If you've invested in a DSLR or mirrorless camera, you've got an exciting photographic journey ahead of you. But there's one thing that you'll definitely need to get up and running, and that's an SD card. These days, with frame rates, resolutions, and bitrates increasing at a rapid pace, our need for speedy, reliable storage with a high capacity is greater than ever.

Of course, many modern devices, such as phones and drones, use smaller microSD cards. While we've included one microSD here, we also have a dedicated guide for exactly that. Most cameras opt for full-size SD cards, though, so that's what we'll primarily be focusing on here.

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Whether you need a blazing-fast card that can handle ProRes and 8K video or just an affordable place to store your holiday snaps, we've got you covered. Here are the best SD cards available today.

Best SD cards: Our top picks

  • The SanDIsk Extreme Pro UHS-I card against a white background
    SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I
    Best overall SD card

    The SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I offers a balance of speed, capacity, and price. It's fast enough for most photographers, offering up to 200MB/s read speed and up to 90MB/s write speed. It can record 4K video and supports fast bursts of photos. You can opt for a range of capacities from 32GB all the way to 1TB, and they are very reasonably priced. Plus, these cards are resistant to shock, magnets, temperature, wear, X-rays, drops, humidity, and water.

  • The SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II
    SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II
    Best SD card for speed

    If you need top-tier performance, this SanDisk UHS-II card is the way to go. It's ideal for the highest-quality codecs or superfast image bursts as it is one of the fastest cards you can find, offering up to 300MB/s speeds and classified at the V90 standard for sustained performance. It isn't cheap, but it'll unlock all the shooting modes you could require. It's also a very reliable option, featuring a shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and X-ray-proof design.

  • The Angelbird 1TB SDXC card against a white background.
    Angelbird 1TB AV Pro MK2 UHS-II SDXC
    Best large capacity SD card

    For serious professionals who need the very best, the Angelbird 1TB card is hard to beat. It is the fastest 1TB card available and the only one to offer at least 60MB/s sustained transfer speeds (V60). Angelbird says it even delivers peak speeds much faster than that. The max write speed of 280MB/s is also very fast, so you won't be held back by your card. Beyond that, it is highly durable. The card is protected from shock, X-rays, magnets, ESD, moisture, and extreme temperatures.

  • The PNY Elite-X SDXC UHS-I against a white backround.
    PNY Elite-X SDXC UHS-I
    Best budget SD card

    Luckily, you don't have to spend a fortune to obtain a reliable SD card. This PNY SDXC card offers 128GB of storage at a very budget-friendly price. Despite the low price, it promises read speeds up to 100MB/s. That's not as fast as other cards, of course, but it isn't the slowest, either, and it's plenty quick for most. Plus, with Class 10, U3, and V30 ratings, it is suitable for reasonable busts of photos and 4K video. Beyond speed, it is magnet, shock, temperature, and water-resistant, making it a durable option as well.

  • Sony Tough-M Series SDXC UHS-II against a white background.
    Sony Tough-M Series SDXC UHS-II
    Best SD card for durability

    No card is as rugged as the Sony Tough series. Sony claims that they are 18 times stronger than standard UHS-II cards. The shock-resistant design allows it to withstand drops up to 16.4 feet, and the IP68 waterproof and dust-proof rating means it can be submerged in 16.4 feet of water for up to 72 hours. It's an ideal choice for adventurers and travelers. Plus, it offers fast speeds and free recovery software.

  • Lexar Professional 1066x SDXC against a white background.
    Lexar Professional 1066x SDXC
    Best SD card for enthusiasts

    This Lexar Professional card is ideal for enthusiasts who need a bit more than just a basic card. It is reasonably priced yet offers maximum read speeds of up to 160MB/s and write speeds of up to 120MB/s. It also provides U3 and V30 ratings, making it ideal for both photo and video usage. Plus, Lexar provides a limited lifetime warranty and a free recovery tool, giving you peace of mind should something happen to the card.

  • OWC Atlas Ultra SDXC UHS-II against a white background.
    OWC Atlas Ultra SDXC UHS-II
    Best SD card for video

    Video requires speedy SD cards, and this OWC card is just that. It promises up to 250MB/s write speed and 300MB/s read speed, with a minimum sustained write speed of 90MB/s. Those speeds allow it to keep up with fast bursts of raw photos and high-bitrate 6K video, even in high-end cameras at their highest settings. Beyond that, it is bend, shock, and X-ray resistant with an IP67 dust-proof and waterproof rating.

