The ULTIMATE Memory Card Guide for Sony Alpha Cameras || a7S III, a7 III, etc.
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- Опубліковано 19 лип 2024
- What memory cards should you purchase for your Sony Alpha mirrorless camera? Specifically, over the past five years or so, Sony has released a number of cameras in their Alpha line that can be broken down into a couple of classes in terms of video specifications.
Cameras like the Sony a7 III, a7C, a7R III, a7R IV, a7s II, a6100, a6400, a6600, and a bunch more could be considered Sony's "Standard" video spec cameras that shoot up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second (fps) in 8 bit, 4:2:0 color and chroma subsampling. However, newer Sony cameras like the a7S III, a1, FX3 and FX6 shoot in higher resolutions and frame rates like 4K 120 fps or even 8K 30fps (the a1) in 10 bit 4:2:2, and thus represent Sony's new "Enhanced" video specifications. These Enhanced spec cameras also take both SD cards and CFexpress Type A cards, which is another variable to consider.
I'll go through many (though not all) of the parts of an SD card, and my personal recommendations for many of these values. I would personally focus on storage size and the video speed class, or V rating for these cards, as these will tend to be the most useful values to consider with purchasing such cards.
I'll also go through my personal recommendations for what cards to purchase for both Sony's Standard and Enhanced video spec cameras. I personally recommend SanDisk Extreme /Pro V30 SD cards for any of the Standard spec cameras, and ProGrade V90 SD cards for any of the Enhanced spec cameras, though CFexpress Type A cards are the best option for these cameras if you're not concerned about price.
Let me know if recommendations and guides like this on Sony mirrorless cameras are helpful, and I will try to make more!
Standard Spec Camera SD Cards:
SanDisk Extreme SDXC UHS-I: amzn.to/3HbeiqU
SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I: amzn.to/35AtGiP
Enhanced Spec Camera SD Cards:
ProGrade SDXC UHS-II V90: amzn.to/35zH3Qg
ProGrade SDXC UHS-II V60: amzn.to/3GaVYNr
The SD Association website where many of these specifications are outlined:
www.sdcard.org/developers/sd-...
The Sony a7S III card compatibility spec sheet noted in the video:
alphauniverse.com/stories/qui...
0:00 - Intro, and approaching card recommendations from a video shooter's perspective
0:40 - Sony's "Standard" and "Enhanced" video specs?
2:05 - Common specs across cards, and my disclaimers
3:00 - Storage capacity recommendations
4:26 - Brief note about UHS I vs. II cards
4:50 - General speed class and UHS speed class recommendations
5:35 - The all-important video speed class, aka "V" rating
5:57 - V rating recommendations for Sony Standard spec cameras
6:38 - V rating recommendations for Sony Enhanced spec cameras, and CFexpress Type A cards
9:25 - Shooting time with larger V90 SD cards for Sony Enhanced spec cameras
10:15 - The Good Stuff: Summary of everything to consider
11:38 - Conclusion
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My Current Kit:
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Cameras & Lenses:
Sony a7S III: amzn.to/3Gd87kK
Sony a7 IV: amzn.to/3g3Ipoq
Sony a7 III: amzn.to/3GcEX5x
Sony 20mm f/1.8 G: amzn.to/3AE7pMt
Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm f/1.8: amzn.to/3r6Lo5M
Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM: amzn.to/3HfLIoy
Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM: amzn.to/3He70Ts
Audio:
Rode VideoMic NTG: amzn.to/3AJwTrW
Tascam DR-10L: amzn.to/3AIRA7l
Zoom H6: amzn.to/32HCgep
Lighting:
Aputure LS 60x: amzn.to/3Gc04og
Aputure Amaran P60c: amzn.to/3ob7qm6
Aputure Amaran AL-F7: amzn.to/3g3IzMy
Aputure MC: amzn.to/34l8DzS
Tripod/Monopod:
Manfrotto 290 Xtra 128RC: amzn.to/3o8bPpV
iFootage Cobra C180-II: amzn.to/3r8kfPY
Affiliate Disclaimer: The above links to products may contain affiliate links, which may earn me a small commission as an Amazon Associate. Amazon and all related Marks are Trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. - Наука та технологія
Wow man great video! I just got an a7s iii and had a lot of questions about what memory cards to get but this cleared up all my questions! Thanks
Thanks! Glad to hear this answered your questions (I had a lot of them too initially...).
This is one of the best videos I have seen on the topic. No gimmicky neon light 2000 dollars setup in the living room, but just plain good explanation of what and what not. You sir, did really well. Thank you. Cheers from Norway 👏🏻
Thank you!! That means a lot to hear; glad that this was helpful to you.
@@andrewsaraceni I have a a7s iii on order I can pick up tomorrow, seeing this video was really helpful. So no I just hope to get a great deal on the body and lens, it coast alot of money here. 🙈
Congrats!! I think you'll love the camera - it's a big investment for sure, but I would say in the time I've had it it's definitely worth it.
