Best Nikon Coolpix P500 SD Memory Cards

SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are compatible with the Nikon P500. An SD memory card with fast enough write speeds is necessary for video and continuous shooting.

An incorrect memory card can greatly decrease the performance of your camera.

If you’re in a rush, here’s the best memory card you can buy for the Nikon P500:

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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.

Since the launch of Nikon P500, the cost of SD memory cards has dropped.

With prices becoming quite cheap, it is not going to make financial sense to buy anything besides a high-quality SD memory card.

SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance cards have superb performance and dependability. I have never endured unusable data or a card become inoperable with those memory cards.

Each and every hassle I have dealt with has been due to no-name unbranded cards. Hoping to save a small amount of money isn’t worth it if your P500 will not function as expected.

A good way to spend less money is to buy a lower storage capacity card from a quality company. By making that choice, you’ll know your images are safe and sound 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.

The only memory cards that will work in the Nikon P500 are SDXC, SDHC, and SD. For best performance, make sure your camera is using the most recent firmware installed.

The newest memory cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), can’t be used in the P500.

Four different kinds of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you should take into consideration. You can recognize them based on their storage capacity.

  • 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 the total number of large JPEGs shots you should be expecting to be stored on a memory 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 determined by the continuous write and read speeds. Card continuous write speed is essential for continuous shooting as well as video.

Slows SD cards can decrease the number of continuous images the Nikon P500 can capture. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write data to the card fast enough.

When recording video, a slow memory card can cause an unexpected end to recording. The video file may also end up being corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is critical the card you use meets the required write speed for video.

Card read speed is important for file transfers to a computer. If you have cards that are full, a card with a fast transfer speed will decrease the amount of time it takes the transfer to complete.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

A card receives a Class rating determined by its sustained write speed. Cards that have a minimum write speed of at least 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 brand of SD card that you can buy online will be rated Class 10. You can determine the class rating of a memory card by searching for a number inside of a C on the label.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed bus (UHS) is built into SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC memory cards. UHS cards to achieve increased write speeds.

Three different specifications have been created. They are called UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

Look at the front of the card to determine the UHS rating of a card. If the card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III can be seen on the front of the SD 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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