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Best Sony A7RII SD Memory Cards

     1181 words  6 minutes 
Avoid problems or reduced performance in your Sony A7RII by choosing the best memory card. You can choose between SD and PRO Duo, but one is more expensive.

Two different kinds of memory cards can be used with the Sony A7RII. Sony PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, and XC-HG Duo will work in plus SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

The camera only has just one memory card slot. You will need to make a choice between an SD or PRO Duo card.

Sony developed and is the owner of the PRO Duo memory card format. As a result, SD cards are less expensive and frequently have better performance than PRO Duo cards.

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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 brands that produce the best Memory cards. The best memory cards I have owned have been SanDisk Extreme Pro cards.

That does not mean you need to purchase a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A7RII. Just make sure the name is cool. That will ensure you get fast read/write speeds, dust resistance, and other features.

I have not run into errors with Lexar Professional or PNY Elite Performance memory cards.

The issues I have encountered with memory cards has been when I have used low priced generic brands. A low cost card increases the chance of data corruption or card errors.

If you would like to spend less money, don’t buy a cheap card. You will be better off purchasing a high-quality SD card with a smaller 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.

SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards can be used with the Sony A7RII. Use a SD memory card to get the best overall performance out of the A7RII.

The latest SDUC cards won’t work with the A7RII.

There are four different specs of SD (Secure Digital) cards. Newer card specs add tech that allows for greater 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.

Speed ratings of an SD memory card is dependant on the sequential read and write speeds. SD memory card continuous write speed is very important for video in addition to continuous shooting.

Slows cards can decrease the number of continuous photos the Sony A7RII can capture. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write to the memory card quickly enough.

When shooting video, a slow memory card can cause an unexpected end to recording. The video file may also be corrupted. If you intend to record video, it is critical the SD card you use meets the required minimum continuous write speed for video.

Read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a memory card with a fast read speed will cut down on the time it takes the transfer to finish.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

A memory card is labeled with a Class rating based on the sustained write speed of the card. Class 10 is the top rating, even though memory cards are made that have a faster read/write speed.

Here you can see all of the Classes and their 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

Any memory card worth buying for the Sony A7RII will be a Class 10 card. In the time period since the announcement of the camera, Cards have gotten much faster.

UHS-I Rating
UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is found in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. The UHS bus memory cards to achieve faster read and write speeds.

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

You can find out the rating of a memory card by examining the front of the memory card. If there is aRoman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD card, that is the UHS rating of your SD 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 Duo or PRO-HG Duo cards can be used in the Sony A7RII. 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 have to hand over more money to get a PRO Duo card than a similar SD memory card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card for use in a A7RII.

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

That explains all of the vital features you need to check about SD and PRO Duo cards.

Updated on 2022-10-12
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