An in-camera comparison between all the most popular SD memory cards and how they perform in the X-T20.
While memory card performance is great with most cards in the X-T20, there are a few clear winners, or I should say, “best cards.”
Camera Specs
Sensor: APS-C 24.3 MP X-Trans CMOS III / Processor: X-Processor Pro
SD Memory Card Type: UHS-I
Video: 4K Video Recording at 30 fps
Continuous Burst: 14fps
Size of Buffer: 1GB
Uncompressed Shots Till Buffer Fills: 22-24
Est. Time Taken To Clear Buffer: 15-16 seconds.
Fujifilm X-T20 Silver & Black – Amazon / Adorama / B&H
Must-Have Accessories For The Fujifilm X-T20
Best Memory Card For The Fujifilm X-T20
General Performance And Speed Chart
Unlike the X100F, I actually didn’t have any problems while testing memory cards in the X-T20. It performed flawlessly with all cards.
All USB 3.0 tests were done using CrystalDisk – Windows 10, with the Lexar SR2.
| SD Memory Cards | USB 3.0 R | USB 3.0 W | Fuji X-T20 |
| UHS-II | |||
| Lexar 2000x | 272.7 MB/s | 244.5 MB/s | 67.03 MB/s |
| Toshiba Exceria Pro | 258.8 MB/s | 226.5 MB/s | 66.33 MB/s |
| Delkin V90 | 245.1 MB/s | 164.6 MB/s | 66.25 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 300 | 263.2 MB/s | 233.4 MB/s | 65.72 MB/s |
| Transcend | 290.2 MB/s | 182.1 MB/s | 64.42 MB/s |
| Sony M | 253.2 MB/s | 91.62 MB/s | 62.56 MB/s |
| Delkin 1900X v60 | 273.3 MB/s | 97.3 MB/s | 59.62 MB/s |
| Lexar 1000x | 147.4 MB/s | 78.4 MB/s | 55.87 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 280 | 260.5 MB/s | 214.8 MB/s | 35.78 MB/s |
| UHS-I | |||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 | 98.6 MB/s | 90.8 MB/s | 66.63 MB/s |
| Kingston U3 | 98.1 MB/s | 90.4 MB/s | 66.00 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro+ U3 | 97.5 MB/s | 87.3 MB/s | 65.00 MB/s |
| Delkin 633x U3 | 98.3 MB/s | 88.7 MB/s | 64.82 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro U1 | 96.3 MB/s | 82.2 MB/s | 63.93 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro U3 | 97.7 MB/s | 78.6 MB/s | 62.83 MB/s |
| Sony U3 – Old Model | 96.5 MB/s | 84.5 MB/s | 61.36 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 | 99.0 MB/s | 64.4 MB/s | 55.75 MB/s |
| PNY Elite Performance U1 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.5 MB/s | 53.00 MB/s |
| PNY Elite Performance U3 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.1 MB/s | 52.20 MB/s |
| Transcend U3 | 96.7 MB/s | 68.4 MB/s | 51.72 MB/s |
| Lexar 633x U3 | 93.3 MB/s | 67.3 MB/s | 50.00 MB/s |
| Lexar 600x U1 | 95.4 MB/s | 64.8 MB/s | 51.77 MB/s |
| Sony U3 – New Model | 96.7 MB/s | 56.2 MB/s | 47.91 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme U3 | 72.43 MB/s | 54.1 MB/s | 47.53 MB/s |
| Samsung U1 EVO | 47.7 MB/s | 27.3 MB/s | 20.53 MB/s |
Recommended SD Memory Cards For The X-T20
I recommend the Sandisk Extreme Pro cards as the best cards simply because of their reliability and performance. I test a lot of cards in a lot of cameras and Sandisk is the only brand that gives me almost no problems across the board. I say almost because Sandisk was having some issues working with the Canon 1DX II and the GoPro Hero5, depending on which card you used.
Best UHS-I Memory Cards
UHS-I are all around the best cards for the X-T20, simply because they perform great and are very reasonably priced.
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB – 66.63 MB/s
The Sandisk Extreme Pro is the number one card for UHS-I memory cards. This is a great choice for any camera and works very well in the X-T20. Highly recommended. – Amazon / Adorama / B&H
Kingston 64GB U3 – 66.00 MB/s
Kingston doesn’t make very many cards but they do have a few nice ones. This card has been around for a while now and is always a top performer in all my memory card speed tests. Highly recommended. – Amazon / Adorama / B&H
Samsung Pro+ 64GB U3 – 65.00 MB/s
Samsung dominates the micro SD memory card scene and now they’re making a lot more SD memory cards. The Samsung Pro+ is actually a really good card. However, some camera brands like Sony, don’t like Samsung cards. I believe Canon released some information about compatibility issues. However, I’ve only seen the issues when shooting video in Sony cameras with Samsung cards in all my tests. If you just shoot with Fujifilm, they work flawlessly in every Fujifilm camera including the X-T20. – Amazon / Adorama
Best UHS-II Memory Cards
The X-T20 doesn’t support the extra speed you can get out of UHS-II memory cards, however, many people still like to use UHS-II to gain the performance when transferring cards to their computers.
Lexar 2000X UHS-II 64GB – 67.03 MB/s
If you decide to go with UHS-II memory cards, the Lexar 2000X cards are great because they usually come with a nice fast UHS-II adapter. – Amazon / Adorama
Delkin 250 64GB – 66.25 MB/s
I’ve been using Delkin cards for years and this is one of the cards I regularly use in my Fujifilm X-T2. I also use their micro SD cards as well as some of their SD cards. Delkin makes very good, fast cards and so far reliable memory cards. A great alternative to Sandisk and Lexar. – Amazon / B&H
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300 64GB – 65.72 MB/s
Sandisk is the best memory card company in my opinion and this UHS-II memory card if fantastic. However, in a UHS-I camera, this card does perform slightly slower than the other two brands listed here. – Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto
Fujifilm X-T20 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Micro SD Memory Cards in the Fujifilm X-T20?
Yes, you can, and I often use Micro SD Memory cards. However, I don’t test them in these cameras because I don’t recommend them. The cards can come loose inside the adapters and give you errors. It happens a lot to me with some brands or some cases, so as a general note, I don’t recommend them.
What Cards Work Best For Video?
I actually didn’t have any issues with any cards shooting 4k video. Fujifilm cameras don’t shoot with a very high bitrate so you’re in the clear with most modern cards or any of the cards I’ve listed here.
My Card Isn’t Fast, What’s Wrong?
People still have a lot of problems with cards, here are a few reasons.
- Could simply be a bad card. Sometimes there are some bad production runs that go out. It happens. Most cards have a nice warranty so you can always send them in for replacement.
- You could have a fake card! There are a lot of counterfeit cards out there, especially on eBay and occasionally on Amazon. Be sure to get your cards from a trusted source. B&H and Adorama are great, or, if you use Amazon, make sure you buy from a trusted seller.
- Sometimes some cards perform slow until you put a few shots on them. Not sure why this is, but if you notice your card performing slowly right after formatting, this could be the cause.
- Make sure your cards are clean and that the connection terminals inside your camera are clean and not damaged.
Do Lexar Cards Suck?
No, they don’t suck. I’ve yet to have any issues with Lexar and the only people I know of that have had issues with Lexar had counterfeit cards. If you’re having problems with your Lexar card, email Lexar, and make sure the card is authentic, if so, they will replace it for you.
Do I really need a UHS-II memory card?
With the X-T20 you don’t need UHS-II memory cards. However, if you’re shooting a lot, it does save time when transferring cards to your computer, if you have a UHS-II memory card reader.
What Size Memory Card Should I Get, 32GB or 64GB?
I use 32GB cards if I’m just shooting photos and I rarely fill the cards. If I’m shooting photos with some videos here and there I’ll need a 64GB card.
Best SD Memory Card Fuji X-T20 | Bottom Line
The X-T20’s performance with memory cards is very good and most cards listed here will work just fine. If you’re looking to save some money you can buy some of the less expensive cards with very few problems. However, if you’re looking for the fastest speed and the best-performing cards, Sandisk and Lexar are my top choices, but I also like the Samsung and Sony cards as well.
