Best Memory Cards Sony A6100 | Real Benchmarks

I tested 39 SD memory cards in the Sony A6100 to find the best options for video and stills. The A6100 is a UHS-I body — the interface caps at around 38–39 MB/s in-camera regardless of what card you put in. UHS-II cards write at the same speed as UHS-I U3 cards inside this camera; the extra cost of UHS-II only buys you faster file transfers to your computer, not faster in-camera performance. For 4K at 100Mbps (12.5 MB/s), any U3 card handles it without issue.

Sony A6100 Memory Card Recommendations

The Sony A6100 uses a single UHS-I memory card slot with a maximum write speed of about 38.5 MB/s.

Sony 4 K video has a bitrate of 400 Mbps, which translates to 12 MB/s. Any UHS-I memory card will work for 4k video as long as it’s a U3 or V30 speed class. Do not use U1 cards.

The Sony A6100 can use memory cards from 8GB in size up to 1TB or larger. There is no set limit to the size of cards this camera can use.

You can use UHS-II cards in the A6100 — you won’t gain any in-camera write speed, but a UHS-II card reader will let you transfer files to your computer faster.

Check out this guide for the latest SD memory card speed tests. Or look at this guide to Memory Cards for Sony Cameras, to see how other Sony cameras are doing.

Memory Card Speed Test | In-Camera Test Results

To test the cards in the camera, we take a series of continuous bursts at the fastest possible speed. The time for the buffer to empty is then measured against the amount of data written. We repeat this a few times for each card to check for errors and achieve the best results. These are older cards now, but I leave the chart here so you can see the camera speeds and where they cap out.

Even though UHS-II cards are slightly faster, you’ll still want to use UHS-I cards for the A6100.

Memory Card	Speed Class	In-Camera Write	USB Read	USB Write
Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s	UHS-I	38.51MB/s	99.2	88.3
Sandisk Extreme Plus	UHS-I	38.55MB/s	99.3	88.2
Sandisk Extreme U3	UHS-I	38.23MB/s	99.3	56.8
Sandisk Ultra U1	UHS-I	26.01MB/s	99.5	34.3
Kingston Canvas React A1 U3	UHS-I	36.66MB/s	99.6	82.5
Kingston Canvas Go! U3	UHS-I	36.61MB/s	99.6	74.0
Lexar 633x U1	UHS-I	36.63MB/s	95.0	54.6
Sony Professional U3	UHS-I	38.83MB/s	98.5	60.2
Sony U3 94MB/s	UHS-I	37.40MB/s	96.7	57.5
Sony U3 95MB/s	UHS-I	37.84MB/s	96.6	85.4
Transcend U3	UHS-I	38.12MB/s	96.7	87.8
PNY Elite Performance U3	UHS-I	38.28MB/s	96.7	66.9
Delkin Advantage U3	UHS-I	37.10MB/s	99.6	78.8
Toshiba Exceria Pro U3	UHS-I	38.59MB/s	97.8	74.7
Toshiba Exceria U3	UHS-I	28.41MB/s	97.2	29.9
Verbatim Pro+ U3	UHS-I	37.13MB/s	98.5	83.7
Verbatim Pro U3	UHS-I	36.30MB/s	96.6	68.0
Amplim 667x A1 V30	UHS-I	35.58MB/s	99.6	52.2
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/s	UHS-II	39.01MB/s	258.5	190.5
Lexar 2000x	UHS-II	38.31MB/s	258.9	201.5
Lexar 1000x	UHS-II	38.45MB/s	153.4	83.09
Toshiba Exceria Pro	UHS-II	38.81MB/s	263.6	223.8
Transcend v90	UHS-II	38.78MB/s	258.2	164.9
Sony G Tough	UHS-II	39.28MB/s	256.8	201.0
Sony G	UHS-II	39.29MB/s	258.0	206.7
Sony M	UHS-II	39.03MB/s	253.6	91.6
Delkin Power v90	UHS-II	39.05MB/s	257.6	191.0
Delkin Prime v60	UHS-II	39.00MB/s	252.8	89.1
Fujifilm Elite II	UHS-II	38.89MB/s	259.3	168.4
Adata v90	UHS-II	38.64MB/s	259.4	187.4
Hoodman Steel 2000x	UHS-II	38.63MB/s	268.7	183.9
Hoodman Steel 1500x	UHS-II	38.87MB/s	258.1	169.2
ProGrade V90	UHS-II	39.01MB/s	258.2	212.8
ProGrade V60	UHS-II	38.53MB/s	166.9	105.9
Amplim 1900x V60	UHS-II	38.76MB/s	249.8	104.5
Angel Bird V90	UHS-II	38.74MB/s	256.6	211.1
Angel Bird V60	UHS-II	38.50MB/s	166.9	80.2
FreeTail Evoke Pro V60	UHS-II	38.71MB/s	238.5	102.8

