The Sony A6000 is able to use two different kinds of memory cards. Sony PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, and XC-HG Duo can be used with as well as SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.
There is a single memory card slot in the A6000. You'll have to pick between an SD or PRO Duo memory card.
Sony is the sole owner of the PRO Duo memory card format. Due to that, SD memory cards are lower priced and can offer considerably better performance than PRO Duo memory cards.
Need a card now? My advice is to use this SD memory card to use in the A6000:
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD Card
- Best value for the money.
- Capacities from 32 GB to 2TB.
- Transfer speeds up to 170 MB/s.
- Class 10 & UHS-I
- Temperature Proof, Water Proof, Shock Proof, and X-ray Proof.
Table of Contents
Best SD Cards
SanDisk, Lexar, and PNY are brands that produce the best Memory cards. The best SD cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards.
That does not mean you need to purchase a card from SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-6000. Make sure the name sounds impressive. That will make sure you get fast transfer speeds, water resistance, and more features.
I have not had issues with Lexar Professional or PNY Elite Performance memory cards.
The problems I have experienced with SD cards has been when low priced generic brands were used. Being cheap increases the possibility of card errors or corrupted data.
If you are looking to save money, don't buy a generic card. You will avoid problems by purchasing a name brand memory card with a smaller capacity.
Recommended SD Cards
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD Card
- Best value for the money.
- Capacities from 32 GB to 2TB.
- Transfer speeds up to 170 MB/s.
- Class 10 & UHS-I.
- Temperature Proof, Water Proof, Shock Proof, and X-ray Proof.
Lexar Professional 1066x 128GB SD Card
- Lexar Professional Silver Card.
- Transfer speeds up to 160 MB/s.
- Class 10 & UHS-I.
- Includes Lexar Recovery Tool Software.
- Designed for durability in harsh conditions.
Check price at: Amazon, Adorama, eBay
PNY Elite Performance 128GB SD Card
- Lower priced card.
- Transfer speeds up to 95 MB/s.
- Class 10 & UHS-I.
- Magnet, Shock, Temperature, and Waterproof.
Check price at: Amazon, Adorama, eBay
Sony A6000 SD Card Compatibility
SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards are usable in the Sony A6000. Use an SD card to get the best overall performance from the A6000.
The newest SDUC memory cards are not supported by the A6000.
There are four different specifications of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. New memory specs increase tech that allows for increased memory capacity as well as improved 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. The speed of a SD memory card is essential for video as well as continuous shooting.
Slows cards can cause a reduction in the number of continuous images the Sony A6000 can take. This is because the camera's buffer will not be able to write data to the card fast enough.
With video, a slow card can cause an abrupt end to recording. The video file may also be corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is important the SD card you use meets the minimum requirements of the camera.
Read speed is important for file transfers to a computer or laptop. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a memory card with a fast read speed will reduce the transfer time.
Speed Class Rating
The Sony A6000 requires no less than a Class 4 SD card.
An SD memory card is assigned a Class rating based on the sustained continuous data write speed of the memory card. Class 10 is the maximum rating, even though cards can be purchased that are far faster.
Here are all of the Class ratings and the corresponding 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 card worth ordering for the Sony A6000 will be a Class 10 memory card. In the time since the camera was released, Memory cards have gotten so much faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is available in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. The UHS bus cards to achieve increased transfer rates.
Three separate versions exist. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
Look at the front of the SD card to determine the UHS rating of a memory 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
Sony A6000 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
The Sony A6000 can use a PRO Duo or PRO-HG Duo cards. What PRO-HG signifies is that the memory card has a minimum read speed of 50mb/s and a 15mb/s minimum write speed.
Sony Pro Duo memory cards are quite often double the price of an SD memory card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card for use in an A6000.
Image Capacity
Below is an approximate estimation of how many large JPEG images you can expect to store on each size of SD card.
- 32GB - 9,280 images
- 64GB - 18,560 images
- 128GB - 37,120 images
- 256GB - 74,240 images
- 512GB - 148,4800 images
Related Cameras
That covers all of the fundamental technical specs you need to find out about SD and PRO Duo memory cards. The SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB is the best Sony ILCE-6000 memory card.
Here are a few more cameras that use similar memory cards as the Sony A6000:
