Olympus E-M1 Memory Card Compatibility
The Olympus E-M1 may use SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards. For video and burst shooting, it is necessary the memory card you use has a fast write speed.
An incorrect memory card can greatly reduce the overall performance of your camera.
If you’re in a hurry, here’s the best card you can buy for the Olympus E-M1:
- 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
Like all things tech, the pricing of memory cards has greatly fallen since the release of the Olympus E-M1.
Since the price range are cheap, it will not make sense to buy anything besides a high-quality SD card.
The best cards I have owned have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance models. I have under no circumstances experienced a card become inoperable or corrupted data with those cards.
All of the hassles I have had has been when using generic unbranded SD memory cards. Trying to save a small amount of money isn’t worth the cost if your E-M1 will not operate as expected.
If you want to spend less money, buy a lower capacity card from a high-quality company. Because of this, you’ll not have to be worried 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.
Olympus E-M1 SD Card Compatibility
The only cards that will work in the Olympus E-M1 are SD, SDHC, and SDXC. Check to make sure that you have the most recent firmware installed on your camera for the best results.
The newest SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) cards, can’t be used with the E-M1.
You need to know of the four different types of Secure Digital (SD) cards that can be purchased. They are split up by capactiy.
- 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
Listed below is an estimation of the volume of high-quality JPEGs photographs you should expect to store on a memory 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 read and write transfer speeds of the card. The speed of a SD card is very important for continuous shooting in addition to video.
A slow memory card can cause a decrease in the number of continuous images the Olympus E-M1 can take. This is due to the camera’s buffer not being able to write data to the memory card quickly enough.
When recording video, a slow memory card can cause recording to stop. The video file may also be corrupted. If you intend to capture video, it is essential the card you use meets the required minimum write speed for video.
Card read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a card with a fast read speed will save you time.
Speed Class Rating
A memory card receives a Class rating in line with its sustained write speed. Memory cards that have a minimum write speed of at least 10MB/s are labeled 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 card that you can purchase will be rated Class 10. You can find the class rating of a SD memory card by searching for a number inside of the C on the sticker.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be gotten with SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. The UHS bus memory cards to have faster write speeds.
Three different versions have been specified. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
To find out the UHS rating of a memory card, look at the label. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the memory card, that will be the rating of your 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
As outlined by the topics that were covered is what makes the the 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is the best memory card for the Olympus E-M1. You’re now prepared for any future camera you own.
Listed here are more posts on cameras related to the E-M1: