The Canon R8 boasts impressive performance and a range of capabilities that require the fastest UHS-II memory cards, but due to the camera’s versatility, this is not always necessarily the best option for everyone.
Some may be able to use slower v60 UHS-II or UHS-I cards, while others may require the highest-performing v90 UHS-II cards.
Use this guide to help you find the best memory cards for the Canon R8 that suit your needs.
Canon R8 – Amazon / Adorama / B&H
Canon R8 Memory Card Recommendations
The Canon R8 can shoot raw images at 40 fps with the electronic shutter or 12 fps with the mechanical shutter. Photographers looking to take advantage of these burst speeds will want to buy the fastest V90 UHS-II memory cards that are available.
V60 UHS-II cards offer a better balance of value and size for casual shooting or video production. They maintain a minimum data rate of 60MB/s, which is fast enough to handle even the highest video bitrate the camera can offer. Video shooters only need a UHS-II v60 card to keep up with the camera’s 340Mbps bitrate.
The list below provides an overview of the tested UHS-II memory cards’ performance in the Canon R6. We will update the list with R8 performance soon, but we don’t anticipate significant changes.
Recommended Memory Cards | USB Write | USB Read | CanonSDRec | R6 | Links | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CFx-B | ||||||||||
Sandisk Pro-Cinema 256GB | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sandisk Extreme 128GB | 489 | 989 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Sony Tough 128GB | 965 | 997 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 128 Pro Diamond | 983 | 1000 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 512GB | 908 | 994 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 128GB | 923 | 995 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Prograde 128GB | 679 | 685 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Prograde Cobalt 325GB | 973 | 998 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Delkin Black 150GB | 974 | 998 | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Black 128GB | 973 | 997 | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Black 75GB | 951 | 998 | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Power 128GB | 977 | 997 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Delkin Prime 64GB | 948 | 998 | X | Amazon | ||||||
Nikon 660GB | 961 | 998 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Hoodman Steel 128GB | 558 | 991 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Wise Pro 160GB | 941 | 999 | B&H | |||||||
Wise 128GB | 577 | 997 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro MkII 1TB | 889 | 701 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro XT MK2 330GB | 970 | 996 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro 256GB MK1 | 948 | 981 | B&H | |||||||
Angelbird AV Pro SE 512GB | 794 | 710 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro SX 160GB | 946 | 997 | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
OWC Atlas Ultra 165GB | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
OWC Atlas Pro 128GB | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sabrent Rocket 512GB | Amazon | |||||||||
RitzGear 128GB | 251 | 991 | Amazon | |||||||
Pergear Ultra 1TB | Amazon | |||||||||
Pergear Pro 256GB | Amazon | |||||||||
Pergear Lite 128GB | 311 | 950 | Amazon | |||||||
Silicon Power Cinema EX 256GB | 453 | 996 | B&H | |||||||
Transcend 820 256GB | X | |||||||||
CFx-A | X | |||||||||
Sony Tough 640GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Sony Tough 320GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Sony Tough 160GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Sony Tough 80GB | 641 | 852 | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||
Lexar 320GB | 837 | 885 | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||
Lexar 160GB | 825 | 886 | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||
