Choosing memory for your digital camera or camcorder can be confusing. Read our SD memory card selection guide here.
Today the SD association announced two new high-speed performance symbols for SDXC and SDHC cards in an attempt to help consumers narrow down the search for a memory card that is compatible with their device. We're now up to UHS (Ultra High Speed) memory cards, which offer 104Mbps data transfer. That's four times the speed of the former cap of 25Mbps, but what does it all mean? How do you select a memory card that will perform optimally for your HD camcorder or digital camera? We're going to break it down for you.
SD Variety
First, you have to know that SD cards come in a variety of flavors. There's the traditional SD, SDHC (High Capacity), SDXC (Extreme Capacity), and now SDHC and SDXC with UHS (Ultra High Speed) technology. Its pretty maddening, isn't it? How the heck are you supposed to walk into Best Buy or Circuit city and simply pluck one of these things off the shelf without bombarding the sales associate with 97 questions? Let's also factor in MicroSD, MicroSDHC, MicroSDXC, MiniSD, and MiniSDHC cards for smaller devices.
The SD Association says all you have to do is simply look at the memory logo on your device or device's packaging and match it to the corresponding SD card. That's easy enough—the Panasonic HDC HS700 high-definition camcorder has SDHC and SDXC logos on it, so those will work, right? Yes. But that's half the battle. Now we have to choose the correct speed. The good news is that SD memory cards are backwards compatible, meaning you can use an SD or SDHC card in an SDXC device, but you can't do it the other way around. An SDXC card will not work in an SD or SDHC card device.
How Fast Does This Thing Go?
What's all this hubbub about Class? You've finally found the right type of SD card that goes with your device and now you have to worry about a class system? Naturally, the higher the class, the higher the data transfer. Devices that use a lot more memory will require a higher class than devices that use minimal memory. Let's break it down class by class, class.
Class 2 - Class 2 SD cards operate at Normal Bus speed and are really only ideal for standard definition video recording and digital images. The Canon FS22 camcorder and Nikon Coolpix S630 both support Class 2 cards.
Class 4 and 6 - Class 4 and 6 support Full HD (1920x 1080) video recording. The Canon Vixia HF20 and Sony HDR-SR12 support Class 4 and 6 cards.
Class 10 - Not only does Class 10 tackle Full HD video recording, but it also offers HD still consecutive recording. The Canon Vixia HF S21 and Panasonic HDC-HS700 play nicely with Class 10 cards.
UHS-1 - The new Ultra High Speed class is designed for full higher potential of recording real-time broadcasts and capturing large-size HD videos. UHS is most likely gearing up for prosumer camcorders that will soon adapt to the SD card format.
We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
So you've got the variety and the class down, but how much storage space do you need? This might help.
SD Cards - Offer 2GB or less.
SDHC Cards - 2GB – 32GB.
SDXC - More than 32GB, up to 2TB.
Most point-and-shoots will be fine with 4-8GB SDHC cards, but high performance cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 will probably need 16-32GB cards. HD camcorders will need 32GB or higher cards, given the hefty AVCHD file sizes. When it comes to mobile phones, that's a matter of preference, and depends largely on the amount of media you keep in your pocket on a daily basis. If you like to take advantage of your television's SD card slot, then an SDXC card is probably the best option since it can hold up to 2TBs of HD movies and images.
So, next time you need an SD card for your device, check in with us before you buy. Here's a helpful video provided by the SD Association on how to choose the right memory.
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