Don't Overpay for a Sony A99 Memory Card

The Sony A99 uses SD memory cards. It can use cards with a maximum capacity of 2TB.

It was released in 2012. SD card have gotten much better since than.

Any UHS-I SD card will be fast enough. 128GB is a good size.

It can also use Sony PRO Duo memory cards. They have been discontinued.

SD cards are faster, cheaper, and have larger storage capacities. The only reason to use a PRO Duo card is if you already have one.

Sony A99 SD Card Compatibility

The Sony A99 is compatible with the SD, SDHC, and SDXC standards.

Check to make sure the camera has the latest firmware.

The newest SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) cards will not work with the A99. They are too large.

• 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.

Image Capacity

Here’s the approximate image capacity for high-quality JPEGs from the 24.3 megapixel sensor:

• 32GB - 4,400
• 64GB - 8,800
• 128GB - 17,600
• 256GB - 35,200
• 256GB - 70,400

Card Speed Class

Class rating is determined by sustained write speed. The rating will be shown as a number inside of a C on the label.

For example, as card that could write data at 5MB/s would get a Class 4 rating.

Class 10 card are likely much faster than 10MB/s. That’s why there are additional ratings for high resolution video.

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

Recommended SD Cards

Any new card will be fast enough for photos and video.

Don’t pay for a super fast card. The A99 can’t write data that fast.

Don’t buy a UHS-II card. The A99 doesn’t have the hardware to take advantage of the extra speed.

Don’t buy a used card. There is no way to find out how much life is left.

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Lexar Professional 128GB

• UHS-I, U3, and V30 Speed Rating. Can sustain 30MB/s write speeds.
• Excellent choice for photos.
• Capable of recording 4k Video.
• Larger capacities are available.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB

• 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

• 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

• 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.

Sony A99 PRO Duo Memory Stick Compatibility

The Sony A99 can use PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo Memory Sticks. Those are a proprietary memory card format that Sony has discontinued.

PRO-HG are the fastest with read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed. The largest capacity available is 64GB. Expect to pay at least twice as much as an SD card.

If you have a Memory Stick, go ahead and use it.

I would not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card. SD cards are easier to find, less expensive, come in larger capacities, and are compatible with more devices.

Ultra High Speed (UHS)

The Ultra High Speed bus (UHS) is available in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC memory cards. The UHS bus cards to achieve increased transfer rates.

Three different versions exist. The versions are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

You can figure out the rating of a memory card by examining the front of the SD card. If the card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III will be 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