A memory card speed comparison between all the most popular UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards in the Canon T6i.
Use this guide to help you find the best memory cards for your shooting style.
Camera Specs
Sensor: APS-C 24.2MP / Processor: Digic 6
SD Memory Card Type: UHS-I
5fps – continuous shooting
Best SD Memory Card – Canon T6i / 750D
USB 3.0 read and write speeds are determined using Crystal Disk on Windows 10.
| SD Memory Cards | USB 3.0 Read | USB 3.0 Write | Canon T6i Write |
| UHS-II | |||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB | 257.3 MB/s | 109.9 MB/s | 62.21 MB/s |
| Transcend U3 64GB | 290.2 MB/s | 182.1 MB/s | 59.68 MB/s |
| Lexar 2000x U3 64GB | 280.9 MB/s | 181.4 MB/s | 57.03 MB/s |
| Delkin UHS-II U3 32GB | 245.1 MB/s | 164.6 MB/s | 54.70 MB/s |
| Toshiba U3 64GB | 238.5 MB/s | 199.7 MB/s | 54.37 MB/s |
| Lexar 1000x U3 64GB | 145.0 MB/s | 60.7 MB/s | 49.24 MB/s |
| UHS-I | |||
| Samsung Pro 64GB Class U1 | 86.8 MB/s | 77.2 MB/s | 64.80 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 | 89.0 MB/s | 84.7 MB/s | 63.88 MB/s |
| Kingston 64GB Class U3 | 88.1 MB/s | 74.3 MB/s | 59.58 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U1 | 86.1 MB/s | 54.5 MB/s | 58.80 MB/s |
| Sony 64GB U3 | 87.2 MB/s | 71.9 MB/s | 55.66 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3 | 88.9 MB/s | 62.0 MB/s | 53.09 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U3 | 87.9 MB/s | 61.6 MB/s | 51.57 MB/s |
| Lexar 600x 64GB U1 | 85.6 MB/s | 60.1 MB/s | 49.57 MB/s |
| Transcend 64GB U3 | 87.7 MB/s | 64.1 MB/s | 48.41 MB/s |
| Lexar 633x 64GB U3 | 85.6 MB/s | 61.2 MB/s | 46.92 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme 64GB U3 | 71.3 MB/s | 52.1 MB/s | 43.76 MB/s |
| Samsung 64GB SDXC EVO U1 | 43.9 MB/s | 22.7 MB/s | 24.15 MB/s |
The Samsung 64GB U1 card is the best SD memory card for the Canon T6i. While the Sandisk Extreme cards are always the best option, the Samsung cards are often less expensive. Kingston and PNY also make some nice cards, so you might want to grab some when they are on sale.
Remember that various cards will give slight performance differences with each production run, and each time I test a card, I get slightly different results. This is why I take an average of three tests, but I only test one card per type. So, use this chart as a general guide when choosing a memory card for your camera.
Usually, Sandisk cards perform the best and are the most consistent across camera brands.
Best UHS-II Memory Card
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB UHS-II – Amazon
Transcend 64GB UHS-II – Amazon
Best UHS-I Memory Cards
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB – Amazon
Samsung Pro U1 64GB – Amazon
Kingston U3 64GB – Amazon / Adorama
Best Memory Card Reader
If you want the best USB 3.0 Memory card reader that supports UHS-II, check out the following comparison:
The fastest is the Lexar SR2 – Amazon
Should You Use UHS-II Memory Cards For The Canon T6i?
Using UHS-II in a camera is not beneficial since the camera does not have UHS-II capabilities. However, UHS-II is the way to go if you want faster write times from your card to your computer.
Best SD Memory Cards For The Canon T6i Conclusions
The fastest UHS-I cards will run you at about 64.80MB/s; this is pretty fast for UHS-I. Sony cameras are only capable of 32MB/s, but they usually have a larger buffer.
If you already own some slower memory cards and don’t do a lot of burst shooting, you might not notice the difference if you upgrade to something a few MB/s faster. However, if burst shooting is your thing, then you should probably buy the fastest card you can to save yourself from wait times as the buffer clears.
Reading the T6i Benchmark Results
A few things stand out in the data above. First: the Samsung Pro U1 (a UHS-I card, not UHS-II) posted the highest in-camera write speed at 64.80 MB/s — faster than several UHS-II cards in this slot. The T6i’s UHS-I interface doesn’t benefit from the UHS-II bus, so card-to-card differences come down to how well each card’s UHS-I controller performs, not its rated tier. Second: the Samsung 64GB EVO U1 at the bottom of the UHS-I list posted only 24.15 MB/s — well below the U3 cards. In a camera with a modest buffer, that gap matters more than it would in a body with a larger buffer. Third: the T6i tops out around 64 MB/s in-camera, which is strong for a UHS-I consumer camera — the slot is better than average.
Video and Card Requirements
The T6i shoots 1080p only — no 4K. Maximum video bitrate is approximately 60 Mbps (7.5 MB/s), which any modern U3 card covers with 4x the required headroom. For video, card speed barely matters on the T6i. What does matter: use 64GB or larger SDXC cards to avoid the 4GB file chunk limit that affects FAT32-formatted 32GB SDHC cards.
Can I Use a microSD Card in the Canon T6i?
The Canon T6i uses a full-size SD card slot. MicroSD cards work with an adapter, but from experience they can lose connection inside the adapter — I wouldn’t use one for anything critical. See the microSD memory card guide if you need to use one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the U1 Samsung card outperform U3 cards in the T6i?
Speed class (U1 vs U3) defines the guaranteed minimum write speed, not the maximum. The Samsung Pro U1 has a fast controller that performs above its rated floor in UHS-I cameras. The T6i’s slot rewards cards with good sustained write performance regardless of the speed class label. This is why buying by spec class alone isn’t sufficient — real in-camera benchmarks show where each card actually lands.
Does the T6i support UHS-II cards?
The slot is UHS-I only. UHS-II cards work at UHS-I speeds and provide no in-camera advantage. As the benchmark shows, some UHS-II cards actually test slower in this camera than the best UHS-I options because their UHS-I compatibility mode isn’t optimized. Stick with UHS-I for this body.
What size card works best in the T6i?
64GB covers a full day of stills shooting comfortably — at 24.2MP RAW, you’ll fit roughly 2,000–2,500 frames. For video-focused use, 64GB holds well over 2 hours of 1080p. There’s no reason to go above 128GB for this camera. Going below 32GB on older SDHC cards introduces the 4GB video file fragmentation issue, so stick with 64GB SDXC and above.
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