One of the things we’ve done for over half of a decade on this blog is to test all the most popular memory cards in each camera by each brand.
In this guide, I show you my recommended sd memory cards for Canon cameras but also include a list of each camera we’ve tested so you can find the specific information if needed for how each card performs in each camera.
Best Memory Cards For Canon Cameras
Canon cameras have supported a wide variety of cards over the years from CF, CFast 2.0 and lately UHS-I, UHS-II, and CFExpress.
Most Canon cameras today are supporting UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards. Here is a quick recommendation list for UHS-I or UHS-II cards.
Be sure to check out your camera on the benchmarked list below to see exactly what card is best for your needs. Especially since not all Canon cameras can take UHS-I or UHS-II cameras.
For UHS-I Cameras
For UHS-I Canon cameras the best memory cards are the Sandisk Extreme Pro, Sony Professional, Delkin Advantage or the Kingston Canvas React.
Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s – Amazon |
For UHS-II Cameras
A lot more of the Canon cameras are now switching over to UHS-II technology.
The best UHS-II sd cards for Canon cameras are the Sony G Tough, Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/s and Delkin Power.
Sony G Tough – Amazon |
List Of Canon Cameras Benchmarked
Here is a massive growing list of all the Canon cameras we’ve tested memory cards in.
Be sure to check out what sd cards are best for your camera. Not all Canon cameras perform the same, and sometimes you may not need UHS-II cards for shooting video even if your camera supports it.
| Camera | Sensor | Speed Class | Type | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon R5 | Full Frame | CFexpress / UHS-II | Mirrorless | 2020 |
| Canon R6 | Full Frame | UHS-II / UHS-II | Mirrorless | 2020 |
| Canon RP | Full Frame | UHS-II | Mirrorless | 2019 |
| Canon EOS R | Full Frame | UHS-II | Mirrorless | 2018 |
| Canon 5D IV | Full Frame | CF / UHS-I | DSLR | 2016 |
| Canon 6D II | Full Frame | UHS-I | DSLR | 2017 |
| Canon 5DS R | Full Frame | CF / UHS-I | DSLR | 2015 |
| Canon 1Dx II | Full Frame | CFast / CF | DSLR | 2016 |
| Canon T8i | APS-C | UHS-II | DSLR | 2019 |
| Canon 90D | APS-C | UHS-II | DSLR | 2019 |
| Canon SL3 | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2019 |
| Canon M50 | APS-C | UHS-I | Mirrorless | 2018 |
| Canon M6 II | APS-C | UHS-II | Mirrorless | 2019 |
| Canon M6 | APS-C | UHS-I | Mirrorless | 2017 |
| Canon M5 | APS-C | UHS-I | Mirrorless | 2016 |
| Canon 7D II | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2014 |
| Canon 80D | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2016 |
| Canon SL2 | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2017 |
| Canon 77D | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2017 |
| Canon T7i | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2017 |
| Canon T6i | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2015 |
| Canon T6s | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2015 |
| Canon T6 | APS-C | UHS-I | DSLR | 2015 |
| Canon G7X III | 1" | UHS-I | Compact | 2019 |
| Canon G7X II | 1" | UHS-I | Compact | 2016 |
| Canon G1X III | APS-C | UHS-I | Compact | 2017 |
Finding The Right Card Is Important
Because each camera has unique specs they will require getting the right memory card. There is no reason to spend a ton of money on the best UHS-II memory cards for example if you don’t need that max speed.
For video shooters, many cameras only produce a 4k bitrate of 120Mbps and won’t see any benefit by using faster memory cards than required.
However, some cameras like the Canon EOS R have a bitrate of 400Mbps, and it will require the top end UHS-II memory cards to function correctly.
CFExpress And The Future
The Next generation of Canon cameras like the 1DX III will use CFexpress memory cards. It’s likely Canon will switch over to this new format for their professional cameras and keep their consumer cameras using UHS-I or UHS-II memory cards.
