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Best Sony A7SII SD Memory Cards

     1158 words  6 minutes 
Avoid problems or reduced performance in your Sony A7SII by choosing the best memory card. You can choose between SD and PRO Duo, but one is more expensive.

Two different types of memory cards will work in the Sony A7SII. SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards are compatible as well as Sony PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, and XC-HG Duo cards.

You’ll find just one card slot in the camera. You will need to choose between a PRO Duo or SD card.

Sony is the sole owner of the PRO Duo memory card format. Due to that, SD memory cards are more cost-effective and can offer considerably 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 manufacturers that produce high-quality SD cards. The best memory cards I have used have been SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards.

That does not mean you need to purchase a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A7SII. Look for memory cards with cool-sounding names. That will ensure you get fast transfer rates, shock resistance, and more features.

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

The problems I have had with SD cards has been when I have used low priced no name brands. A low cost card increases the chance of card errors or data corruption.

If you would like to spend less money, don’t buy a generic card. You will be better off purchasing a name brand 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 are usable in the Sony A7SII. Use a SD memory card to get the optimal overall performance from the A7SII.

The latest SDUC memory cards are not compatible with the A7SII.

Currently, there are four different specs of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. New card specifications add more features that allows for more storage space as well as improved 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.

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

A slow SD card can reduce the number of continuous images the Sony A7SII can take. This is because the buffer in the camera is not able to write to the card fast enough.

With video, a slow memory card can cause a sudden end to the recording. The video file may also end up being corrupted. If you intend to record video, it is essential the SD card you use meets the minimum requirements of the camera.

Card 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 time it takes the transfer to complete.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

A SD memory card gets a Class rating based on the sustained continuous data write speed of the card. Class 10 is the best rating, even though cards can be purchased that have a improved transfer rate.

Here are all of the Class ratings and 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 SD card worth ordering for the Sony A7SII will be a Class 10 card. In the short time since the camera was made, Memory cards have gotten a good deal faster.

UHS-I Rating
UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is available in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. UHS cards to achieve increased transfer rates.

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

Look at the front of the card to determine the UHS rating of a card. If the memory card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III can be seen on the SD card label.

  • 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

The Sony A7SII is able to use a PRO Duo or PRO-HG Duo memory cards. PRO-HG signifies the memory card may have read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed.

Sony Pro Duo cards are usually twice as expensive as an SD memory card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo memory card for use in a A7SII.

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

At this point you understand just about everything about PRO Duo and SD cards.

Updated on 2022-10-12
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