SDXC UHS-I Card
- 2.6 6 SanDisk Extreme SDHC UHS-I Memory Card
- 3 Best CompactFlash Cards for Camera
- 4 Best MicroSD Cards for Camera
- 5 Best XQD card for Camera
- 6 Best CFast card
- 7 Best Memory Card For Camera Buyers Guide
- 8 So, What's The Best Memory Card For Camera
Best Memory Card For Camera In 2023 – Top 14 Rated Reviews
Best SD cards for Camera
1 SanDisk EXTREME PRO 64GB MicroSDXC LG Mini Card
SanDisk claims that this microSD card can read up to 95 MB per second and write up to 90 MB per second. And in our tests, we managed to get relatively close to these speeds, making it a very fast SD card.
With smaller files, it’s even faster, which means it’s ideal for sports cameras, drones, or burst photography. However, it’s a bit expensive, but if you don’t mind spending a little more than usual, you’ll get a great microSD card that will suit your needs.
High-speed video? No problem!
Considered by many photographers and videographers to be the best microSD card for camera, the SanDisk Extreme Pro offers a storage capacity of 64 GB. U3 class, it is also perfectly suited for recording 4K UHD videos up to 120 frames per second. Best of all, SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are shock, temperature, water, and X-ray resistant, as well as being guaranteed for life.
In fact, even though we’ve started our review with this one, it’s actually difficult to find a better SD card.
(5 / 5)Pros
- Very fast transfer speeds.
- Good for writing small files.
Cons
- Expensive.
2 Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC UHS-II Card
Lexar has long been the brand of choice for photography enthusiasts and even professionals. Sadly though, it has been dethroned by companies such as SanDisk and has chosen to focus on more promising sectors than the manufacture of memory cards.
That said, there are still a lot of Lexar card models still available on the market, including this pro card model. It is one of the best, in our opinion, deploying UHS-II technology allowing transfers at speeds up to 300Mb/s and 260Mb/s when writing.
So whether you’re shooting in full HD, 4K, or shooting RAW, this card is the perfect choice, even if its capacity is only 128GB, as opposed to the 512GB offered by some of its rivals.
This best high quality memory card for camera remains a highly sought after card by both professional photographers and enthusiasts alike.
(4.3 / 5)Pros
- Ultra-fast data transfer.
- Lifetime warranty.
Cons
- More expensive than other common models.
- This card is no longer in production but is still widely for sale; therefore, support may not be as good as it once was?
3 SanDisk SDSDXPK-064G-ANCIN Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB – SDXC UHS-II
If you are a professional photographer, missing the most important photo of the session can be very costly. However, you can counter this problem by investing in this ultra-fast, although quite expensive, card from the reliable SanDisk brand.
This card offers a reading speed of up to 300Mb/s and an equally impressive writing speed of 260Mb/s, the top of the line of memory cards. These kinds of technical abilities make it ideal for sports, wildlife photography, photojournalism, high-speed continuous shooting, or stunningly clear 4K video recording.
This card being an SDXC (Extended Capacity); its storage capacity is also impressive ranging from 32GB up to 128GB, but here, the main emphasis is on speed – and reliability.
(4.6 / 5)Pros
- Impressive reading and writing speeds.
- Fantastic for 4K videos without stutter.
- Available in black, gray, red, white, and yellow.
Cons
- More expensive than the UHS-I Pro card.
- Capacity is sacrificed in favor of speed.
4 Transcend TS64GSDC700S SDXC/SDHC 700S Memory Card
If you’re shooting in RAW, you need a card that can take bursts of recorded images at the highest quality available, as well as enough storage capacity, so you don’t have to change cards every five minutes.
The Transcend TS64GSDC700S SDXC/SDHC card is a very good card from the Taiwanese firm that will be able to rise to the challenge, whether you are shooting in RAW or filming in high resolution.
The maximum available capacity is 480GB (although lesser capacities are also available). The performance is also impressive in terms of speed. The reading speed is 285Mb/s, and the writing speed is 180Mb/s.
Able to work with an SLR or a camera compatible with the UHS-II standard, these cards offer you speeds up to 3x faster than standard SD memory cards UHS-I. These Transcend cards are also shock and X-ray resistant, which reassures amateurs and pros alike.
