Memory Cards: Which Ones Does Your Camera Support?

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Your Choices are Limited

You have decided you need a new memory card. Perhaps you feel you need an extra card or more, to take with you on a shoot. Or maybe you want a larger card so you don't have to change them out as often. Or you have always wanted to get a faster card. No matter the need, it is time to select one and wow is it confusing when you do a search. But before we delve into that how do you know which card to purchase?

Whether you have a new camera or last years model, or a 10 year old DSLR, you need to know which flash memory cards your camera body is compatible with. A recent conversation I had with a Lexar chat agent helped my decision, (well sort of) on buying a super fast card. I asked if their fast cards would work on my camera, a Canon 5D MarkII. The card I was inquiring about was their 800x Professional Compact Flash card. Why would one have to ask about this card? Well it seems a lot of us make an assumption that simply because we have a new or fairly new camera body, that we the cards we are looking at will work. After all newish should marry up with newish right? Yes and no.  Here is what you are presented with when you type "800x" into the Lexar web page search engine.

16GB Professional 800x CompactFlash



129.99
Buy now
Where to Buy  See full product description.

Looks simple enough if you like the speed and the price, but is it?  Of course not, so when you click on the See full description link, you get a lot of information that really sounds like exactly what you want but when you get to this line,

Leverages UDMA 7 technology to support the latest generation of high-resolution DSLR cameras,

you begin the journey of what could be a bit of work. Now you are faced with finding out if your camera is of the latest generation. So you go to the top of the page and clicking on Support you find a search bar or the option for a Chat window. I initially chose to search UDMA 7, because that is the class, but instead went to the FAQS column on the left and clicked, ending up with this to link to:

Memory Cards


    Instead of looking up each individual camera model, would't it be nice to find this at each manufacturer? It would really make selecting a camera and the card so easy. After just a half hour of reading up on speeds you can glance at this chart and know which speed you are likely to want. 

    At Nikon this is as close as it gets, and it is for only a single model

    http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d90/en/spec/images/memorycard_list.gif
  • CF Professional FAQs
    Once there, I found the the information I thought I needed. It stated the following:
    Which host devices in the market today are UDMA 7 compatible?
    The Canon EOS 1D-X is UDMA 7 enabled.
    The Canon EOS 7D, EOS 50D, EOS 1D Mark IV and the EOS 5D Mark II can be UDMA 7 enabled though a firmware upgrade.
    Canon EOS 7D firmware upgrade »
    Canon EOS 7D, EOS 50D, EOS 1D Mark IV and the EOS 5D Mark II firmware upgrade »

    Now in looking through the "host" devices, or cameras, I thought that's odd, only 1 camera in the entire Canon lineup is considered a "latest generation DSLR"? Now we get to the real meat of the inquiry, and I have to be honest that I'm already feeling that it should be easier than it is.

    So now I'll have to link to the website they are directing me to. And this turns out to be a website that is not from Canon, but a review site, which when linked through does not discuss the 5D MarkII at all. So now what to do? Well now I am forced to go to Canon and start this second phase of the journey all over. This is beginning to take on a real challenge. I'll cut to the chase here for brevity, but I wanted you to see how much could be involved in finding out which card is right for you. So after discovering that there is a firmware update I can add to my camera which will enable it to accept the new CF card from Lexar or any manufacturer of UDMA 7 class cards, I am finally ready to try it out. But then I discover that it is not enough to be camera complliant, indeed there is another condition that complicates the matter.

    Buying a Memory Card is Not so Simple

    So now I find that in order to connect and download the data from your camera it connects through a USB 3.0 rather than through the standard USB 2.0 connection. For me this is not a problem, I have a computer equipped with both USB 2.0 and 3.0, but for many you discover that you now need to buy a card reader which connects with the USB 3.0. Now what happens if your computer does not have 3.0? Well when connecting the USB 3.0 your data will bottleneck down to the USB 2.0 speed. Now can you imagine buying an internal card to support USB 3.0, and then finding out that your computer motherboard does not support that speed? The option of course is to use your camera connected to your computer and the software for your camera.

    You will already know what type of card to buy, since one either came with your camera or you have the manual which will inform you. It is the speed you need to be careful when purchasing. And for all the searching I did online there simply is no way to keep up a list for all the different manufacturers and models made without dedicating a full day a week it would seem to refreshing the list. No one has that kind of time, except the manufacturers.And here is what I found for the Sony, Nikon and Canon.


    Canon offers a single set of data per camera. The one below is offered at which-canon-camera.com, not at Canon.

And at Nikon, this is as close as it gets also. One set of data for one model of camera. At least they have informed us that regardless of speed, all of the following cards are compatible. the question that comes to mind is, will they continue to update this list as the cards continue to change?

The following SD memory cards have been tested and approved for use in the D90. All cards of the designated make and capacity can be used, regardless of speed.






Sony offered the best and only multi-model chart below, though since it is not a gif or an image I cannot guarantee how long it will be viewable in this post if they decide to take the excel document down. But it is a great compatibility chart showing 33 different Cyber-Shot models.



Media Catgory Standard Size
Speed Class Class 4 Class 10
Model Number SF-2N1 SF-4N4 SF-8N4 SF-16N4 SF-32N4 SF-8NX SF-16NX SF-32NX SF-8UX SF-16UX SF-32UX
Capacity 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 32GB 8GB 16GB 32GB 8GB 16GB 32GB
Models
Cyber-shot® Cameras
DSC-H55 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-H70 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-HX100V O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-HX5V O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-HX7V O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-HX9V O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-S2000 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-S2100 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-T110 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-T99/T99D O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-TX10 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-TX100V O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-TX200 X X X X X X X X X X X
DSC-TX5 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-TX7 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-TX9 O O O O O O O O O O O
X = No compatibility
O = Compatible
— = Not guaranteed
Model Number SF-2N1 SF-4N4 SF-8N4 SF-16N4 SF-32N4 SF-8NX SF-16NX SF-32NX SF-8UX SF-16UX SF-32UX
Capacity 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 32GB 8GB 16GB 32GB 8GB 16GB 32GB
DSC-W310 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W330 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W350 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W370 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W510 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W530 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W560 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W570 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W610 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W620 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W630 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-W650 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-WX10 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-WX5 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-WX50 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-WX70 O O O O O O O O O O O
DSC-WX9 O O O O O O O O O O O


Final Conclusion 

Do the research online before you buy. Don't rely on a salesperson's "Oh that ought to work". They may know less than you do, they may be unaware of any recent changes to new class cards. Call or chat online with the manufacturer if you can't find the information for your camera online. Or you'll find yourself returning the product and paying the return shipping, while a small amount, you won't have to if you do a little legwork. 



Comments

Unknown said…
Interesting and useful article, as I've just brought a new camera and was wondering if I could use my old memory cards. The canon compatibility chart is a real help.

As requested, here is the link to your Fine Art America contest Flowers - With A Twist: http://fineartamerica.com/contests/flowers--with-a-twist.html?tab=overview

Regards,
__Colin
January 17, 2015 at 9:52 AM
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