Best Nikon Coolpix L820 SD Memory Cards

SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are compatible with the Nikon L820. An SD memory card with fast enough write speeds is crucial for burst shooting and video.

The functionality of your camera can be greatly reduced by using the wrong SD memory card.

Want to skip the tech specs? This is my suggestion on the memory card to use with the Nikon L820:

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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.

Cards have come way down in price the time since the introduction of the Nikon L820.

Due to the price range being low, it will not make sense to invest in anything but a professional-level SD card.

The best cards I own have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance models. I have not experienced a card break or data errors with those SD memory cards.

Every one of the problems I have had has been with no-name unbranded cards. Seeking to save a buck isn’t worth the cost if your L820 is likely to experience problems.

To cut costs, find a smaller capacity card from a quality manufacturer. By doing this, you’ll not have to fret about the photos stored on the 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.

Only SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards can be used by the Nikon L820. For best performance, ensure that your camera is using the most up to date firmware installed.

The newest SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) memory cards, are not able to be used in the L820.

You need to know of the 4 kinds of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards that can be found. You can recognize them according to their storage size.

  • 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

Here’s an estimation of the volume of large JPEGs photos you should expect to store on a card:

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

Speed ratings of an SD memory card is classified by the sequential read and write speeds of the card. Memory card file write speed is important for clearing the buffer for continuous shooting as well as recording video.

A slow card can cause a reduction in the number of continuous frames the Nikon L820 can capture. This is due to the camera’s buffer not being able to write to the card fast enough.

With video, a slow card can cause an abrupt end to shooting. The video file might also be corrupted. If you intend to record video, it is important the SD card you use meets the minimum requirements of the L820.

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 transfer speed will decrease the transfer time.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

An SD memory card receives a Class rating according to its continuous write speed. Cards that have a write speed of 10MB/s will be labeled 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 card that you can get will be rated Class 10. You can locate the class rating of a SD card by finding a number inside of a C on the front.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus comes in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC memory cards. The UHS bus allows offers a way to increase file transfer rates.

Three separate versions have been specified. The versions are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

To find out the rating of a SD card, look at the label. The presence of a Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that is going to be the UHS rating of the SD 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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