SD Cards

How to select the capacity of a memory card

The capacity of SD memory cards is increasing at an incredible rate, not a month goes by that a new record in capacity is not announced. Deciding what capacity card to get depends entirely on your budget and device compatibility. A good choice for an SD card for a camera on which you store mostly photos are 16GB, 32GB or 64GB capacities. To get an idea, check the table to see how many images that is. 

Discussion table of 32GB SD Card capacities

Camera Type	Display	Effective Sensor Resolution	JPEG (fine)	RAW (uncompressed)	4K
Nikon Z30		21 Mpx	2100 pic.	764 pic.	28 min.
Sony Alpha 7 IV		33 Mpx	1150 pic.	700 pic.	17 min.
Fujifilm X-T30 II		26 Mpx	2060 pic.	550 pic.	40 min.

Looking at the table, you will have noticed how relatively little video recording can fit on the stated 32GB capacity. The listed recording capacity is for the best video quality, but even so, you can see that if you are considering using video recording, it is essential to choose card capacities from 128GB onwards.  When choosing a memory card capacity, it is definitely advisable to choose multiple smaller capacities rather than one large one.

Backup, backup, backup

Memory card failure can never be ruled out, even if quality premium brands are an order of magnitude less likely to fail, they can still be damaged. If your camera allows you to record to two memory cards, be sure to take advantage of this. There's nothing worse than losing a week's worth of work recording unrepeatable images. Playing your photos on an external drive, whether it's a laptop or the cloud, will definitely add peace of mind and reduce loss in the event of theft or destruction of photo equipment.

Memory Card Speed Selection

When choosing a card, the first thing you'll notice is that the same capacity cards have different prices. One of the main features that affects price is the speed of SD cards. According to the SD Association standard, speed is denoted by Speed Classes 2-10, UHS Speed Class 1 and 3, or Video Speed Class V6 - V90. The higher the number, the higher the speed. It's a good idea to choose a speed based on usage, slower cards will prevent you from getting full use and unnecessarily faster cards will just cost you extra money. Thinking in the context that faster cards will fit with the purchase of a newer camera is tricky, because in two years you'll buy a suitable card for easily half the price. Speed is generally most needed for 4K video and burst shooting to RAW when you exceed the camera's buffer capacity. SD cards come in four standards: from SD standard, SDHC, SDXC to SDUC. Each of these standards has its limits in capacity and speed, as each newer and newer technology uses more advanced controllers, solid-state component base, and the ability to work with more advanced file systems.</p

Ultra High Speed Class and Video Speed

SDXC,SDHC and SDUC memory cards feature Ultra High Speed or UHS class, which enables faster write speeds, from 25MB per second to 1,950MB per second. This makes them ideal for continuous, high-resolution images. You'll also find SD cards optimized for 3D recording and 8K video. Expand the capabilities of your device with a matching card. Oehling offers a wide collection of options and accessories for memory cards and backup. In any case, you can discuss it with us on CHAT.

SD card reader

Transferring photos from the camera is usually possible via a USB cable that you plug into a computer, either a desktop PC or laptop. More practical is the option of using memory card readers. The readers are built into the computer, i.e. they are part of the design of the computer with a connection to the motherboard. An expanded option is external readers, which, for a computer located under a desk, have the ability to bring the SD card reader directly out onto the photographer's desk.</p