Best Canon PowerShot A550 SD Memory Card

The Canon A550 needs SD memory cards. The biggest capacity SD card that is compatible with the A550 is 32GB.

MultiMediaCards (MMC) can also be used. However, they are no longer made. If you have one, you can use it. If you don’t have one, don’t buy one, they will cost more than an SD card.

SD memory cards that meets the SDXC or SDUC specifications won’t function properly in the A550. These cards will be At least 64GB or bigger, so they are easy to avoid.

The SDHC format was announced in 2006. All 32GB cards that are currently being produced will have almost identical performance. You cannot go wrong buying the cheapest class 10 name brand card. At the time of writing this, the PNY Elite 32GB SD memory card has the best price.

Recommended A550 SD Cards

Below are memory cards that can be used in the A550. With any of the cards outlined below, you won’t have to stress out over card data corruption or slow performance.

• Sequential read speed of up to 100MB/s
• Class 10, U1 rating delivers speed and performance for full HD photography and HD videography.
• V10 video speed rating to capture uninterrupted HD video at 1920x1080 format
• Compatible with point & shoot cameras, DSLR cameras, standard & advanced HD-enabled video cameras, and more
• Reliable & Durable: Magnet Proof, Shock Proof, Temperature Proof, Waterproof

• Quick transfer read speeds up to 90MB/s.
• Write speeds are not capable of recording 4k video.
• Class 10 rating for Full HD video (1080p).
• Waterproof, temperature proof, X-ray Proof, magnet-Proof, and shockproof.

• UHS Speed Class 1 (U1) supports Full HD video and burst shots. 130MB/s transfer speeds1 let you upload footage to your PC in an instant.
• Built to survive tough conditions and heavy usage, whether you’re at home, outside, or on the go. Backed by 10-year limited warranty.
• Highly durable with comprehensive 7-proof protection.
• Backed by a 10 year warranty.

Best SD Cards

Be sure to purchase a card from a company with a great reputation, such as Lexar or SanDisk. Avoid buying cards from cheap house brand names.

Memory card failures, for example a complete loss of all of your shots as a consequence of file corruption, is more likely to take place with bargain-priced cards. The decrease in build quality is not worth the minor savings.

Buying a reduced capacity memory card is a shrewd way to save a tiny bit of money. They tend to be a little lower in price and you will not have to stress out about the SD card losing your photos.

Always bear in mind, SD card problems are unlikely to occur. Only only two cards have failed out of the loads I have acquired over the years. The two memory cards were used generic cards that were included along with the purchase of previously owned digital cameras.

Canon A550 SD Card Compatibility

four separate specifications of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards exist. The Canon A550 can only use SD memory cards. The benefit is that there is an improvement in the transfer speeds and maximum storage capacity with the introduction of each new spec.

Secure Digital memory card readers are backward compatible. A card reader built into a digital camera that can use SDXC cards will also be able to use SDHC and SD memory cards.

The Canon A550’s card reader can only read the first and second SD card standards. SDXC or SDUC memory cards won’t operate correctly.

• Secure Digital (SD) - These memory cards have a maximum capacity of 2GB and are compatible with the A550.
• Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) - The capacity of these memory cards range from 4GB to 32GB and are also compatible with the A550.
• Secure Digital eXtended Capacity (SDXC) - The capacity of these memory cards range from 64GB to 2TiB.
• Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) - The capacity of these memory cards range from 4TiB to 128TiB.

Canon A550 Memory Card Full Error

Trying to use a memory card that has a storage capacity of 64GB or larger in size in the A550 will result in the digital point and shoot camera to show an error message.

Use an SD memory card that has a capacity of 32GB or less to avoid the problem.

If you attempting to use an SD memory card that has a capacity less than 32GB, and the card is not working, format the SD card in the camera.

Speed, Class, & Capacity

SD Card Image Capacity

This is an estimation of the number of large JPEGs you could expect to fit on an SD card.

• 4GB - 1920 images
• 8GB - 3840 images
• 16GB - 7680 images
• 32GB - 15360 images

Memory Card Speed

The speed rating for SD memory cards is established by sequential read and write speeds. The speed of the card is important for when many shots need to be written or read from the SD memory card.

SD Card Speed Class Rating

The Class speed rating of an SD memory card is related to the sustained write speed of the SD memory card. A Class speed rating of 2 means that the card can maintain a write speed of at minimum 2MB per second.

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

The top rating an SD memory card can get is Class 10. There are SD memory cards that are considerably faster than 10MB/s. Those SD cards use other technology, such as UHS (Ultra Highspeed Bus), which have a different rating criteria.

Sustained write speeds of 2MB, 4MB, 6MB, or 8MB per second means the card has a speed class of 2, 4, 6, or 8. Cards that have write speeds of 10MB/s or faster are rated as Class 10.

MultiMediaCard Compatibility

The MultiMediaCard specification was established in 1997 by SanDisk and Siemens AG. MMC cards appear as if they are a slimmer SD card.

MMC memory cards that will be able to function correctly in the Canon A550 include the earliest 2 generations. Suitable memory cards will be labeled as MMCplus or MMC. Later versions won’t function correctly with the Canon A550

I do not recommend purchasing any MMC memory cards. No companies are presently making MMC cards that will work in the A550. Thus, they are not cheap as well as being challenging to get used.

Conclusion

Buy an SD memory card for the Canon A550 based on price. An expensive card isn’t going to improve performance. As long as it is a speed class 10 card, you will be fine. My recommendation is the PNY Elite 32GB SD memory card.