  • Samsung PRO Plus microSD and adapter against a white background.
    Samsung PRO Plus microSD
    Best SD card for drones

    Drones utilize the smaller microSD format, and the Samsung PRO Plus is one of the best options available. It supports 4K video, so you can get epic aerial footage. The card promises read and write speeds of up to 180MB/s and 130MB/s, respectively, making it suitable for bursts of photos from the air as well. It's available in a range of capacities, comes with a full-sized SD adapter, and offers water, temperature, X-ray, magnet, drop, and wear protection.

Fujifilm X-S20 (13)How to choose an SD card

Memory cards are riddled with numbers, acronyms, and symbols. It can be incredibly confusing what everything means and what actually matters when choosing a card. Below, you'll find some key things to consider, so you can choose a card that's best for your needs.

Capacity

Capacity is the first and easiest thing to decide on. Before getting into which capacity is best, you may notice that while we refer to these cards as SD cards, the product listings all mention SDXC. The XC in the name simply stands for Extended Capacity. It includes any SD card with a capacity of 64GB up to 1TB. SDHC refers to High-Capacity cards, which range from 4GB to 32GB. SD cards, which are rarely used at this point, only go up to 2GB.

When it comes to selecting a capacity, it is best to choose a relatively high capacity, something between 64GB and 256GB, and not the largest card available. This is to provide plenty of room for photos and videos while still offering some protection against card failure. If you lose images on a 64GB card, it will be a lot less substantial of a loss than losing a full 1TB card.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. For those who shoot long-form videos, a 512GB or 1TB card may be necessary. Or, if you always shoot two cards at once, you can get away with larger capacity cards as opposed to swapping out more frequently. No matter what, remember that SD cards are not meant for long-term storage. Be sure to transfer content off of the memory cards frequently and back them up to a hard drive.

Read speeds

The next marking to pay attention to is the read speed. This number refers to how fast you can open something on the card. It impacts how long transfers take when moving things from the card to your computer, for example. Keep in mind that these are the maximum speeds promised by the manufacturer, and real-life speeds typically do not live up to those numbers. If you want to get numbers close to that, be sure to invest in a quality card reader as well, as budget card readers will slow down transfers.

The read speed is also shown by the bus interface, which is either UHS-I or UHS-II. UHS-I cards offer transfer speeds of up to 104MB/s, while UHS-II gets as fast as 312MB/s. It's important to note that cameras are compatible with one or the other. That doesn't mean that you can't use a UHS-II card on a UHS-I device, but you will only get UHS-I speeds, meaning you're paying for speeds you aren't using.

If you do not frequently transfer large batches of files, a UHS-I card will more than meet your needs. But if you are a professional photographer working with large shoots, investing in a UHS-II card will save you some headaches and time.

Write speeds and speed classifications

Write speeds and speed classifications become a little more confusing. The overall maximum write speed typically isn't listed on the card itself, and manufacturers sometimes don't provide this number at all. Beyond that, there are three main standards, and they all try to communicate the same thing -- the minimum sequential write speed.

  • The V on your card refers to the Video Speed class. The number after the V indicates the minimum sustained write speed. For example, V90 cards offer a minimum sustained write speed of 90MB/s.
  • The U on SD cards is another speed class measurement. There are two options: U1 and U3. U3 cards are rated to sustain a 30MB/s write speed, while U1 can sustain 10MB/s.
  • Finally, the C also refers to the minimum sequential write speed, with five different ratings: C2, C4, C6, C8, and C10. The number indicates the guaranteed sustained write speed, so C10 would offer sustained speeds of 10MB/s.

Write speed is important for videographers or those who shoot fast bursts of photos. A slow write speed will slow down those bursts or cause issues with recording video. So, if you are an action photographer or a videographer, focus on cards with fast write speeds. If you aren't shooting video or fast action, you can save some money and opt for a slightly slower card.

This handy chart explains the different classifications. However, your camera manufacturer will likely have speed recommendations listed on its website, too.

How to choose a microSD card for smart home security cameras photo 4
SD Association

microSD versus full-size

SDXC cards come in both full-size and micro versions. Drones, tablets, action cameras, and phones use the microSD format, while cameras utilize full-size SDXC cards. Most microSD cards come with an adapter that essentially makes it a full-size SD, meaning you can use it in devices that use that format. But should you?

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The microSD card inserted into an adapter will work just as it would on its own, provided you buy a reputable brand with a quality adapter. You'll get the same speeds and performance as before. However, if you are frequently taking the microSD in and out of the adapter to use in different types of devices, you could wear down the pins faster, opening you up to card failure more so than if you used a full-sized SD. Likewise, the adapter is yet another component that could fail. Because of this, generally speaking, it's best to simply use a full-sized card in devices that require it, and keep the microSD on devices that use that format. Save the adapter for transferring files or when you need a card in a pinch.