Best Canon 7D SD Memory Card

SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are meant to function with the Canon 7D. For burst shooting and video, it is critical the memory card you use has a fast write speed.

An inadequate memory card can reduce the functionality of your camera.

If you are in a rush, here’s the best memory card you can buy for the Canon 7D:

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SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • UHS-I, U1, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 10MB/s write speeds.
  • Excellent choice for photos.
  • Capable of recording Full HD (1920x1080) Video.
  • Inexpensive with more than good enough performance.
  • Larger capacities are available for a reasonable price.

In the time since the launch of Canon 7D, the cost of cards has come way down.

Since costs are so affordable, it will not make financial sense to pick anything but a pro-level SD memory card.

SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance cards have all been reliable for me. I have under no circumstances suffered from a card break or data errors with those cards.

All of the complications I have experienced has been because of no-name unbranded memory cards. Hoping to save a small amount of money is not worthwhile if your 7D will not function properly.

To spend less, opt for a smaller capacity SD memory card from a high-quality manufacturer. Because of this, you will know your shots are safe and sound on the SD card.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • UHS-I, U1, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 10MB/s write speeds.
  • Excellent choice for photos.
  • Capable of recording Full HD (1920x1080) Video.
  • Inexpensive with more than good enough performance.
  • Larger capacities are available for a reasonable price.

PNY Elite-X 128GB SD Card
PNY Elite-X 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • UHS-I, U3, V30, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 30MB/s write speeds.
  • Good for burst shooting photos and recording 4K video.
  • Larger capacity cards are available.
  • Reliable & Durable: Magnet Proof, Shock Proof, Temperature Proof, Waterproof.

SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SD Card
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • Comparatively expensive for faster read speeds.
  • UHS-I, U3, V30, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 30MB/s write speeds.
  • Only makes sense for professional use or if you need the largest storage capacity available.
  • Temperature-proof, waterproof, shock-proof, and X-ray-proof.

The memory cards that will work in the Canon 7D are SDXC, SDHC, and SD. For best performance, make sure your camera is using the most up to date firmware installed.

The newest memory cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), cannot be used in the 7D.

You need to know the 4 types of Secure Digital (SD) cards that exist. They are separated by capactiy.

  • SD (Secure Digital) - 128MB to 2GB.
  • SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) - 4GB to 32GB.
  • SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) - 64GB to 2TB.
  • SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) - 4TB to 128TB.
SD Card Contacts
SD Card Contacts

Below is an estimation of how many large JPEGs shots you can be expecting to fit on a memory card:

  • 16GB - 4,640 images
  • 32GB - 9,280 images
  • 64GB - 18,560 images
  • 128GB - 37,120 images

The speed rating of an SD card is classified by the continuous write and read speeds. The speed of a SD memory card is critical for video in addition to continuous shooting.

Slows memory cards can decrease the number of continuous frames the Canon 7D can capture. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write to the memory card fast enough.

With video, a slow card can cause an abrupt end to shooting. The video file may also end up being corrupted. If you intend to shoot video, it is important the memory card you use meets the required continuous write speed for video.

Read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a card with a fast read speed will decrease the amount of time it takes the transfer to finish.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

The continuous write speed of a memory card is represented by the Class rating. SD cards that have a minimum write speed of 10MB/s are labeled as Class 10.

  • Class 2 - 2MB/s
  • Class 4 - 4MB/s
  • Class 6 - 6MB/s
  • Class 8 - 8MB/s
  • Class 10 - 10MB/s or faster

Every name-brand SD card that you can get online will receive a Class 10 rating. To discover the class rating of a SD card, find a number inside of a C on the front label.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be gotten with SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. UHS memory cards to have increased write speeds.

There are three separate versions. The three are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

You can figure out the rating of a SD memory card by reading the front of the SD card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the label, that will be the UHS rating of the memory card.

  • UHS-I - Maximum transfer rate of 104 MB/s
  • UHS-II - Maximum transfer rate of 312 MB/s
  • UHS-III - Maximum transfer rate of 624 MB/s

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