Best Memory Cards Canon G7X Mark II

A speed comparison of the most popular UHS-I and UHS-II SD memory cards for the Canon G7x II.

Use this guide to find the best memory cards for your shooting style.

 

Best Memory Cards Canon G7X Mark II | Speed Test

After testing all the most popular memory cards in the Canon G7X Mark II, I’ve found a speed bottleneck in the card’s write access. This is good and bad. It’s bad because the camera caps out at a memory card write speed of about 49 MB/s, which means it will take longer to clear the camera buffer and could cause delays with in-camera playback. But it’s good; it makes shopping for the best memory card a lot easier.

Since there is a little bit of a speed cap, it becomes more about finding a good, reliable and affordable memory card.  See the speed tests below.

Canon G7X Mark II Memory Card Speed Chart

SD Memory Cards	USB 3.0 Read	USB 3.0 Write	Canon G7X II
UHS-II
Toshiba U3 64GB	238.5 MB/s	199.7 MB/s	39.50 MB/s
Delkin UHS-II 250 U3 64GB	245.1 MB/s	164.6 MB/s	39.11 MB/s
Transcend U3 64GB	268.9 MB/s	174.3 MB/s	39.05 MB/s
Sony UHS-II U3 64GB	253.2 MB/s	91.62 MB/s	38.99 MB/s
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB	257.3 MB/s	109.9 MB/s	38.88 MB/s
Lexar 1000x U3 64GB	145.0 MB/s	60.7 MB/s	38.81 MB/s
Lexar 2000x U3 64GB	280.9 MB/s	181.4 MB/s	38.71 MB/s
UHS-I
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3	98.6 MB/s	90.8 MB/s	39.44 MB/s
Samsung Pro 64GB U3	97.7 MB/s	78.6 MB/s	39.12 MB/s
Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3	99.0 MB/s	64.4 MB/s	39.00 MB/s
Samsung Pro+ 64GB U3	97.5 MB/s	87.3 MB/s	38.94 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme 64GB U3	72.43 MB/s	54.1 MB/s	38.70 MB/s
Kingston 64GB U3	98.1 MB/s	90.4 MB/s	38.70 MB/s
PNY 64GB U1	96.5 MB/s	66.5 MB/s	38.48 MB/s
Sony 64GB U3 (Old Model)	96.5 MB/s	84.5 MB/s	38.07 MB/s
PNY 64GB U3	96.5 MB/s	66.1 MB/s	37.55 MB/s
Samsung Pro 64GB U1	96.3 MB/s	82.2 MB/s	37.49 MB/s
Lexar 633x 64GB U3	93.3 MB/s	67.3 MB/s	37.00 MB/s
Sony 64GB U3 (New Model)	96.7 MB/s	56.2 MB/s	35.97 MB/s
Lexar 600x 64GB U1	95.4 MB/s	64.8 MB/s	36.89 MB/s
Transcend 64GB U3	96.7 MB/s	68.4 MB/s	36.30 MB/s
Samsung 64GB SDXC EVO U1	47.7 MB/s	27.3 MB/s	24.47 MB/s

As usual, the Sandisk Extreme Pro card outperforms all other brands. However, Kingston, PNY, and Samsung also performed very well. You also won’t see any speed increase from using UHS-II memory cards with this camera, since it does not support that interface.

 

Fastest Memory Cards For the Canon G7X II | The Results

Fastest UHS-II Memory Card

While the Canon G7X Mark II cannot take full advantage of the UHS-II memory cards, they still do work in-camera. They will just function as UHS-I cards. However, you will see a dramatic boost in transfer speed when transferring data from your card to your computer with a UHS-II memory card reader.

If you decide to go with a UHS-II memory card, Toshiba and Delkin seem to perform slightly better than any of the others. If you decide to go with Sandisk, there is one available now that is 300MB/s, the one I tested was only 280MB/s. I’ve been having good results with the Lexar 2000x and the Sony card.

