The Sony RX1R II is a small camera that came out in 2015. It has a big sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2 lens. It can use UHS-I SD cards. You can use UHS-II cards as well, but they won’t increase the write speeds of this camera.
If you don’t know what memory cards to use for this camera today, this guide will teach you some of the important things about memory cards and help you find the best memory cards for the Sony RX1R II.
Recommended Memory Cards Sony RX1R II
The RX1R II needs a U1 speed class card or better for 1080p video recording. Video writes data at 50Mbps, which is 6.25MB/s.
The RX1R II can use memory cards up to 128GB. You can use 64-128GB cards without any problems. The RX1R II cannot write faster than 36MB/s, so you do not need to buy the most expensive cards.
These are some of the best memory cards for the RX1R II today. The Sony E cards are special. They can write as fast as UHS-I cards, but they can read as fast as UHS-II cards. This can make transferring files to your computer quicker. They are also sometimes a better deal than UHS-I cards.
| Recommended SD Cards | Speed Class | USB Write | USB Read | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD UHS-II V60 | UHS-II v60 | Hide | Hide | ||
| Sony E v60 256GB | UHS-II v60 | https://geni.us/ARfXs | Amazon / B&H | ||
| UHS-I U3 | UHS-I | Hide | Hide | ||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 32/64/128GB | UHS-I | 144 | 172 | https://geni.us/AjId | Amazon / B&H |
| Kingston CanvasGo! 128/256/512GB | UHS-I | 124 | 161 | https://geni.us/oJU7q | Amazon / B&H |
| Sony 95 | UHS-I | 81 | 90 | https://geni.us/wnX8rG | Amazon |
| Delkin Advantage 32-1TB | UHS-I | 77 | 93 | https://geni.us/HlTWWVh | Amazon / B&H |
Camera Specs
Sensor: Full Frame 42MP / Processor: BIONZ X Image Processor
Sensor SD Memory Card Type: UHS-I
Continuous Burst: 5fps
Size of Buffer: 1GB
Memory Card Capacity: Up to 128GB
Uncompressed Shots Till Buffer Fills: 10
Est. Time Taken To Clear Buffer: 21 seconds with the Lexar 2000x
Sony RX1R II Memory Card Speed Chart
Here are the original benchmarks I did on this camera back when it first came out. I’ll leave these here so you can get an idea of the write speeds this camera is limited to. Pretty much all of these cards have been updated since 2015 so refer to the recommendations above or check the SD memory card guide for other options. Alternatively, if you’re pairing this camera with a new Sony camera, you can check the SD recommendations for Sony cameras.
| SD Memory Cards | USB 3.0 Read | USB 3.0 Write | Sony RX1R II Write |
| UHS-II | |||
| Lexar 64GB 2000x UHS-II | 272.7 MB/s | 244.5 MB/s | 35.71 MB/s |
| Toshiba 64GB UHS-II | 258.8 MB/s | 226.5 MB/s | 35.18 MB/s |
| Transcend 64GB UHS-II | 290.2 MB/s | 182.1 MB/s | 35.11 MB/sS |
| Sony 64GB UHS-II | 253.2 MB/s | 91.62 MB/s | 35.08 MB/s |
| Delkin 32GB UHS-II | 253.5 MB/s | 219.6 MB/s | 35.01 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB UHS-II | 260.5 MB/s | 214.8 MB/s | 34.82 MB/s |
| Lexar 64GB 1000x UHS-II | 147.4 MB/s | 78.4 MB/s | 34.60 MB/s |
| UHS-I | |||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 | 98.6 MB/s | 90.8 MB/s | 35.79 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro+ 64GB U3 | 97.5 MB/s | 87.3 MB/s | 35.57 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro 64GB U3 | 97.7 MB/s | 78.6 MB/s | 35.52 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U1 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.5 MB/s | 35.46 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3 | 99.0 MB/s | 64.4 MB/s | 35.45 MB/s |
| Kingston 64GB U3 | 98.1 MB/s | 90.4 MB/s | 35.35 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme 64GB U3 | 72.43 MB/s | 54.1 MB/s | 35.32 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U3 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.1 MB/s | 34.58 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro 64GB U1 | 96.3 MB/s | 82.2 MB/s | 34.57 MB/s |
| Transcend 64GB U3 | 96.7 MB/s | 68.4 MB/s | 34.34 MB/s |
| Lexar 600x 64GB U1 | 95.4 MB/s | 64.8 MB/s | 33.78 MB/s |
| Lexar 633x 64GB U3 | 93.3 MB/s | 67.3 MB/s | 33.51 MB/s |
| Sony 64GB U3 | 96.5 MB/s | 84.5 MB/s | 32.97 MB/s |
| Samsung 64GB U1 EVO | 47.7 MB/s | 27.3 MB/s | 21.46 MB/s |
Best SD Memory Card For Video In The RX1R II
Generally, Sony brand cards are the best choice for shooting video with Sony cameras. Some Sony cameras have problems with other cards and they will not let you record video with them. I do not know the reason, but it depends on the camera, not the card. For example, my Lexar 633x card works well with some Sony cameras that I borrow, but not with others.
If you want to avoid any trouble, use Sony brand cards for video recording.
Most Sony cameras need SDXC memory cards, which are 64GB or more. But Sony has been updating their cameras to fix this. To be safe, use an SDXC memory card that has a U3 speed class.
UHS-II Memory Cards are they worth it and will they work?
The RX1R II is a small camera that came out in 2015. It has a big sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2 lens. It can use UHS-I or UHS-II SD cards, but it cannot use the full speed of UHS-II cards. UHS-II cards are much faster and more expensive than UHS-I cards.
UHS-II cards are good for people who shoot a lot of photos and videos and want to transfer them to their computers quickly. They are especially useful for studio photographers who need to back up their work fast.
If you buy UHS-II cards, you also need a UHS-II memory card reader.
Best Memory Card For The Sony RX1R II – The Bottom Line
UHS-II memory cards are the best choice if you want to transfer your files to your computer very fast using USB 3.0. They are much faster than UHS-I cards, but they are also more expensive. Sony makes a great Sony E series card for this purpose.
UHS-I cards are good enough if you want a fast camera at a low cost. They are not as fast as UHS-II cards, but they are cheaper and more common.
