Should you’ve invested in a DSLR or mirrorless camera, then you definitely’ve acquired an thrilling photographic journey forward of you – however there’s one factor that you will undoubtedly have to stand up and operating, and that is an SD card.
As of late, with body charges, resolutions and bitrates growing at a speedy tempo, our want for fast, dependable storage with a excessive capability is bigger than ever.
In fact, many trendy gadgets use the smaller microSD card customary, and for those who want a kind of we have now a dedicated guide for precisely that. {Most professional} cameras go for full-size SD playing cards, although, and that is what we’ll be specializing in right here.
Whether or not you want a blazing-fast card that may deal with ProRes and 8K video, or simply an inexpensive place to retailer your vacation snaps, we have got you lined. Listed below are the very best SD playing cards out there right now.

SanDisk
SanDisk Excessive Professional SD card
1. Better of the very best
Should you want top-tier efficiency, the SanDisk Excessive Professional is the best way to go.
- One of many quickest playing cards cash should buy
- Dependable efficiency
Should you’re hoping to shoot within the highest high quality codecs or shoot super-fast picture bursts, then you definitely’ll have to spend money on a critically quick SD card. The SanDisk Excessive Professional is likely one of the quickest playing cards you’ll find, providing as much as 300MB/s speeds and categorised to the V90 customary for sustained efficiency.
It does not come low cost, but it surely’ll unlock all of the capturing modes you may require, and that makes it well worth the asking worth, in our view. It is also a really dependable choice, that includes a shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof and X-ray-proof design.

Samsung
Samsung Professional Plus SD card
2. Speedy and inexpensive
Not as speedy as our prime decide, but it surely’s nonetheless fast, and your pockets will thanks.
- As much as 160 MB/s speeds
- Reasonably priced pricing
- Cannot sustain with the newest codecs
Should you do not want fairly as a lot velocity however nonetheless need the utmost reliability, then you definitely’ll wish to take a look at the Samsung Professional Plus. It comes at an awesome worth, and is V30 licensed, making certain nice efficiency for 4K video capturing in customary bitrates.
In the case of reliability, Samsung is a trusted identify in flash reminiscence with an awesome fame. It goes one step additional than SanDisk, including wear-out-proofing to its listing of resistances.

SanDisk
Sandisk Excessive Professional 1TB SD card
3. Greatest for giant storage
A large 1TB capability lets you shoot every thing and determine what to maintain later.
- As much as 200MB/s speeds
- Large capability
- Not out there in V90 classification
If storage capability is what you want, then our prime decide is once more the SanDisk Excessive Professional, this time in its 1TB selection. Sadly, the 300MB/s V90 variant is not out there on this capability but, so you may should make do with 200MB/s speeds and V60 certification – however that is nonetheless quicker than most individuals would wish.
In our view, the Excessive Professional is essentially the most interesting choice on this capability, it presents nice speeds, with out the extreme pricing that may include the territory.

Sabrent
Sabrent Rocket SD card
4. Various speedster
A really speedy SD card that is on the extra inexpensive finish of the spectrum.
- Exceptionally quick
- Cheaper than a SanDisk Excessive Professional
The Sabrent Rocket SD card is an alternative choice to the ultra-speedy Excessive Professional V90. It is not fairly as fast, maxing out at 280MB/s reasonably than 300MB/s, but it surely carries the identical V90 badge, so it is prone to be usable in all the identical situations as our prime decide.
So, why would you select this over the extra standard SanDisk choice? Effectively, there’s one easy purpose, it is considerably cheaper. And for those who’re shopping for multiple card, that value saving actually begins so as to add up.

PNY
PNY Elite-X SD card
5. Greatest on a price range
Low-cost and cheerful, particularly for those who go for a multipack. The PNY Elite-X continues to be quick sufficient for most individuals.
- Very effectively priced
- Quick sufficient for most individuals
- Maxes out at simply 100 MB/s
The PNY Elite-X SD card is offered at a really enticing worth level, particularly for those who go for one of many multipack choices, the place the financial savings multiply additional.
It is likely to be the slowest card in our roundup, but it surely’s nonetheless no slouch, and V30 classification ensures that it will work for 4K video recording in much less demanding codecs.
How to decide on an SD card
If all these specs have you ever confused, don’t be concerned, we’ll clarify just a few issues to make your shopping for selections simpler.
Capability
This one’s fairly easy, trendy SD playing cards sometimes are available in sizes starting from 32GB to 2TB. If you understand you may want quite a lot of storage, then it is best to go for the most important capability you’ll be able to afford. The upper the storage, the upper the value, most often.
Another choice is to purchase a number of smaller playing cards and swap them out after they’re full. This may be helpful if you wish to separate totally different shoots, for instance.
Velocity
Velocity classification is the place issues get a little bit extra complicated, as there are three principal requirements and so they’re all attempting to speak the identical factor – the minimal sequential write velocity.
We have primarily centered on the Video Velocity Class (V10, V30 and so forth) on this article, as that is the newest and up-to-date classification.
This useful chart breaks down how what the totally different classifications imply. However your digital camera producer will doubtless have velocity suggestions listed on their web site, too.
SD Affiliation
Anything to think about?
The capability and velocity are crucial elements when selecting an SD card, however there are different elements to think about, too.
All respected manufacturers will provide some extent of resistance towards shock and injury, but it surely’s the warranties that may differ essentially the most. Should you’re involved about your funding in the long run, it is price checking how lengthy the producer’s guarantee interval is, because it is likely to be the deciding issue between two equally specced playing cards.
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