Toshiba 64GB UHS-II – Amazon

Delkin UHS-II U3 – Amazon / B&H

 

Fastest UHS-I Memory Cards

Since all UHS-I memory cards perform very similarly, I recommend going with SanDisk cards; they are one of the most reliable brands. However, Samsung and Sony cards are also great. Transcend, Lexar, and PNY sometimes cause problems with certain cameras, so only buy them if you get a good deal. For the most part, though, all these cards worked fine for me in the G7X II, so your chances of getting a bad card are rare.

Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB – Amazon / Adorama / B&H

Samsung Pro U1 64GB – Amazon / Adorama

Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3 – Amazon / Adorama / B&H

 

Camera Specs

Sensor: 1″ 20.1MP  /  Processor: Digic 7
Memory Card Type: SD UHS-I
Video: [1920 x 1080]: 59.94 fps / 29.97 fps / 23.976
Est. Size Of Buffer: 500MB
Continuous Shooting Speed: 8fps
Shots To Fill Buffer:  23 RAW
Time To Clear Buffer: 12.25 seconds

Canon G7X Mark II – Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

 

Where To Buy Memory Cards

If you don’t buy a memory card from one of the links above, be careful not to get counterfeit cards. They are very common on eBay, even sometimes on Amazon. Always make sure you buy your cards from a trusted source on Amazon or from a trusted camera store like Adorama or B&H Photo. I would avoid buying any memory cards on eBay.

 

Best Cards For Video In The Canon G7X Mark II

The Canon G7X II doesn’t impose any restrictions on memory cards for video. Even at 1080p, the camera shoots at a low enough bitrate that any new memory card, except maybe the Samsung EVO, will work fine.

 

Frequently Ask Questions

I’ve been doing these memory card speed tests for several years now, and I get a lot of the same questions, so I’ll do my best to answer them here.

 

Do I need a UHS-II Memory Card? – You do not need a UHS-II memory card, and they actually will give you no benefit over a UHS-I memory card when used in the camera. The only difference a UHS-II memory card makes in the Canon G7X Mark II is that it allows you to transfer data to your computer more quickly with a fast UHS-II memory card reader.

 

What’s the difference between U1 and U3 SD Memory cards? – The main difference has to do with minimum write speeds. U1 SD memory cards are guaranteed to write at a minimum speed of 10 MB/s, and U3 SD memory cards can write at a minimum speed of 30 MB/s. Now, of course, many things go on inside the camera that might not guarantee this, but it’s usually not the card’s fault. You’ll also start seeing V30, V60, and V90 written on cards. This has to do with the minimum write speeds: V30 – 30 MB/s, V60 – 60 MB/s, V90 – 90 MB/s.

 

What’s the difference between SDHC and SDXC with SD memory cards? – This has to do with the formatting of the card. SDHC cards are FAT32, and SDXC cards are exFAT. Now, pretty much SDHC means any card 32GB and smaller, and SDXC means 64GB and larger.

 

My memory card is creating corrupt shots; what do I do? – Unfortunately, in this situation, you likely have a bad card. There isn’t much you can do about this other than replace your card.

 

My memory card doesn’t work what do I do? – It’s likely you could have a bad memory card, but also make sure you always format your card in camera. This tends to reduce issues with cards not working or not performing correctly.

 

My buffer keeps getting filled when recording video. – This usually means your memory card is not fast enough and you’ll need to get a faster card. If you already have a card on the list above, you should try a different brand. Not all cameras work the same with each card; different production cycles between cameras and cards can yield varying results, and there is no guarantee that the cards I rated will work perfectly with your camera. Lexar, Toshiba, Samsung, and Sandisk are usually pretty safe bets.

 

Best Memory Card For The Canon G7X Mark II | Conclusions

Whether you’re looking for the fastest memory card or just a memory card that will last you a long time, the difference between 5MB/s or even maybe 10MB/s write speeds won’t make a very noticeable difference when you’re dealing with already very fast memory cards. So if there is a card that performs well but has a better warranty and is at a better price, it might be a good idea to just grab that.

If you’re doing a lot of burst shooting for sports, nature, or even landscape photography, then it might be a good idea to go with the fastest card you can afford so you never find yourself waiting on that annoying buffer.