Best Nikon D7100 SD Memory Cards
SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are meant to operate in the Nikon D7100. Continuous shooting and video need cards with high write speeds.
The functionality of your camera can be spoiled by using an inadequate SD memory card.
If you are in a rush, here’s the best card you can buy for the Nikon D7100:
- 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.
Dual Card Slots
Do Both Memory Card Slots Need to be Used?
No, the camera can be used with just one card. When you use two cards you will have more options.
- Mirror the Cards. Both memory cards will have the same files written to them.
- Overflow. Once the first card is full, files will be written to the second card.
- RAW+JPEG. Raw files will be written to one card and JPEGs of the same images will be written to the second card.
Do SD Cards Need to be the Same?
No, the cards do not need to match. You can use Compact Flash memory cards that have different storage capacities.
Having both Compact Flash cards be identical helps to prevent potential compatibility problems. As an example, one slow SD card can slow down the camera’s memory buffer.
Recommended SD Cards
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
- 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 SD Card
- 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.
Best SD Cards
SD cards have greatly reduced in price the time since the launch of the Nikon D7100.
Seeing as how low prices are, it would not be intelligent to spend money on anything other than a professional-level card.
The best SD cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance models. I have not had a card become inoperable or corrupted data with those memory cards.
All the issues I have encountered has been when using generic unbranded cards. Trying to save a little bit of money is not worthwhile if your D7100 does not operate properly.
To save some money, opt for a smaller storage capacity card from a high-quality manufacturer. That way, you will know your photographs are safe and sound on the SD card.
Nikon D7100 SD Card Compatibility
Only SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards can be used by the Nikon D7100. Make sure you have the most recent firmware installed on your camera for the best overall performance.
The newest cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), are not able to be used in the D7100.
There are four separate types of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you should pay attention to. You can recognize the cards depending 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.
Image Capacity
The following is a quick estimation of how many large JPEGs pictures you can be expecting to be saved on a SD card:
- 16GB - 4,640 images
- 32GB - 9,280 images
- 64GB - 18,560 images
- 128GB - 37,120 images
Speed, Class, & UHS Ratings
Card Speed
Speed ratings of an SD memory card is dependant on the sequential write and read transfer speeds of the card. SD card write speed is critical for clearing the camera buffer for continuous shooting and recording video.
Slows cards can cut down the number of continuous images the Nikon D7100 can capture. This is because the camera’s buffer will not be able to write to the card fast enough.
With video, a slow card can cause a sudden end to shooting. The video file might also be corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is crucial the SD card you use meets the minimum requirements of the D7100.
Read speed is nice to have for file transfers to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a card with a fast transfer speed will decrease the transfer time.
Speed Class Rating
The continuous write speed of a card is the criteria for the Class rating. Memory cards that have a minimum 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 of SD memory card that you can find for sale today will be Class 10. You can check the class rating of a SD card by searching for a number inside of the C on the front.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus comes in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC memory cards. The UHS bus makes it possible for increased data transfer rates.
Three separate specifications have been created. The versions are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
To find out the UHS rating of a memory card, look at the front of the card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD card, that is going to be the UHS 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
Related Cameras
Taking the details into consideration, the 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is the best memory card for the Nikon D7100. The SD memory card also has good compatibility with other cameras.
Here are more posts on digital cameras with similar specifications as the D7100: