Best Memory Cards For Sony A6700 – 35 Cards Tested

The A6700 is Sony’s current APS-C flagship — 26MP BSI sensor, BIONZ XR processor, 11fps burst, and a single UHS-II SD slot. No CFexpress on this body. The card decision comes down to V60 vs V90: V90 is required for 600Mbps H.264 All-Intra (XAVC S-I) and S&Q slow-motion modes; V60 covers H.265 recording with room to spare. If you don’t regularly use high-bitrate All-Intra, V60 saves meaningful money without any practical downside.

I’ve tested 35 cards in the Sony A6700 to see which brands perform best, but I also list a few cards I recommend based on in-camera performance and different shooting styles.

Sony A6700 – Amazon / B&H

Camera Features That Are Impacted By Memory Cards

Memory Card Compatibility: Single Slot UHS-II SD Cards up to V90.

Maximum Video Bitrate: 600 Mbps (75 MB/s) – this will require V90 memory cards.

Sony A6700 Capacity: Sony does not specify a capacity limit for this card, meaning it should support the highest-capacity cards on the market.

For Videographers: You need V90 cards at a minimum for H.264 at 600Mbps (XAVC S-I) recording, or you can use V60 cards for H.265 at 280Mbps (XAVC HS). Many videographers these days record in H.265 instead of H.264, but remember that you will still need V90 for some of the S&Q slow-motion recording modes.

Also, if you’re a serious videographer, you might want to use the 600Mbps H.264 codec from time to time. This codec uses All-I compression and should give results similar to ProRes 422, which runs at a similar data rate. In some situations, these All-I codecs have slightly better details than the XAVC HS modes.

For Photographers: Consider the different speed classes of the cards based on how often you burst while shooting. If you’re bursting a lot at very high framerates, you may want to use the fastest V90 memory cards, but otherwise, the V60 cards will likely be the best option for casual photographers.

Sony A6700 Memory Card Recommendations

This recommendation list features the best memory cards for the Sony A6700 across various speed classes, along with their in-camera performance. All 35 memory card benchmarks are posted further below.

Camera Specs

Sensor: 26MP APS-C, Exmor R APS-C BSI CMOS Processor: BIONZ XR Image Processor Memory Card Slots: Single UHS-II Slot Continuous Shoot: 11fps RAW Est. Buffer Size: untested RAW Shots To Fill Buffer: 59 shots RAW / 1000 JPEG Max Memory Card Capacity: Unlimited Size 4k Datarate: H.265 XAVC HS 400Mbps / XAVC S-I 4:2:2 10-Bit 600Mbps

Sony A6700 Memory Card Benchmarks

Each card was tested in the Sony A6700.

I only had one issue: the Sandisk Extreme Pro V90 card didn’t work correctly. This card should be fine; I think there was an issue with one of the pins not connecting correctly. I cleaned the card shortly after, and a small piece of lint was stuck to one of the pins, so that might be why this card has been behaving strangely. SanDisk cards are usually top performers in Sony cameras, so if you like the brand, don’t let this score sway your purchase decision. And make sure to keep your cards clean.

Memory Card Benchmarks in table form. You can click the small arrows at the top, next to the A6700 speeds, to sort the table.

Sony a6700 SD card compatibility

The Sony A6700 will reject memory cards that don’t meet the video mode’s specs. It will also reject that old Sony M card they recalled years ago.

These charts will show which memory cards are supported in the different recording modes.

For movie recording (When [ Proxy Recording] is set to [Off])

S&Q Memory Card Shooting

When you set the S&Q Record Frame Rate to 30p, 25p, or 24p and pair it with a Frame Rate of  120fps, 60fps, or 50fps for slow-motion recording, you’ll need a UHS-II V90 card. While the playback seems to be at 30/25/24 fps with a bitrate of 600 Mbps, the camera is recording at double the frame rate, resulting in a technically higher bitrate. However, during playback, it reduces the speed to match the Record Frame Rate, cutting the bitrate in half as it stretches 60 frames shot at 30fps, giving you a 500 or 600Mbps final file.

This is why S&Q record modes are crucial, as they provide better quality than standard slow-motion recording modes. If you require S&Q recording, a UHS-II V90 is necessary for the Sony A6700. Other features of the camera don’t demand such fast bitrates.

You can find these charts in the Sony A6700 User Manual.

Also, check out the lens list for the Sony E Mount.

Note on microSD cards: The A6700 does not accept microSD. No microSD adapter works reliably in a UHS-II SD slot. Use only full-size SD cards. If you need microSD for a different device, see my microSD guide.

Sony A6700 Memory Card FAQ

Does the Sony A6700 support CFexpress Type A?

No. The A6700 has a single UHS-II SD slot and does not accept CFexpress Type A cards. CFexpress is found on Sony’s full-frame bodies (A7S III, A7R V, A1, A9 III and others). For the A6700, the choice is between V60 and V90 UHS-II SD cards.

Do I need V90 or will V60 work in the A6700?

It depends on the codec. V90 (90 MB/s minimum) is required for 600Mbps H.264 XAVC S-I All-Intra and for S&Q slow-motion modes at higher frame rates. V60 (60 MB/s minimum) handles H.265 XAVC HS recording comfortably. If most of your work is stills or H.265 video, V60 is the better-value choice with no practical downside. V90 is only necessary if you regularly use All-Intra codecs or high-frame-rate S&Q.

Why did my SanDisk Extreme Pro V90 underperform in the A6700?

A dirty or bent pin contact is the most common cause of unexpected underperformance in Sony cameras — this happened during testing with one SanDisk Extreme Pro V90. A small piece of lint was lodged in a pin, which was enough to cause erratic behavior. Cleaning the contacts fixed it. If a card you trust reads unexpectedly slowly, clean the contacts with a dry cloth before assuming the card is defective. SanDisk V90 cards are otherwise strong performers in Sony UHS-II bodies.

How do I know if an S&Q mode requires V90?

The Sony A6700 User Manual includes a full compatibility chart that maps each S&Q frame rate to the required card speed class. The short version: 120fps and 60fps capture rates for slow-motion playback at 30p/24p require V90. Standard frame rates in S&Q generally work with V60. When in doubt, the camera will display an error if the current card is too slow for the selected mode.