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Sony A3000 Memory Card Compatibility

     1151 words  6 minutes 
Don't overpay or get a slow memory card for your Sony A3000. SD or PRO Duo cards can be used, but one is a far better choice.

The Sony A3000 is able to use two different types of memory cards. SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards are compatible as well as Sony PRO-HG Duo and PRO Duo memory.

The A3000 only has one memory card slot. You’ll need to make a choice between a PRO Duo or SD memory card.

PRO Duo cards are a proprietary format that is owned by Sony. SD cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD cards are noticeably faster as well as being cheaper.

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SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.

SanDisk, Lexar, and PNY are manufacturers that produce the best Memory cards. The best SD cards I have owned have been SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards.

That does not mean you need to purchase a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A3000. Make sure the name sounds impressive. That will mean you get fast transfer rates, water resistance, and other features.

I have not had problems with PNY Elite Performance or Lexar Professional memory cards.

When I have had problems with cards has been when I have used low priced generic brands. Being cheap increases the possibility of data corruption or card errors.

If you would like to save money, don’t buy a generic card. You will be better off purchasing a professional-quality memory card with a smaller storage capacity.

Affiliate Advertising Disclosure

Outside the Shot is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase. I also participate in affiliate advertising programs with KEH and Adorama. More can be found on the Affiliate Discolsure page.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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
PNY Elite-X 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.

SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards can be used by the Sony A3000. Use a memory card to get the maximum performance from the camera.

The most recent SDUC cards can’t be used with the A3000.

Currently, there are four different specs of SD (Secure Digital) cards. New memory specifications add more tech that allows for greater memory capacity and greatly improve 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.

The speed rating of an SD memory card is determined by the sequential read and write speeds. The speed of a SD card is important for video in addition to continuous shooting.

A slow memory card can cut down the number of continuous frames the Sony A3000 can take. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write to the card quickly enough.

With video, a slow card can cause a sudden end to shooting. The video file might also end up being corrupted. If you are going to capture video, it is essential the card you use meets the required continuous write speed for video.

Read speed is important for transferring files to a computer. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a SD card with a fast read speed will decrease the time it takes the transfer to finish.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

A SD card is assigned a Class rating based on the continuous data write speed of the memory card. Class 10 is the highest rating, even though memory cards can be purchased that are considerably faster.

Here is a list of the Classes and associated lowest read/write speeds:

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

Practically every memory card worth ordering for the Sony A3000 will be a Class 10 card. In the time since the camera was launched, Memory cards have gotten so much faster.

UHS-I Rating
UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus comes in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. The UHS bus allows provides a way to improve data transfer rates.

Three separate versions exist. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

To figure out the rating of a SD card, look on the label. The presence of aRoman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that will be the rating of your 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

One PRO-HG Duo or PRO Duo cards can be used in the Sony A3000. What PRO-HG signifies is that the memory card has a minimum read speed of 50mb/s and a 15mb/s minimum write speed.

You will need to pay more to purchase a Sony PRO Duo card than a similar SD memory card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo memory card for use in a A3000.

SD Card Contacts
SD Card Contacts

Below is an approximate estimation of how many large JPEG images you can expect to store on each size of SD card.

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

There is nothing more you need to learn about PRO Duo and SD cards.

Updated on 2022-10-11
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