(4.4 / 5)Pros
- Excellent for RAW and 4K video shooting.
- High storage capacity.
Cons
- Only offers a 5-year warranty.
- Some competing cards are faster.
5 Lexar Professional 633X SDHC / SDXC UHS-I Card
If you’re shooting in high resolution, you’re going to need cards with as much storage space as possible for your data. The Lexar Professional 633x SDHC/SDXC UHS-I card is the creme de la creme of SD memory cards in terms of capacity. It is also, unsurprisingly, designed for DSLR owners.
However, the reading and transfer speeds will be less impressive than with certain other cards. Mostly though, these offer a lower capacity, but better speeds. This best SD memory card for camera has a reading speed of 95MB/s and a writing speed of 45MB/s.
As always, you will have to decide what you want to prioritize: a large storage space for long hours of video or the possibility of transferring your files between different devices faster than the average. Only you know which is the most important factor for your projects; therefore, this choice is your call as the consumer.
The Lexar Professional 633X has several capacities ranging from 16 GB to 1 TB, so you are spoilt for choice. You also get a lifetime warranty with this product.
(4.6 / 5)Pros
- Ultra-high storage capacity.
- Accelerates workflow.
- Lifetime warranty.
Cons
- More expensive than many of the alternatives.
6 SanDisk Extreme SDHC UHS-I Memory Card
American manufacturer SanDisk has long been established and recognized in the market for removable storage media for digital cameras. Their Extreme card range offers two versions, Standard and Pro.
Of course, the Pro version cards are slightly more expensive, but nothing excessive. Standard Extreme cards are even of UHS speed class 3, to be able to manage video recordings in Full HD and 4K.
For a SanDisk Extreme card, the read speeds go up to 90Mb/s, and the write speeds to 40Mb/s, which will be enough to satisfy most demanding amateurs, whether for photos or videos. They are also resistant to water, shock, extreme temperatures, and X-rays. If you don’t need super-fast read/write speeds, then this is the card for you.
Super cheap, you can get this in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
(4.8 / 5)Pros
- Good performance in sequential shooting.
- Protected against accidental damage.
- Inexpensive.
Cons
- Not as fast as the Extreme Plus versions.
- The proposed capacities do not reach 512GB, as with most other brands.
Best CompactFlash Cards for Camera
7 SanDisk SDCFXPS-X46 Extreme PRO CompactFlash Memory Card
This format may be classic, even a little dated, but wait till you see what this best rated memory card for camera can do.
The Extreme PRO card from SanDisk delivers a reading speed of 160MB/s. The brand offers capacities ranging from the practical 32GB up to the largest at 256GB, to save you the drudgery of changing memory cards in the heat of the action. Speaking of action, the write speed up to 140Mb/s for the 256GB card is impressive.
For other capacities, 128GB and less, the speed goes up to 150Mb/s. These make these cards great for video, especially for SLRs filming in Full HD. In fact, with a guaranteed minimum continuous writing speed of 65Mb/s, it is safe to say that this card is the best in its class.
(4.6 / 5)Pros
- Optimized for professional video recording.
- Very good for Full HD and 4K video.
- Lifetime warranty.
Cons
- One of the oldest card formats on the market
8 Transcend TS64GCF800 CompactFlash Memory Card 800X – Best Memory Card for Amateur Photographers and Videographers
Transcend are a popular Taiwanese manufacturer of memory cards. They specialize in manufacturing cards of small capacity, that is to say, adapted to low budgets.
However, even their cards offering the largest capacities – like the CompactFlash 800 series – are still very affordable. That is, in comparison for what they offer to semi-professional SLR users.
Their capacities range from standard 32GB to 256GB suitable for advanced users. Their technical characteristics are also impressive for economical cards, with read speeds of up to 120Mb/s and write speeds of up to 60Mb/s, although their actual performance obviously depends on the hardware used and the different software.
Resistant and reliable, we believe this to be the best memory card for amateur photographers and videographers.
(4.5 / 5)Pros
- Very effective for continuous shooting or video.
