Nothing is ever easy nowadays, with so much choice and the advancement of technology, buying a simple memory card for your camera is often a difficult decision. There are so many different types out there, so how does one know which is the right one for them? A card comes with the following criteria: type, speed, price, capacity. So, these are all things that you need to be thinking about when it comes to selecting the right SD card for your camera.
You can’t just pick the first one you come across, you need to look at what the best sd cards are, and what is the right one for you and your camera. Spend a little time researching each one before you buy it, consider what you need it for, and which would be better suited. Obviously though, you will have to think about the price and what you can afford. If you want something with a high speed and high capacity, then that could be expensive. So, sometimes you might have to strike a balance between both and compromise on something.
Capacity
You can’t do photography without a memory card; you need one to store data. How much data though, depends on the card that you get. This is where capacity comes in. This one is straightforward, and not something that you will need to think about for too long. The simplest way to think of it, is that a 32GB memory card can hold up to 1000 RAW photographs. A 16GB can hold up to 500 RAW photographs and so on.
You will obviously need to think about what you shoot in though, e.g. if you shoot in jpeg format then a 32GB card can hold around 3200 photographs. But this is assuming that you have your jpeg setting as fine in detail and large in file size. As a photographer you should have a good idea of how many photos you normally take, and what capacity you need, so this shouldn’t be too hard a decision. If you’re new to photography though, then you can choose either, the decision is up to you.
Type
There are so many different types of memory cards, that choosing the right one can be a challenge just because of all the different types. You’ve got the Micro SD card, SD card, CF card, M2 (from Sony). However, there are only 3 types of cards that are being primarily used in the photography world – you’ve got the Secure Digital (SD) card, Eye-fi card and Compact Flash (CF) card. These are the main three that are used.
Each differ though, which is why it’s up to you to decide what is the right one. For example, a Micro SD card is mainly used in smartphones to store music and apps, whereas an SD card is widely used in digital cameras. However, the constraint in using this card is the capacity of the card, which is why many people are now using an Eye-fi card. These are unique SD cards that come with built in Wi-Fi. This means that you can transfer the data to your computer and then clear the memory of your camera as you shoot, meaning that you won’t have to replace your memory card.
Price
The main thing that will probably influence your decision though, is the price that you are willing to pay. When it comes to price, normally the fastest card is the primary criteria which decides the price. After that though, the next deciding factor for what card photographers should get is the capacity. For example, an SD card is normally 50% of the price of a CF card that has the same capacity. So, if you want to buy a high-speed card with same capacity you will need to pay more.
But you might find, that if you want to get a high capacity card but don’t want to spend a lot on it, then you could always get one that has a lower speed. Some people are happy to do this as they don’t mind this compromise. Obviously though the decision is up to you, and you need to get what you are happy with. Don’t forget though that it’s not just the memory card that you need to worry about. You’ll also have to make sure that you have the right equipment to help you take the perfect photos as well. Why not check out this article here about how to use an external flash with your camera, as it doesn’t matter what equipment you have, you need to be able to use it well.