@@andrewsaraceni Thank you sir... looks like you have been shooting full frame for a while. Do you have a good tip for uhs-ii card reader? I can't seam to find anyone good online here in Norway or maybe I can use my regular card reader? it may work with the new cards but with slower speed?
Yeah, it depends on what your reader is and what it supports. I use the standard Apple USB-C to SD card reader dongle which supports UHS-II speeds. Even if your reader doesn't support UHS-II directly, it'll still work with those cards, just at slower (UHS-I) speeds when transferring files.
Straight to the point, thanks! Always used the scan disk professional but never knew what all that stuff you explained, meant! Angel & I say thanks
No problem, glad to know this was helpful!
Great video! Very informative and simplified! Not only I liked, I also subscribed and last but not least I used your links to get my V90 SD card! Thank you!
Thanks Amos; glad it helped, and I appreciate the support!
Great video! Everything I wanted to know and more 👍🏼 thanks!
Thanks Ricardo, glad to know it helped!
great video! you definitely deserver more views for this one.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Well done, all in one comprehensive explanation.
Thanks!
Thanks for the information.. Just got an FX3 and need to know this.
No problem! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you so much for your video. It was really helpful!!!
No problem, Luis!
THANK YOU for this informative video!
Prepping for the (hopefully) soon arriving Sony A7IV, which might support 4K/60.
No problem! And I hear you, I'm eagerly awaiting the a7 IV as well.
The best and most comprehensive guide on SD cards for the Sony a7S III.
Have a like sir!
Thanks, I appreciate the like!
Very helpful and informative !
Thanks, glad to hear this was helpful!
Excellent presentation!
Thanks!
Thak you for the info, it helped me get the right card for my sony a7IV. sd 128gb V90
No problem, glad to hear it helped!
Great vid just picked up my Sony A7s iii
Thanks, and congrats!
Great video. Do you need a Prograde card reader or will most computers with SD card readers be fine? Thanks
Thanks! Just about any SD card reader should work, though I'd recommend one that supports UHS-II for faster read/write speeds.
This is really helpful. I followed!! I currently have 2 Sony A7iii's. Ideally, I'd like to shoot in 4k, but looks like I can only shoot 30fps. So I can shoot 120fps in 1080. All of your advice says V30 should be enough. That's all I use. But when I dump my photos (often thousands from the day, it takes forever to transfer over.) What would you recommend if I want to transfer my files over a lot faster from my sd card to my hard drive?
Thanks! You might get faster speeds in transferring with a V60 or V90 card, but it'll also depend on your SD card reader, and/or how it's connected to your computer. Also, copying to SSDs (your computer's main drive or external) will always be faster than hard disk drives.
This was great. Thank you. I recently put in my preorder for the a7iv, I currently own the a7iii and do shoot some video. Do I need a cf express a card to shoot in 10bit 4:2:2? 4k60? What card will I need to unlock the cameras full potential?
No problem! I also preordered the a7 IV; I think similar to the a7S III, for nearly all of the video frame rates/codecs you should be fine with a V90 SD card like the Prograde I mentioned, even a V60 in many cases (except for the XAVC S-I codec). I can shoot in all codecs 10-bit 4:2:2 4K60 in my a7S III currently with the Prograde V90 cards.
@@andrewsaraceni great! Thank you!! Definitely got a sub from me! Would you be open to doing a camera setting video? For some reason I always feel like my picture quality is not good. Might be out of date to one for the a7iii, but perhaps one for the a7iv when it comes out?
@@shango82 Thanks for the sub! And you must've read my mind. 😀 I've been thinking about doing a settings/setup video, so I'll likely put one together when I get my hands on the a7 IV.
Awesome....👍👍👍👍 good example😀
Thanks, glad you liked it!
thank you for the video. I own a7iii and main usage is videography. Can I use the UHS 1 SD card in UHS 2 slot ?
No problem! Yes you can, and the opposite is possible as well - though you wouldn't get UHS II card speeds in a UHS I slot.
@@andrewsaraceni three months old video , I dropped a query, n u replied in just few minutes ! U know what , u got a new sub and bell ringer .❤️
Great video! I would LOVE to know what is the best card for the Sony A7C Camera? I have the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-I V30 card. Should I get the Kingston 128GB Canvas React Plus SDXC UHS-II V90 Card instead for all my video option needs? I couldn't find anything with the links you provided in the description, so that's why I'm asking. Please let me know what you can, thank you.
Thanks! Honestly I think the SanDisk model you have is exactly what you'd want/need for the A7C, and aligns with what I mentioned. I'd start to think about V60/V90 cards (from ProGrade) if you're planning to upgrade to something like the a7S III or upcoming a7 IV that has higher video specs, e.g. 10-bit 4:2:2, 4K 60fps and up, etc.
@@andrewsaraceni So the one that I have will work with every movie type setting on the A7C camera with no issues? By the way, what part of the vid did you mention the A7C camera and the specs of what it could handle? Let me know what you can and thanks for the quick reply!
Yes, the SanDisk Extreme Pro V30 cards will cover all of the resolutions, frame rates, etc. that the A7C can shoot. Since it falls in the Standard video spec category I talk about, you can check out 0:40 and the summary at 12:02 where I mention the a7C specifically.
@@andrewsaraceni Thank you for letting me know that. I will pick up another 128 GB card from SanDisk. It would just be good to have a back up just in case. Again thank you!
Good information
Thanks!
Could you please go over recording duration for each setting when youre using 256gb? That would be super helphul!
The examples I included around the 11:11 mark were done with a 256GB V90 card, so you should find they cover many of the recording durations (by codec/bit rate) you'd get out of both the Standard and Enhanced spec cameras.
@@andrewsaraceni Thanks for the great review. This was a very valuable breakdown of the information. With your examples of record duration, were you running with just a single 256GB card or did you have 2? If running with 2 cards, was it in redundancy mode, or extended mode (giving you 512gb available?)
Cheers!
Thanks David! The recording duration examples in the video were done with just one 256GB card in the camera.
Thank you very much' but I steel don't understand if SD V30 (up to 170 mb) SanDisk good for shooting at 30,60,120 fps on Sony fx3 camera?
You'll at least want a V60 SD card to shoot in most of the high frame rate/better codec options in the FX3, and I personally recommend (and use) V90 cards for my a7S III.
@@andrewsaraceni Thank you very much!
I use a A7III for real estate photography and video. Which one would you recommend? Thanks in advance
I would say the SanDisk V30 SD cards are a great option for the a7 III - that's what I used for years in mine.
tell me a best sd card for sony a 6700 i will shoot 4 k 30 , ? please tell me good and fast card
Hi Adarsh, I'd definitely recommend the ProGrade V90s for the a6700, it has similar video requirements/specs to the a7S III (just in APS-C): amzn.to/35zH3Qg You can get by with a V60 though for most modes as well.
@@andrewsaraceni thanks sir 😊🙏🏻
I have two SanDisk UHS-I V30 64GB 95mb/s that I'm gonna use In my new A7 III mostly for Raw photo and have one of the card as backup. But I would like to make video also. I whant to have ha fast buffer if I need to take fast continious photos. But maby I then would have to use only one card In the UHS-II card slot, a faster card like V60 270mb/s or something so my buffer clears faster?
The SanDisk UHS-I V30 card would certainly serve you well in the a7 III - that's what I used when I had mine. But a solid UHS-II V60 card would probably get you some moderate buffer improvements, and help with future proofing for later models with enhanced video specs.
@@andrewsaraceni Ok, thanks for your info/help
I have the Sony A7 iii filming in 4K 30fps when panning looks like the footage is lagging or missing frames on playback on my iMac which is a very high spec. Could this be due to the memory card which is one of the recommended 128gb V90 300mb
Generally it shouldn't be. Could depend on the specs of the machine, the SD card reader itself, etc., but you could see if making proxies from the footage (I have a video on that for FCPX), or if transferring the files and playing them back from an external solid state drive, or internal hard drive on the Mac (vs. from the SD card) makes a difference.
@@andrewsaraceni That’s great I can’t seem to find the Final Cut Pro video could you tag me on it please.
@@ADAMMAWSON Sure, it's this one: ua-cam.com/video/LJIJa8JZVHQ/v-deo.html
please tell me sir , i want a sd card for sony 6700 ,i will shoot 4k 30 , im from india
Hi Adarsh, see my other comment, but I think the ProGrade V90's are your best bet.
@@andrewsaraceni thank you so much sir 🙏🏻
Can you shoot 1080 60fps with v30 cards on a7iii?
Yes, V30 SD cards would work for that (and 1080 120fps also).
Question do you play the drums?
I do! I'm also a part-time musician on drums/percussion and keys in a couple bands.
A6000 for stills and light 1080p video.. is this something to be bothered about?
That would fall in the Standard spec line of cameras (technically less, since it only shoots up to 1080p video). You should be fine with any of the Sandisk cards I mentioned though.
In your chat, Why would V60 not support 1080p 222mbps ? V60 supports up to 60*8=480mbps.
The specs and card requirements are determined by Sony, not me. FWIW, the only codec it doesn't seem to fully support in HD is XAVC S-I (all-intra).
Prograde V90 UHS-ii is best
Agreed - almost 6 months in of some pretty heavy usage, and they've been flawless.
3:02
4:37 wrong do your homework and come back
The UHS-I and II specs are designed to be cross/backwards compatible. You can't achieve UHS-II card speeds in a UHS-I only supported slot (which I didn't mention), but it will work.