- Quick and easy file transfer.
Cons
- Not as fast as Extreme PRO cards.
- No lifetime warranty.
Best MicroSD Cards for Camera
9 Samsung PRO Endurance MB-MJ32GA/AM MicroSDXC Memory Card with Adapter
The Samsung PRO Endurance SD memory card costs slightly less than competitive microSD cards. It also has a larger SD adapter. But at this low price, this is not a downside.
These cards are specially designed to withstand extreme conditions and last longer – hence their name “Endurance.”
The Samsung PRO Endurance cards are particularly suitable for action cam because they can record continuously and have good read/write speeds (100Mb/s and 30Mb/s, respectively). As shown by the 43,800 hours of continuous recording, a record in the field, this card is one of a kind. The highest capacity is 128 GB, but there are also 64 GB and 32 GB variants.
The guarantees on the cards range from two years for the card with the 32 GB capacity and up to five years for the 128 GB. All rather nice considering the low price.
(4.7 / 5)Pros
- Specially designed to last longer.
- Perfect for action cams and security cameras.
- Decent price/quality ratio.
Cons
- Small and difficult to handle without its adapter.
- Easily inserted incorrectly.
10 Samsung MB-MC64GA MicroSDXC EVO Plus Memory Card with Adapter
The MB-MC64GA is available in four different capacities – 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. These Samsung EVO Plus microSDHC and microSDXC fast cards are speed class 10 and come with an SD adapter that allows them to be used in both a conventional camera and in a smartphone or tablet.
The smallest 32GB card is rather affordable and delivers a fast reading speed of 100MB/s and a writing speed of 30MB/s. And the bright red color of this very small card from Samsung makes it easy to keep track of, even if it’s barely larger than a fingernail.
In addition to a reassuring 10-year warranty, these cards are also resistant to water, extreme temperatures, X-Rays, and magnetic fields. Another quality item from the Samsung team.
(4.7 / 5)Pros
- Generous read speed.
- Protected against accidental damage.
- Easy to find due to its bright red coloration.
Cons
- Small and difficult to handle without its adapter.
11 Lexar Professional 1000x 64GB microSDXC UHS-II Card
The Lexar 1000x is the most popular microSD card on the market. Thanks mainly to its read speeds being among the fastest and its price being lower than that of most of its competitors.
Although it will not live up to its advertised writing speeds, the difference will not be very noticeable for many people. The published read speeds of 150MB/s sound impressive, although, our tests revealed it as far less. Regardless, it is a great option for 1080P full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. It is sold in variants of 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.
Included in the pack is a microSD to USB 3.0 adapter, which makes it easy to transfer your files to a PC.
(4.2 / 5)Pros
- Incredibly popular.
- USB 3.0 adapter included.
Cons
- Not the fastest.
- Inconsistent performance.
12 Kingston Digital 64GB microSDHC UHS-I U3 Action Card
If you are looking for a microSD card to put in a sports camera, such as a GoPro, then you need something that can record data quickly, while resisting drops, shocks, and splashes.
This is where the Kingston microSD Action Camera card comes in – it’s designed specifically for sports cameras. This means that its design is incredibly robust and that it has good read and write speeds (90MB/s read and 45MB/s write). Its writing speed of 45Mb/s means that it will be able to manage fast bursts.
In addition to being able to record HD footage at 240 frames per second without flinching, this memory card can also be used for 4K video.
In short, it’s a very good, reliable, and versatile card.
(3.6 / 5)Pros
- Very robust.
- Good transfer speeds.
Cons
- Variants only available in 64 GB max.
Best XQD card for Camera
13 Sony Professional XQD G Series QDG64E/J Memory Card
The XQD format is one of many new generation memory card formats that promise high recording speeds. This makes them particularly suitable for recording 4K videos that require a card that can collect high data rates, but also to make the most of the high burst speeds of current cameras.
Currently, the XQD format is compatible with new full-frame and hybrid cameras from Nikon, such as the Z7, Z6, D810, and D850. It is also used by some professional cameras from Sony and will also be used by the S series, the new series of full-format hybrid cameras from Panasonic. Sony is one of the pioneers of this format and also the one that currently produces the best cards.
