Best Nikon D3200 SD Memory Card
The Nikon D3200 is able to use SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. Video and burst shooting need memory cards with fast write speeds.
The SD card you buy is a large influence on the overall performance of your camera.
If you’re in a hurry, here’s the best card you can buy for the Nikon D3200:
- 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.
Best SD Cards
In the time since the intro of Nikon D3200, the cost of SD memory cards has come way down.
Since the price range are quite low, it would not make sense to pay for anything besides a professional-quality SD card.
The best SD cards I own have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance models. I have never had a card physically fail or data errors with any of those SD cards.
Every problem I have experienced has been with cheap unbranded SD cards. Attempting to save around a buck is not worth the cost if your D3200 is not going to operate correctly.
To save money, opt for a lower capacity SD memory card from a quality company. Because of this, you will not have to be concerned about the photographs stored on the memory card.
Recommended SD Cards
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nikon D3200 SD Card Compatibility
The only memory cards compatible with the Nikon D3200 are SDXC, SDHC, and SD. Check to make sure that you have the current firmware installed on your camera for the best overall performance.
The newest cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), are unable to be used with the D3200.
Four different versions of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you need to take into consideration. SD memory cards can be recognized from the capactiy of the SD memory card.
- 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 a fast approximation of the total number of large JPEGs photos you can expect to be stored on a SD memory card:
- 16GB - 4,640 images
- 32GB - 9,280 images
- 64GB - 18,560 images
- 128GB - 37,120 images
Speed, Class, & UHS Ratings
Card Speed
The speed rating of an SD card is dependant on the sequential write and read speeds. SD card file write speed is very important for clearing the buffer for continuous shooting and recording video.
A slow card can cut down the number of continuous photos the Nikon D3200 can take. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write data to the card quickly enough.
With video, a slow card can cause an abrupt end to shooting. The video file could also be corrupted. If you are going to capture video, it is crucial 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 read speed will decrease the transfer time.
Speed Class Rating
The continuous write speed of a card is represented by the Class rating. SD cards that have a write speed of at least 10MB/s are rated as 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-name SD memory card that you can purchase online will be Class 10. You can check the class rating of a memory card by searching for a number inside of the C on the front.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is built into SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC memory cards. The UHS bus cards to have faster transfer rates.
Three separate specifications exist. They are called UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
Look at the label to figure out the UHS rating of a memory card. The presence of a Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that will be the rating 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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