Memory cards hold the fruits of your labour - that resplendent shot of a hummingbird in flight, raw footage of dusty roads travelled for your next YouTube video. One day it may contain your magnum opus. So it’s safe to say, getting a high-performance, reliable SD card is very important.
The trouble is choosing the right camera memory card can be daunting, given the sheer amount of great options out there. So we put together this comprehensive guide to explain how to select the right memory card for your needs and keep your creative works safe.
What Are The Different Types of Memory Cards?
When you browse memory cards, you’ll see many different types with different names and acronyms alongside them. Here’s a brief description for each of the main types of memory card:
SD Cards: Widely used, small, max capacity 2GB, ideal for occasional use.
SDHC Cards: Higher capacity (up to 32GB), suitable for longer shoots, check compatibility with older cameras.
SDXC Cards: Highest capacity (up to 2TB), fastest speeds, newer technology, not compatible with older cameras.
MiniSD Cards: Very small, ideal for compact devices like GoPros, capacity up to 64GB.
Compact Flash (CF) Cards: Two types (CF I and CF II), high capacity (up to 256GB), suitable for DSLRs.
MultiMedia Cards (MMC): Smaller than SD, lower capacity (up to 128MB), likely to become obsolete.
Next you might look at a memory card’s specs to determine which is the best camera memory card for your needs. Let’s have a brief reminder of what the most important memory card specifications are:
Capacity: Indicates the amount of data the card can hold, usually ranging from a 64 gigabytes (GB) to 1 or 2 terabytes (TB).
Read/Write Speed: An SD card needs a fast read/write speed to obtain high-res video, burst photography and support other demanding applications. The read/write speed represents how fast data can be written onto or read from the card.
Speed Class: The speed class defines the minimum write speed of the memory card. The speed classes go up in ascending numerical order: class 2, 4, 6 and 10. UHS stands for ultra high speed within the highest speed classes.
Durability: Resistance to water, temperature, shock, and X-rays ensures memory card reliability in harsh conditions.
Compatibility: Ensures the card works with your specific camera or device. Always check manufacturer recommendations.
Top 3 Best Memory Cards
After analysing the specifications and carrying out rigorous testing, our experts have put together a sample of the best memory cards on the market for the most widely-used applications:
Exascend CFExpress - Best for Professional Photography
Exascend memory cards are, by nature, super durable. For this reason, they’re the ultimate choice for busy professional photographers.
The pros must transport their gear from gig to gig and their equipment might get a battering in transit. What’s more, weather conditions on photo shoots can be unpredictable. With the Exascend CFExpress series you can feel comfortable in the knowledge that your memory card will survive as it’s so robust and can withstand the harshest of conditions. In fact, Exascend memory cards are so strong, they’re often used in industrial settings.
These camera memory cards also have super fast read/write speeds, allowing you to capture incredible, high-resolution video and images. The Exascend 1TB Nitro CFExpress, for example, has a maximum sustained write speed of 1700 MB/s.
SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC - Best for 4K Video
You always know SanDisk is a safe bet for video camera memory cards. SanDisk Pro products are much slicker than your average SD card. The SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II SDXC, in particular, is in a super high speed class - that means it’s very reliable and very high performance.
The memory card series is trusted by many for facilitating 4K, 3D, and Full HD video. Capture your footage and store it securely. High read/write speeds means that when it comes to transferring your raw footage for editing you can do it efficiently. We all know that editing can be a time-consuming labour of love, so anything that saves you time and stress is a worthy investment.
Angelbird Micro SDXC - Best for Other Devices
Having a few micro SD cards available for the rest of your tech is super useful. Any serious gamer knows the pain of not being able to download the hot new release because they don’t have enough storage space. Angelbird memory cards are our top choice for your other devices such as the aforementioned gaming consoles, along with drones, GoPro, action cameras and more.
The Angelbird Micro UH-II SDXC series, in particular, has a higher storage capacity and much higher speed case than average SD cards. These memory cards are durable too so it’s okay to keep spares as you won’t need to worry about them degrading over time.
Camera Memory Cards from DIGI TECH
DIGI TECH is a leading supplier of memory cards and other media equipment, based in Dubai. We have a vast range of memory card options suited to casual users and professionals. We only stock the most reputable brands, including SanDisk, Angelbird, and Exacend, so you’re guaranteed to find a reliable, high-performing product.
If you haven’t found the best memory card in this article, browse our selection of memory cards to find the right fit for your needs. Don’t forget to look at durability, compatibility, and read/write speeds when making your choice.
