Best Nikon D40 SD Memory Cards

The Nikon D40 requires SD memory cards. The camera can use SD and SDHC cards. This means the largest capacity SD card that will work in the D40 is 32GB.

SD memory cards labeled as SDUC or SDXC won’t work in the D40. These cards will be At least 64GB or bigger, so they can easily be avoided.

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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.

Here are some options to choose between that will function correctly in the D40. With any of the cards below, you will not have to be worried about memory card failure or reduced capabilities.

PNY Elite 32GB SD Memory Card
PNY Elite 32GB SD Card
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  • 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

SanDisk Ultra 32GB UHS-I SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 32GB SD Card
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  • 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.

Samsung EVO Plus 32GB SD Memory Card
Samsung EVO Plus 32GB SD Card
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  • 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.

Lexar, PNY, Samsung, and SanDisk both make first-class memory cards. Cheap no-name brands should be avoided.

Low-cost cards are more inclined to encounter file corruption, meaning you can lose all of your photographs saved on the card. The decrease in the level of quality is not worth the minimal amount of savings.

In the event that you want to reduce costs, buy a memory card with a smaller capacity. They will be a little cheaper and you won’t have to worry about the SD card losing your photographs.

Understand that, SD card problems are unlikely to occur. Just two cards have become corrupted out of the various I have possessed over many years. Age could have played a part, as the SD cards were included with previously owned digital cameras.

Currently, four separate technical specs of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards are currently available. The Nikon D40 uses SD memory cards. Each updated memory card specification advances the transfer rates and maximum capacity when compared to the earlier standard.

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 card reader in the Nikon D40 will only work with the initial two SD card specs. SDXC or SDUC SD memory cards are not going to operate correctly.

  • Secure Digital (SD) - These memory cards have a maximum capacity of 2GB and are compatible with the D40.
  • Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) - The capacity of these memory cards range from 4GB to 32GB and are also compatible with the D40.
  • 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.
SD card contacts
SD Card Contacts

Attempting to use an SD card that has a storage capacity of 64GB or larger in the D40 will result in the digital point and shoot camera to display an error.

Use a memory card which has a capacity of 32GB or smaller to prevent the error.

If you are using an SD memory card that has a storage capacity less than 32GB, and it is not working correctly, try to format the SD card in the camera.

This is an estimate of how many large JPEGs you could expect to store on an SD memory card.

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

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

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

The Class speed rating of an SD memory card is based on 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 highest rating a memory card can receive is Class 10. There are SD cards that are substantially faster than 10MB/s. Those SD memory cards use other technologies, such as UHS (Ultra Highspeed Bus), which use a different rating standards.

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.

Buy an SD memory card for the Nikon D40 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.