
The Canon PowerShot S90 uses SD memory cards. 32GB is the biggest capacity SD card that will work in the PowerShot S90. MMCplus and MultiMediaCard (MMC) can also be used in the camera.
SD memory cards that satisfy the SDUC or SDXC requirements are not going to work properly in the PowerShot S90. These cards can be easily avoided as they have a storage capacity of 64GB or larger.
If you are in a rush, here are the best memory card you can get for the Canon PowerShot S90:
- Best value for the money.
- Read speeds of up to 95MB/s; write speeds of up to 90MB/s.
- Shock-proof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and x-ray proof.
- UHS speed Class 3 (U3) and UHS video speed Class 30 (V30).
64GB or larger cards are not compatible with the camera.
Table of Contents
Recommended PowerShot S90 SD Cards
Below are SD cards that will work correctly in the PowerShot S90. With all of the cards outlined below, you will not have to stress out over memory card data corruption or poor capabilities.
SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC UHS-I
- Best value for the money.
- Read speeds of up to 95MB/s; write speeds of up to 90MB/s.
- Shock-proof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and x-ray proof.
- UHS speed Class 3 (U3) and UHS video speed Class 30 (V30).
- 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.
Lexar Professional 633X 32GB SDHC UHS-I
- High-speed, Class 10 performance.
- UHS-I technology for a read transfer speed up to 633x (95MB/s).
- High-speed file transfer from card to computer to dramatically accelerate workflow.
Best SD Cards
Make sure to buy a card from a brand name with a strong reputation, particularly Lexar or SanDisk. Avoid picking cards from inexpensive no-name brand names.
Memory card issues, such as a loss of all your photographs as a consequence of data corruption, is more likely to happen with cut-rate cards. The reduction in build quality is not worth the tiny cost savings.
The smart way to save a small amount of money is to get hold of a card with a smaller capacity. They probably will be slightly cheaper and you will not have to stress out about the SD card losing your photographs.
Keep in mind, SD card problems are rare. Only only two cards have become corrupted out of the dozens I have owned over many years. Age could have added to the failure, as the SD cards were bundled with pre-owned digital point & shoots.
Canon PowerShot S90 SD Card Compatibility
The Canon PowerShot S90 is only capable of using SD memory cards. There are 4 different technical specs of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. The benefit is that there is an increase in the read/write speeds and max capacity with the release of each updated specification.
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.
A camera that is able to use larger capacity SD memory cards is the Canon Rebel T6i. Here are the best lenses for the Canon Rebel T6i.
The card reader in the Canon PowerShot S90 can only read the initial two SD card technical specs. SDUC or SDXC cards will not work.
- Secure Digital (SD) - These memory cards have a maximum capacity of 2GB and are compatible with the PowerShot S90.
- Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) - The capacity of these memory cards range from 4GB to 32GB and are also compatible with the PowerShot S90.
- 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 PowerShot S90 Memory Card Full Error

Attempting to use an SD memory card that has a storage capacity of 64GB or larger in the PowerShot S90 will cause the point and shoot camera to display an error.
Use a memory card which has a storage capacity of 32GB or less to prevent the problem.
If you have a memory card that has a storage capacity less than 32GB, and the card is not functioning correctly, try to format the card in the camera.
Speed, Class, & Capacity
SD Card Image Capacity
This is a quick estimate of the number of large JPEGs you can expect to keep on an SD memory card.
- 4GB - 1920 images
- 8GB - 3840 images
- 16GB - 7680 images
- 32GB - 15360 images
Memory Card Speed
The speed rating for SD cards is established by sequential read and write speeds. The speed of the SD memory card is important when many photographs need to be written to the memory card.
SD Card Speed Class Rating

The Class speed rating of an SD card is dependant on the sustained write speed of the SD card. A Class speed rating of 2 means that the card can sustain 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 highest rating an SD memory card can get is Class 10. There are memory cards that are much faster than 10MB/s. Those memory cards use other solutions, such as UHS (Ultra Highspeed Bus), which uses a separate rating specification.
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
In 1997, the MultiMediaCard standard was unveiled by SanDisk and Siemens AG. MMC cards appear to be a thinner SD card.
The first two generations of MMC cards are going to work correctly in the Canon PowerShot S90. That consists of the 1st cards labeled as MMC and the 2nd gen MMCplus memory cards. Later generations are not going to function correctly in the Canon PowerShot S90
It is not a smart choice to buy any MMC cards. Suitable MMC cards for the PowerShot S90 are not presently being produced. Hence, they are hard to purchase used and unaffordable.
Conclusion
The best SD memory card for the Canon PowerShot S90 is the SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SD Memory Card. However, the Lexar Professional 32GB SD Memory Card offers the best value.