Difference in SD card speed

Lindsey Paradiso · Feb 10, 2015

I am investing in the memory card portion of my wish list of photography gear & I am looking at the 32 GB SD cards to get. Is there a noticeable difference with 40 MB/s vs 90 MB/s?

W.Y.Photo · Feb 11, 2015

I have a 45 mb/s that can shoot about 50-100 photos on my D90 before slowing the FPS down..

It all depends on what camera you use and what you use it for.. If you have a full frame that you use for sports (or anything that you'd take quite a lot of frames quickly with) you will want a faster card but if you're going on a walk in the park you wont be able to tell the difference between the two.

FotosbyMike · Feb 11, 2015

Like WYPhoto stated it depends on what camera you are using and what you are shooting. Also are you looking for increase in your camera or PC transfers?

KmH · Feb 11, 2015

40 MB/s vs 90 MB/s is about the upload speed to your computer, not the speed in the camera.
The buffer in your camera is the limiting factor for in the camera write to the card speed.

A class 6 card will work for stills and any class 10 card will work for video.
Speed Class - SD Association

Note that a class 10 SD card requires a minimum serial data speed of only 10 MB/s.
If your serial data link is greater than 10 MB/s then you are exceeding the minimum.

Derrel · Feb 12, 2015

Go to www.robgalbraith.com and at the top, left corner of the site, click on the CF/SD/XQD database link, which is here:
Rob Galbraith DPI CF SD XQD Performance Database

This link refers to a page filled with different camera models, all of which have been tested with many different memory card brands, capacities, and speeds, and the results will give you a good idea of what the various card speeds translate into. For example, some of the newer "1,000x-speed" memory cards are 25% FASTER than slower cards. if you have a higher-end camera, one that shoots rapidly, like 6 to 10 frames per second, or a camera that has a smallish buffer, or a camera that shoots BIG files (24-megapixel, 36-megapixel), then the faster, higher-performance cards might be a good value for you.

In actual testing, there **are** differences in how many images can be shot in a burst, and in how fast the card can ingest the data from the camera and write it to the card; the cheapest memory cards are, IMHO, not worth the hassles; the MOST-expensive are suited only to serous shooters; the best values are the "name-brand" higher mid-range cards targeted at enthusiasts, like the better SanDisk and Lexar cards, for example.