Sony A6500 Memory Card Compatibility
Two different types of memory cards are compatible with the Sony A6500. SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards can be used plus Sony PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo memory.
The A6500 only has just one memory card slot. You will need to choose between a PRO Duo or SD memory card.
Sony created and owns the PRO Duo memory card format. Because of this, SD memory cards are more affordable and can offer considerably better performance than PRO Duo cards.
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- 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
SanDisk, Lexar, and PNY are manufacturers that make the best SD cards. The best memory cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards.
That does not mean you need to buy a card from SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A6500. Just make sure the name sounds cool. That will make sure you get fast read/write rates, dust resistance, and other professional features.
I have not had problems with PNY Elite Performance or Lexar Professional memory cards.
When I have encountered problems with SD cards has been when low priced brands were used. Not having a brand name increases the possibility of card errors or data corruption.
If you want to spend less money, don’t buy a cheap card. You will avoid problems by buying a high-quality card with a smaller storage capacity.
Recommended SD Cards
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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.
- 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.
Sony A6500 SD Card Compatibility
SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards can be used by the Sony A6500. Use a card to get the maximum overall performance from the A6500.
The latest SDUC memory cards can’t be used with the A6500.
There are four different specs of SD (Secure Digital) memory cards. Newer memory specs add features that provides for more storage space as well as 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.
SD Card Speed
Speed ratings of an SD memory card is dependant on the sequential write and read speeds. The speed of a SD memory card is essential for clearing the buffer for continuous shooting and recording video.
A slow card can cause a drop in the number of continuous frames the Sony A6500 can take. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write data to the card quickly enough.
With video, a slow card can cause an unexpected end to shooting. The video file may also end up being corrupted. If you intend to shoot video, it is essential the memory card you use meets the minimum requirements of the camera.
Read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a card with a fast read speed will reduce the transfer time.
Speed Class Rating
A SD card gets a Class rating based on the sustained transfer rate of the card. Class 10 is the top rating, even though SD cards exist that are considerably faster.
Here you can see a list of the Classes and the associated minimum 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
Virtually any memory card worth picking out for the Sony A6500 will be a Class 10 SD card. In the time since the release of the camera, SD memory cards have gotten a good deal faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is available in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. UHS cards to have increased transfer rates.
Three different versions exist. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
You can find out the UHS rating of a SD memory card by reading the front of the SD card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the label, that will 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
Sony A6500 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
The Sony A6500 may use one PRO-HG Duo or PRO Duo memory cards. PRO-HG signifies the memory card may have read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed.
You have to pay more money to get a PRO Duo card than an equal SD card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card for use in a A6500.
Image Capacity
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
Related Cameras
At this point you have learned just about everything about SD and PRO Duo cards.