Lexar 80GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Delkin Black 160GB | X | B&H | ||||||||
Delkin Black 80GB | 639 | 852 | X | B&H | ||||||
Delkin Power 160GB | X | B&H | ||||||||
Delkin Power 80GB | 641 | 847 | X | B&H | ||||||
ProGrade 160GB | 691 | 845 | X | B&H | ||||||
UHS-II V90 | X | |||||||||
Sandisk Extreme Pro V90 | 252 | 279 | Amazon | / B&H | X | 181 | ||||
Lexar 2000x V90 | 219 | 256 | Amazon | / B&H | X | 185 | ||||
Toshiba Exceria Pro V90 | 213 | 244 | Amazon | 178 | ||||||
Transcend v90 | 175 | 263 | Amazon | / B&H | 162 | |||||
Sony G Tough v90 | 239 | 275 | Amazon | / B&H | 187 | |||||
Delkin Black v90 | 253 | 278 | B&H | X | 185 | |||||
Delkin Power v90 | 240 | 275 | B&H | 178 | ||||||
Fujifilm Elite II V90 | 158 | 277 | X | 144 | ||||||
Adata v90 | 229 | 268 | Amazon | 186 | ||||||
Hoodman Steel 2000x V90 | 155 | 249 | Amazon | / B&H | 146 | |||||
ProGrade V90 | 229 | 270 | Amazon | / B&H | X | 190 | ||||
PNY EliteX-Pro90 V90 | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Amplim 2000x V90 | X | Amazon | ||||||||
Angel Bird V90 II | 257 | 271 | Amazon | / B&H | 191 | |||||
OWC Atlas Ultra V90 | X | B&H | ||||||||
OWC Atlas S Pro V90 | X | B&H | ||||||||
Kingston Canvas React V90 | 256 | 274 | Amazon | / B&H | 194 | |||||
Kodak V90 64GB | 260 | 272 | Amazon | |||||||
Ritz Gear VideoPro V90 | 258 | 273 | Amazon | |||||||
Wise V90 Pro | 256 | 275 | B&H | |||||||
UHS-II V60 | X | |||||||||
Lexar 1800x V60 | 176 | 242 | Amazon | / B&H | X | |||||
Lexar 1667x V60 | 99 | 242 | Amazon | / B&H | X | 96 | ||||
Lexar 1000x V60 | 108 | 167 | X | 90 | ||||||
Sony M Tough V60 | 155 | 268 | Amazon | / B&H | X | 129 | ||||
Sony M v60 | X | B&H | ||||||||
Sony E v60 | 142 | 252 | Amazon | / B&H | 69 | |||||
Sony E v30 | 73 | 247 | X | B&H | ||||||
Delkin Prime v60 | 98 | 275 | B&H | 87 | ||||||
Hoodman Steel 1500x V60 | 99 | 273 | Amazon | / B&H | 90 | |||||
ProGrade V60 | 98 | 155 | Amazon | / B&H | 89 | |||||
PNY EliteX-Pro60 V60 | X | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Amplim 2000x v60 | 136 | 253 | Amazon | |||||||
Amplim 1900x V60 | 97 | 275 | X | 90 | ||||||
Angel Bird V60 II | 144 | 243 | Amazon | / B&H | 89 | |||||
OWC Atlas Pro V60 | X | B&H | ||||||||
FreeTail Evoke Pro V60 | 96 | 272 | X | 89 | ||||||
Ritz Gear Video Pro V60 A1 | X | Amazon | ||||||||
UHS-I U3 | ||||||||||
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 | 144 | 172 | Amazon | / B&H | 69 | |||||
Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 | 61 | 143 | X | Amazon | 70 | |||||
Sandisk Extreme U3 | 51 | 93 | Amazon | / B&H | 49 | |||||
Sandisk Ultra U1 Old | 27 | 93 | X | 26 | ||||||
Kingston CanvasGo! Plus U3 | 124 | 161 | Amazon | 73 | ||||||
Kingston Canvas Select Plus U3 | 84 | 93 | Amazon | 75 | ||||||
Lexar 633x U3 | 35 | 93 | Amazon | |||||||
Sony Professional U3 | 84 | 91 | X | 75 | ||||||
Sony U3 94 | 60 | 91 | X | 57 | ||||||
Sony U3 95 | 81 | 90 | X | 72 | ||||||
Transcend U3 High Performance A2 | X | Amazon | ||||||||
Transcend U3 | 79 | 91 | Amazon | 74 | ||||||
PNY Pro Elite U3 256GB | 87 | 93 | Amazon | |||||||
PNY Elite-X U3 128 GB | 56 | 92 | Amazon | |||||||
PNY Elite Performance U3 | 63 | 91 | X | Amazon | 60 | |||||
Delkin Black U3 | 86 | 93 | B&H | 76 | ||||||
Delkin Advantage U3 | 77 | 93 | Amazon | / B&H | 68 | |||||
Toshiba Exceria Pro U3 | 74 | 91 | 67 | |||||||
Toshiba Exceria U3 | 29 | 91 | 30 | |||||||
Verbatim Pro+ U3 | 77 | 91 | Amazon | 66 | ||||||
Verbatim Pro U3 | 46 | 90 | Amazon | 57 | ||||||
Amplim 667x A1 V30 | 50 | 93 | X | 48 | ||||||
RitzGear Extreme Performance A1 V30 | 62 | 93 | Amazon |
Canon R8 Memory Card Speed Test | Benchmarks
This list taken from the Canon R6 shows how each memory card performed in-camera by calculating the time it takes to clear a continuous burst. When I get my hands on the R8 I’ll update it with all the latest cards as well. There are a few like the Lexar 1800x that I am missing with this initial benchmark.
Memory Cards | USB Write | USB Read | R6 | Links | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CFx-B | X | ||||||||||
Sandisk Pro-Cinema 256GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sandisk Extreme 128GB | 489 | 989 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Sony Tough 128GB | 965 | 997 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 128 Pro Diamond | 983 | 1000 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 512GB | 908 | 994 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 128GB | 923 | 995 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Prograde 128GB | 679 | 685 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Prograde Cobalt 325GB | 973 | 998 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Delkin Black 150GB | 974 | 998 | X | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Black 128GB | 973 | 997 | X | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Black 75GB | 951 | 998 | X | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Power 128GB | 977 | 997 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Delkin Prime 64GB | 948 | 998 | X | X | Amazon | ||||||
Nikon 660GB | 961 | 998 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Hoodman Steel 128GB | 558 | 991 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Wise Pro 160GB | 941 | 999 | X | B&H | |||||||
Wise 128GB | 577 | 997 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro MkII 1TB | 889 | 701 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro XT MK2 330GB | 970 | 996 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro 256GB MK1 | 948 | 981 | X | B&H | |||||||
Angelbird AV Pro SE 512GB | 794 | 710 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Angelbird AV Pro SX 160GB | 946 | 997 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
OWC Atlas Ultra 165GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
OWC Atlas Pro 128GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sabrent Rocket 512GB | X | Amazon | |||||||||
RitzGear 128GB | 251 | 991 | X | Amazon | |||||||
Pergear Ultra 1TB | X | Amazon | |||||||||
Pergear Pro 256GB | X | Amazon | |||||||||
Pergear Lite 128GB | 311 | 950 | X | Amazon | |||||||
Silicon Power Cinema EX 256GB | 453 | 996 | X | B&H | |||||||
Transcend 820 256GB | X | X | |||||||||
CFx-A | X | ||||||||||
Sony Tough 640GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sony Tough 320GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sony Tough 160GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Sony Tough 80GB | 641 | 852 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 320GB | 837 | 885 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 160GB | 825 | 886 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||
Lexar 80GB | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Delkin Black 160GB | X | B&H | |||||||||
Delkin Black 80GB | 639 | 852 | X | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Power 160GB | X | B&H | |||||||||
Delkin Power 80GB | 641 | 847 | X | B&H | |||||||
ProGrade 160GB | 691 | 845 | X | B&H | |||||||
UHS-II V90 | |||||||||||
Sandisk Extreme Pro V90 | 252 | 279 | Amazon | / B&H | 181 | ||||||
Lexar 2000x V90 | 219 | 256 | Amazon | / B&H | 185 | ||||||
Toshiba Exceria Pro V90 | 213 | 244 | Amazon | 178 | |||||||
Transcend v90 | 175 | 263 | Amazon | / B&H | 162 | ||||||
Sony G Tough v90 | 239 | 275 | Amazon | / B&H | 187 | ||||||
Delkin Black v90 | 253 | 278 | B&H | 185 | |||||||
Delkin Power v90 | 240 | 275 | B&H | 178 | |||||||
Fujifilm Elite II V90 | 158 | 277 | X | 144 | |||||||
Adata v90 | 229 | 268 | Amazon | 186 | |||||||
Hoodman Steel 2000x V90 | 155 | 249 | Amazon | / B&H | 146 | ||||||
ProGrade V90 | 229 | 270 | Amazon | / B&H | 190 | ||||||
PNY EliteX-Pro90 V90 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Amplim 2000x V90 | X | Amazon | |||||||||
Angel Bird V90 II | 257 | 271 | Amazon | / B&H | 191 | ||||||
OWC Atlas Ultra V90 | X | B&H | |||||||||
OWC Atlas S Pro V90 | X | B&H | |||||||||
Kingston Canvas React V90 | 256 | 274 | Amazon | / B&H | 194 | ||||||
Kodak V90 64GB | 260 | 272 | Amazon | ||||||||
Ritz Gear VideoPro V90 | 258 | 273 | Amazon | ||||||||
Wise V90 Pro | 256 | 275 | B&H | ||||||||
UHS-II V60 | |||||||||||
Lexar 1800x V60 | 176 | 242 | Amazon | / B&H | |||||||
Lexar 1667x V60 | 99 | 242 | Amazon | / B&H | 96 | ||||||
Lexar 1000x V60 | 108 | 167 | X | 90 | |||||||
Sony M Tough V60 | 155 | 268 | Amazon | / B&H | 129 | ||||||
Sony M v60 | X | B&H | |||||||||
Sony E v60 | 142 | 252 | Amazon | / B&H | 69 | ||||||
Sony E v30 | 73 | 247 | X | B&H | |||||||
Delkin Prime v60 | 98 | 275 | B&H | 87 | |||||||
Hoodman Steel 1500x V60 | 99 | 273 | Amazon | / B&H | 90 | ||||||
ProGrade V60 | 98 | 155 | Amazon | / B&H | 89 | ||||||
PNY EliteX-Pro60 V60 | X | Amazon | / B&H | ||||||||
Amplim 2000x v60 | 136 | 253 | Amazon | ||||||||
Amplim 1900x V60 | 97 | 275 | X | 90 | |||||||
Angel Bird V60 II | 144 | 243 | Amazon | / B&H | 89 | ||||||
OWC Atlas Pro V60 | X | B&H | |||||||||
FreeTail Evoke Pro V60 | 96 | 272 | X | 89 | |||||||
Ritz Gear Video Pro V60 A1 | X | Amazon | |||||||||
UHS-I U3 | X | ||||||||||
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 | 144 | 172 | X | Amazon | / B&H | 69 | |||||
Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 | 61 | 143 | X | X | Amazon | 70 | |||||
Sandisk Extreme U3 | 51 | 93 | X | Amazon | / B&H | 49 | |||||
Sandisk Ultra U1 Old | 27 | 93 | X | X | 26 | ||||||
Kingston CanvasGo! Plus U3 | 124 | 161 | X | Amazon | 73 | ||||||
Kingston Canvas Select Plus U3 | 84 | 93 | X | Amazon | 75 | ||||||
Lexar 633x U3 | 35 | 93 | X | Amazon | |||||||
Sony Professional U3 | 84 | 91 | X | X | 75 | ||||||
Sony U3 94 | 60 | 91 | X | X | 57 | ||||||
Sony U3 95 | 81 | 90 | X | X | 72 | ||||||
Transcend U3 High Performance A2 | X | X | Amazon | ||||||||
Transcend U3 | 79 | 91 | X | Amazon | 74 | ||||||
PNY Pro Elite U3 256GB | 87 | 93 | X | Amazon | |||||||
PNY Elite-X U3 128 GB | 56 | 92 | X | Amazon | |||||||
PNY Elite Performance U3 | 63 | 91 | X | X | Amazon | 60 | |||||
Delkin Black U3 | 86 | 93 | X | B&H | 76 | ||||||
Delkin Advantage U3 | 77 | 93 | X | Amazon | / B&H | 68 | |||||
Toshiba Exceria Pro U3 | 74 | 91 | X | 67 | |||||||
Toshiba Exceria U3 | 29 | 91 | X | 30 | |||||||
Verbatim Pro+ U3 | 77 | 91 | X | Amazon | 66 | ||||||
Verbatim Pro U3 | 46 | 90 | X | Amazon | 57 | ||||||
Amplim 667x A1 V30 | 50 | 93 | X | X | 48 | ||||||
RitzGear Extreme Performance A1 V30 | 62 | 93 | X | Amazon |
Canon EOS R8 Specs
Sensor: Full Frame 24.2MP CMOS Processor: Digic X Continuous Shoot: 12fps Mechanical, 40fps Electronic Est. Buffer Size: — RAW Shots To Fill Buffer: 40 RAW | 120 JPEG 56 RAW Max Memory Card Capacity: Any size, no limit. Video Record Limit: 30 minutes 4k Datarate: 340 Mbps | 42.5 MB/s |
Best Memory Cards 4k Video
The Canon R8 has the capability to internally shoot 4k at 60 frames per second, with a maximum bitrate of 340Mbps, equivalent to 42.5MB/s. Although it doesn’t necessarily require the fastest cards to write 4k video, it is advisable to opt for a v60 speed class UHS-II card to ensure a minimum write speed of 60MB/s. If newer U3 UHS-I cards are available, they should work fine for slower bitrates under 30MB/s or 240Mbps.
For frequent video shooting, it is recommended to use V60 UHS-II cards that have fast read speeds during data transfer to the computer and provide more storage capacity per dollar. The Sony M Tough cards and ProGrade V60 cards are both excellent options, while the Lexar 1800x has performed well in other tests with other cameras.
Canon EOS R8 Video Specs & Recording Modes
Users of the Canon R8 will appreciate its impressive video quality and recording modes that offer a great deal of flexibility. A notable feature of this camera is its high-quality 10-bit 4:2:2 h.265 encoding, which allows for 4k UHD up to 60fps and delivers exceptional image quality.
I’m still trying to confirm some of these stats as it’s not documented in the manual, but it looks like Canon is uses these encoding specs across their lineup.
Record Limit: None.
Audio File Format: AAC, Linear PCM
4k Recording Modes 1080p Recording Modes |
Canon R8 Record Times – Memory Card Capacity
The following chart displays record times for various bitrates across different memory card sizes.
I’m not sure exactly if the R8 is sharing these same specs as the other cameras, but you can use this chart to determine the necessary memory card capacity for various recording settings.
Canon R8 Record Times | 64GB | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB |
4k | Â | Â | Â | Â |
4k 340Mbps | 42.5MB/s | 25min | 50min | 100min | 201min |
4k 230 Mbps | 28.75 MB/s | 37min | 74min | 148min | 297min |
4k 170 Mbps | 21.25 MB/s | 50min | 100min | 201min | 402min |
4k 120 Mbps | 15 MB/s | 71min | 142min | 284min | 569min |
1080p | Â | Â | Â | Â |
1080p 270Mbps | 33.75 MB/s | 32min | 63min | 126min | 253min |
1080p 120Mbps | 15 MB/s | 71min | 142min | 284min | 569min |
1080p 28Mbps | 3.8 MB/s | 305min | 610min | 1219min | 2438min |
1080p 12Mpbs | 1.5 MB/s | 711min | 1422min | 2844min | 5689min |
What Size Memory Card Is Best?
If you are uncertain about which memory card size to purchase, I recommend opting for 128GB cards, particularly if you plan on shooting a lot of videos or attending events. In my experience, 128GB cards work well for lower megapixel cameras, such as a 24MP camera, since they do not tend to fill up quickly in a single day.
For a 64GB card, I typically do not encounter any issues unless I am shooting continuously on the same card for several days. Additionally, Canon offers CRAW and HEIF recording modes, which produce smaller files than standard RAW, allowing for more shots per card if you are casually shooting.
Avoiding Counterfeit Memory Cards
In all of my memory card tests, I make sure to include a critical section addressing a serious issue involving fraudulent manipulation of memory card controllers. Some scammers modify the memory controller on memory cards to deceive buyers into believing they have more memory than they actually possess. They then alter the labeling to reflect the fake size. Consequently, when you purchase a supposed 128GB card, it may only have 32 or 64GB of memory. While the card functions well and appears to be a 128GB card when formatted, it will fail once you exceed its actual memory limit.
The easiest method for determining whether your memory card is counterfeit is to fill it up entirely. If you approach the rated size without any issues, your card is likely legitimate.
To avoid counterfeit memory cards, purchase from reputable retailers such as B&H, BestBuy, Walmart, Adorama, and other trustworthy stores. If you choose to shop on Amazon or eBay, ensure that you only buy from reputable vendors.
Best Memory Cards Canon R8 Conclusions
For rapid buffer clearance, while continuously bursting with your Canon R8, it is advisable to purchase the fastest V90 UHS-II memory cards.
However, for most users, V60 UHS-II cards should provide sufficient performance while also being budget-friendly.
If you are recording video at the highest bitrate, it is preferable to use V60 cards, such as the Sony M cards. However, for lower 4k bitrates or 1080p, UHS-I cards will suffice.
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