The latest models, those of this G series, offer an ultra-fast writing speed of 400MB/s and an equally impressive reading speed of 440MB/s. These cards have already built a solid reputation for robustness and reliability, and are some of the highest quality cards on the market.
You can get this best quality memory card for camera in 32GB, 64GB, 120GB, and 240GB variants.
(4.7 / 5)Pros
- Impressive performance at high speeds.
- Robust and durable construction.
Cons
- Compatible with a reduced number of devices.
Best CFast card
14 Sandisk SDCFSP-064G-G46D Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 Memory Card
CFast cards are high-speed memory cards that strongly resemble CompactFlash cards. In cameras, this type of card is currently used only by the EOS 1-DX Mark II from Canon and the Hasselblad H6D-100C. But this format is more widely used in professional cinema cameras from Canon, Arri, and BlackMagic.
Ultra-fast transfer speeds make CFast cards perfect allies for 4K video recording. SanDisk is the manufacturer to watch for this format, and this most recent version offers an impressive writing speed of 525Mb/s. This is coupled with an admirable reading speed of 400 Mb/s.
They are available in sizes of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
(4.4 / 5)Pros
- Impressive performance at high speeds.
- Robust and durable construction.
Cons
- High cost.
- Only compatible with a small number of cameras.
Best Memory Card For Camera Buyers Guide
- Technical terms explained
Generally, you don’t have to worry about which memory card format is used in your camera or other devices, as this will be dictated by the manufacturer. For example, you will not be able to use a CompactFlash card in a camera that can only accommodate SD cards. That said, knowing the differences between the different cards in each category lets you know if the one you have chosen allows you to get the most performance from your equipment.
- SD
Standard SD cards come in three different types: SD, SDHC, and SDXC. Standard SD cards (Secure Digital) are no longer produced; the technologies have evolved since their launch. They can, however, still be used in some recent models of cameras, but do not offer the same performance or capacities as those necessary for current cameras.
- SDHC
SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards have capacities between 4GB and 32GB. This kind of capacity is perfectly suited for everyday use, and they are an excellent choice for entry-level cameras, whether compact, hybrid, or SLR.
- SDXC
SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) cards offer storage capacities of 64GB and more. They are mainly intended for cameras with a large number of megapixels, recording videos in 4K, and other features generating large files. It is, however, very important to check their speed class when you buy them for a particular use.
- MicroSDHC and MicroSDXC
MicroSDHC and microSDXC cards offer the same kind of performance as their SDHC and SDXC counterparts, but are much smaller and designed to be used in smartphones and other similar devices rather than cameras.
- CompactFlash
CompactFlash cards have long been the preferred format for DSLR manufacturers, but the performance of the smaller, lighter SDHC and SDXC cards has become so good that they have largely replaced them. That said, some cameras continue to offer two types of slots to accommodate both card formats.
- CFast cards
They strongly resemble CompactFlash cards but are not compatible. This new generation of high-speed memory cards is used in many professional cameras.
- XQD cards
XQD cards are a niche product compared to the other cards reviewed and are currently only compatible with certain Sony camcorders and Nikon SLR cameras. They are slightly smaller than CompactFlash, but their superb performance makes them ideal for high-speed shooting and video in particular.
- Further Reading
Looking for a new camera? If so, check out our Best Compact Camera reviews, our Best Waterproof Camera reviews, and our Best Dash Cam reviews.
So, What's The Best Memory Card For Camera
As you have seen, memory cards are available in different formats, capacities, and speeds. Which one will work best with your camera?
Of course, choosing the best SD memory card will depend on how you plan to use it and what level of experience you have. If you are an amateur photographer, for example, it is useful to first look at the capacity of the card, while professionals tend to favor a fast card so as not to slow down their pace of work.
If, however, you are looking for a versatile card that will not strain your budget too much, we recommend the…
Extreme PRO UHS-1 range from SanDisk
Even though they are one of the oldest formats around, the fact that they are still so popular proves their staying power. This, along with the fact that they are optimized for professional video recording at Full HD and 4K video, and come with a lifetime warranty, make them our top pick.
Happy filming!
