The original Nikon Z6 and Z7 have a single card slot that takes CFexpress Type B cards (with firmware 2.20 or later) and older XQD cards. There’s no SD slot. Buy a midrange CFexpress Type B card like the Lexar Gold; XQD cards are obsolete now.
Which Z6 is this? This page covers the original Nikon Z6 and Z7, released in 2018. For the Z6 II and Z7 II (2020), which add a second, SD card slot, see my Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II memory card tests. For the Z6 III, see my Nikon Z6 III memory card tests.
Table of Contents
How I Tested the Z6 and Z7
I tested six XQD cards in both the Z6 and Z7 in 2019. XQD was still widely used and popular when these cameras came out, so that’s what I tested. Each test is a burst of Uncompressed RAW in Continuous H (extended) until the buffer fills; several sets of burst sequences are shot, and math is used to calculate how much data is written vs. how long it took to clear the buffer. I take the fastest run for each card.
Quick Picks: Best Memory Cards for the Nikon Z6 and Z7
Not sure what capacity to get? Check what size memory card you need before you buy. Lexar and Delkin are the best brands for Nikon’s CFexpress memory cards, and they’ll still give you great performance if you upgrade to another camera.
 | Best value: Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress Type B (128GB/256GB). 1,410 MB/s write and 1,525 MB/s read in my reader, far more than the Z6 and Z7 need. In the Z6 II and Z7 II it wrote 286–290 MB/s, so it’s a card you can keep if you upgrade. |
 | Pro pick I’ve reader-tested: Delkin Devices BLACK CFexpress 4.0 Type B. Wrote 1,736 MB/s and read 2,476 MB/s in my reader, with a 400 MB/s minimum sustained rating. Overkill for the Z6 and Z7, but a good choice if you plan to move to a Z8 or Z9. |
Nikon Z6 and Z7 Card Slot: CFexpress Type B and XQD
The Z6 and Z7 have one card slot for XQD or CFexpress Type B cards. They don’t take SD cards, so an SD card won’t work in either camera. CFexpress support came with firmware version 2.20, released free in December 2019. At the time, Nikon only guaranteed Sony’s CFexpress cards, but other major brands work: in my testing, ProGrade CFexpress cards and SanDisk cards larger than 64GB worked, while the 64GB SanDisk did not.
Current CFexpress Type B Cards I Recommend
I update this list as new cards come out. The speeds are from my card reader tests where I have them, plus the manufacturer’s rated and sustained speeds.
| Memory Cards | Review Links | Rating | USB-C Write | USB-C Read | Tested Sustain Speeds | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFExpress Type-B | ||||||
| Lexar Diamond CF4.0 128GB-1TB | VPG400 | Amazon / B&H | ||||
| Lexar Gold CF4.0 512GB-4TB | Amazon / B&H | |||||
| Lexar Silver CF4.0 512GB/1TB | Amazon | |||||
| Lexar Gold 128/256GB | Lexar Gold 128-512GB CFeB Review | 1410 | 1525 | 1382 | Amazon / B&H | |
| Prograde Iridium CF4.0 400GB | VPG400 | 2704 | 3212 | 808 | Amazon / B&H | |
| ProGrade Gold CF4.0 512GB | 2545 | 3203 | 844 | Amazon / B&H | ||
| Delkin Black CF4.0 512GB/1/2TB | 1736 | 2476 | 1693 | Amazon / B&H | ||
| Delkin Power G4 128/160/256/325GB | Delkin Power 128-512GB G4 CFeB Review | 920 | 1226 | 842 | Amazon / B&H | |
| Angelbird Pro XT Mk II 660/1320GB | 1595 | 1597 | 1583 | Amazon / B&H | ||
| Nextorage B2 Pro CF4.0 660/1330GB | VPG400 | B&H | ||||
| Nextorage B2 Pro CF4.0 165/330GB | VPG400 | Amazon / B&H |
Nikon Z6 and Z7 In-Camera Test Results: XQD Cards (Tested 2019)
XQD cards are obsolete now, so these results are here for reference. If you’re buying a card today, get CFexpress Type B.
| Card | Z6 write (MB/s) | Z7 write (MB/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Delkin XQD 120GB | 216 | 208 |
| Sony G XQD 64GB | 187 | 199 |
| Lexar Professional 2933x XQD 64GB | 195 | 188 |
| Nikon XQD 64GB | 191 | 193 |
| Sony M XQD (150 MB/s) 64GB | 137 | 141 |
| Sony M XQD (80 MB/s) 32GB | 39 | 41 |
Nikon Z6 and Z7 Video Card Requirements
The Z6 and Z7 record 4K UHD at up to 30p with a maximum bitrate of 144 Mbps (18 MB/s). Nikon recommends cards with write speeds of 45 MB/s or better for movie recording, which any CFexpress Type B card handles easily. Card speed matters mainly for stills bursts.
What Size Memory Card Do You Need for the Z6 and Z7?
Most photographers should start with a 128GB card. This allows you to shoot for a few days and even a little video without worrying about running out of space. I usually use 128GB cards and never fill them up in a single day of shooting. Nikon rates Lossless Compressed (12-bit) RAW files at about 22.5 MB on the Z6 and 44.7 MB on the Z7, so the Z7 fills a card about twice as fast.
Single Slot: Managing Your Cards Carefully
The Z6 and Z7 have a single card slot, which means there’s no backup if a card fails during a shoot. A few habits help manage this risk: format your card in-camera before each shoot (rather than on a computer), don’t delete files in-camera (transfer and format instead), and carry at least one spare card so you’re never shooting on a card that’s nearly full. I’ve used single-slot cameras for years, and from my years of testing, CFexpress cards also seem to be more reliable than SD cards. Still, disciplined card management matters more when there’s no redundancy.
Nikon Z6 and Z7 Memory Card Specs
| Z6 | Z7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | 1 × XQD / CFexpress Type B (firmware 2.20+) | 1 × XQD / CFexpress Type B (firmware 2.20+) |
| SD card slot | None | None |
| Continuous H (extended) | 12 fps (9 fps 14-bit) | 9 fps (8 fps 14-bit) |
| Uncompressed 14-bit RAW | 44.1 MB, buffer about 34 frames | 85.1 MB, buffer about 18 frames |
| Lossless compressed 12-bit RAW | 22.5 MB, buffer about 35 frames | 44.7 MB, buffer about 23 frames |
| 4K video | Up to 30p, 144 Mbps | Up to 30p, 144 Mbps |
Nikon Z6 and Z7 Memory Card Quick Answers
Can I use an SD card in the Nikon Z6?
You can’t use an SD card here. The original Z6 and Z7 only have a single slot built for XQD or CFexpress Type B cards, so if you want an SD slot you’ll have to step up to the Z6 II or Z7 II.
Do I need a firmware update to use CFexpress cards in the Z6 or Z7?
You do if you want to run CFexpress Type B, which requires the free firmware 2.20 update Nikon released back in December 2019. XQD cards work right out of the box, and while Nikon only officially guaranteed Sony cards at the time, my testing showed ProGrade cards and SanDisk cards over 64GB worked fine, though the 64GB SanDisk failed.
What is the fastest memory card for the Nikon Z6 and Z7?
Just grab a solid midrange CFexpress Type B card like the Lexar Gold, because XQD cards are pretty much obsolete now. Back when I tested XQD cards in 2019, the Delkin XQD 120GB topped the charts at 216 MB/s in the Z6 and 208 MB/s in the Z7, but CFexpress is the way to go today.
More guides: Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II memory cards, Nikon Z6 III memory cards, Nikon Z8 memory cards, and best CFexpress Type B cards.
Comments
11 responses to “Best Memory Cards for the Nikon Z6 & Z7 (Original) – CFexpress & XQD Card Guide”
Lol what a coincidance:) We chat on Nikonrumors. Now there’s talk about cards, i research writing speed to card, and here it is on your site, nice. And we also now found reason why lame XQD is crazy overpriced, All amazon shops (and others except maybe b&h), sell only ONE kinds of XQD, ONE! Sony. And only one line, G line (m line gone). This is pure monopoly abuse. We need Sandisk competition.
Yeah, I agree, Sony killing the M cards seems suspicious. However, for a 64GB card, they are only $15 more than the top of the line UHS-II cards and perform a little bit better. The problem is the larger cards are way too expensive. I’m hoping CFexpress card bring these prices down. I doubt it though. CFexpress will be top of the line in performance and it will probably demand a premium price even though it’s an “open” format.
At B&H, there are Sony, Delkin and Nikon XQD cards. The Nikon seems to be the lowest price at the moment. All current Nikon XQD-compatible cameras will be able to use CFexpress cards in the future, and there are a dozen manufacturers who are indicating they will produce CFe cards.
SD cards are brittle and have a short usable life, in my experience, which makes me want to avoid them at all costs.
You need to test other cards before you make a statement like 64gb cfexpress doesn’t work as ppl automatically have assumed Sandisk cfexpress doesn’t work at all and came up to me telling me that. I’ve had no problem with my 128 and 256 so it’s likely just a small card issue with the Zs, so please re-evaluate and state clearly so ppl aren’t mislead, not that you were misleading them intentionally, we just live in a headline driven world.
I said this in my article. “I would assume that it’s possible Nikon has yet to optimize firmware for the 64GB cards, since most brands like Prograde and Sony aren’t offering cards in that size. CFexpress cards are unique in that each size runs at a different speed. It’s possible 120GB or 128GB cards will all work fine from different brands but not anything smaller.”
I guess I could spell it out more, because yeah, I have heard people having no issues with their larger Sandisk cards. Maybe I’ll mention that. I’ll grab some 128GB Sandisk cards next time I go to pick up the Sony cards.
And I know, people are foaming at the mouth to say something terrible about CFexpress right now. I’ll update, thanks for the feedback Aranu!
It sucks because I had all the CFexpress cards coming when I was in the US so I could have tested everything, but I had to fly back to Japan before they got there. So now I’m limited to only what comes in to the stores here in Japan.
Ok so I added some bold text to make things a little more clear based on feedback people are giving me.
Just tried a newly released Wise 256GB Cfexpress card with 1550 mb/s writing speed on my Nikon Z7. It is well compatible with Z7 as described by the manufacturer. However, I did not feel any improvement over my Sony and Lexar QXD cards. Z7 stopped after 20 shots within 2 seconds due to buffer full. In sum, upgrading XQD to Cfexpress doesn’t improve performance of Nikon 7.
Thanks, yeah I have the 120GB ProGrade card and the results are the same. I’ll test everything probably next month sometime.
anybody going to try these from Germany. They seem quite cheap!
Wow, I wonder what they’re doing to get that price so low. I wonder if I can get them in the US. I’ll be going back in 2 weeks so I can test everything.
This article was written in december 2020 and things has happen since then (now July 2022). Apparently there are 128 GB CFe-card that are XQD-compatible, that means that they work both in XQD- and CFe-environment, even if the equipment only can handle one of the formats. I have a Z6 and in those days there were only XQD-cards available and I also bought an XQD-card reader. This also means that I do not have to buy a new card reader, I can use my Sony XQD/SD II reader.
The CFe I have been looking at is Lexar CFExpress Type B Pro Silver R1000/W600 128GB, which comes for SEK 1990:- (appr $195 USD)