Sony A-Mount Camera Memory Cards

Most Sony A-mount cameras can use two types of memory cards, SD and Sony PRO Duo. Four older models can use CompactFlash or PRO Duo cards.

SD cards are fast, inexpensive, and easy to find. There are 4 specifications, but only SDHC and SDXC matter for compatibility. SD card standards are based on storage capacity. SDHC has a maxium capacity of 32GB, which is the only cutoff you need to know.

Sony PRO Duo cards are a proprietary memory card format that is slow and expensive. They are difficult to find because they have been discontinued. I do not recommend buying Sony PRO Duo or PRO-HG Duo memory cards. They can only be used in other Sony products.

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Camera Model Memory Card Compatibility

Cameras can use previous SD card standards. For example, a Sony A99 would be able to use a 32GB SDHC or 2GB SD card.

Using a 64GB SD card in a Sony A200 is likely to cause errors. This is because the camera cannot address that amount of memory.

Recommended SDXC Cards

SDXC and PRO Duo. (Maximum compatible capacity 2TB):

As long as the card has UHS-I it will be fast enough. I suggest buying the least expensive card from SanDisk, Lexar, PNY, or Transcend.

Any advertised speed difference will not be noticeable in use.

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Recommended SDHC Cards

SDHC and PRO Duo. (Maximum compatible capacity 32GB):

Cards with a capacity less than 32GB are often the same price or more expensive. As long as the card has UHS-I, it will be more than fast enough.

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Recommended CompactFlash Cards

CompactFlash and PRO Duo:

• Sony A100
• Sony A700
• Sony A850
• Sony A900

The A100 is compatible with CompactFlash cards up to 32GB in capacity.

Using a card with a larger capacity than that will cause an error to be displayed. The is because the camera uses the FAT32 file system. It does not have the ability to access larger amounts of storage.

I recommend using a SD card to CF adapter if you don’t already have a CF card. It is less expensive to buy a adapter and SD card than a 32GB CompactFlash card. At higher capacities the price difference between SD and CF is large.

In my testing, both maxed out at 20MB/s continuous write speeds.

SD Card Compatibility

Currently, there are four different specifications of SD (Secure Digital) cards. New memory specifications increase tech that provides for greater memory capacity and greatly improve data transfer rates.

• Secure Digital (SD) - 128MB to 2GB.
• Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) - 4GB to 32GB.
• Secure Digital eXtended Capacity (SDXC) - 64GB to 2TB.
• Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) - 4TB to 128TB.

SD Card Speed

Speed ratings of an SD card is determined by the sequential write and read speeds. SD memory card write speed is essential for continuous shooting and video.

A slow memory card can cause a drop in the number of continuous images a camera can take. This is because the buffer in the camera is not able to write data to the card fast enough.

Card read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a SD card with a fast read speed will decrease the transfer time.

Ultra High Speed (UHS)

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is available in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. UHS cards to have increased read and write speeds.

Three different specs exist. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

Look at the front of the memory card to figure out the rating of a card. If the card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III will be on the front of the 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

Storage Capacity

Below is an approximation of how many JPEG images can be stored on a memory card with the given capacity.

• 16GB - 4,640 images
• 32GB - 9,280 images
• 64GB - 18,560 images
• 128GB - 37,120 images
• 256GB - 74,240 images