 

Sony A6100 Camera Specs and Buffer Questions

Sensor: 24.2MP APS-C Processor: BIONZ X Continuous Burst: 11 fps How Many SD Card Slots? Single Slot, UHS-I Video Modes: 4k24p / 4k25p / 4k30p 100Mbps What Is The Buffer Size? 800MB Estimate How Many Shots To Fill Buffer? 33 RAW How Long To Clear Buffer? 17:49 Memory Card Capacity: Sony A6100 has no restrictions on memory card capacity. It can take 8GB cards all the up to 1TB cards, but you need a minimum of a 64GB size card for XAVC S video recordings.

 

A6100 Bottlenecks

There is a slight slowdown in memory card write speeds on the A6100. Probably Sony is only using somewhat outdated hardware, like UDMA 4, to connect to the memory card. This will limit the speed, which is why most of the cards are running at around 38MB/s.

The bright side is this makes picking the fastest SD card a bit simpler since they all run at a similar speed.

 

Sony A6100 Video Record Times

Most Sony cameras share the same video specs, including the A6100.

You can shoot 4 K at 30fps with 100Mbps, or 1080p up to 120fps.

Here is a list of video record times for the different card sizes and record settings.

Resolution	Format	Bitrate	32GB	64GB	128GB	256GB
4k30p, 24p	XAVC S 4K	100Mbps	43min	85min	171min	341min
4k30p, 24p	XAVC S 4K	60Mbps	71min	142min	284min	569min
1080 120p, 100p	XAVC S HD	100Mbps	43min	85min	171min	341min
1080 120p, 100p	XAVC S HD	60Mbps	71min	142min	284min	569min
1080 24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p	XAVC S HD	50Mbps	85min	171min	341min	683min
1080 25p, 30p	XAVC S HD	16Mbps	267min	533min	1067min	2133min
1080 60i	AVCHD	24Mbps	178min	356min	711min	1422min
1080 60i	AVCHD	17Mbps	251min	502min	1004min	2008min

 

Best SD Card Sony A6100 Conclusions

The Sony A6100 was a nice upgrade to the A6000 with new focus tech a new screen a new build and even a slight enhancement to memory card speed.

Use any U3 UHS-I card and it will handle everything this camera throws at it — 4K, burst shooting, the works.

Note on microSD cards: The A6100 uses a full-size SD slot. MicroSD cards work with an adapter, but the connection can be unreliable inside the slot — I wouldn’t use one for anything critical. See my microSD guide if you need to use one.

Sony A6100 Memory Card FAQ

Does the A6100 need a UHS-II card?

No. The A6100 uses a UHS-I interface that caps at around 38–39 MB/s in-camera. UHS-II cards write at the same speed as fast UHS-I U3 cards inside this body — the benchmark table shows UHS-I and UHS-II cards clustered at the same ceiling. If you have UHS-II cards already, they’ll work fine; just don’t buy them specifically for this camera.

What card speed does the A6100 actually write at?

Around 38–39 MB/s for most U3 cards, regardless of whether they’re UHS-I or UHS-II. This is a hardware limitation of the camera’s memory card interface — the same ceiling seen on the A6000 and A6300 generation. Slower U1 cards drop to around 23–26 MB/s, which is why U3 is the minimum recommendation.

Will a U1 card work in the A6100?

A U1 card will work for most shooting — still photos and lower-bitrate video — but it won’t sustain 4K at 100Mbps reliably. At 23–26 MB/s (the tested in-camera speed of U1 cards), you’re well below the minimum needed for continuous 4K. For 4K recording, stick with U3 or V30 rated cards.

How does the A6100 compare to the A6600 for card performance?

Both cameras cap at around 38–39 MB/s in-camera — the A6100 and A6600 share the same UHS-I interface ceiling. The A6600 has a larger buffer (1GB vs ~800MB) and shoots at the same 11fps. For memory card selection purposes, recommendations that work for the A6600 work equally well for the A6100.