The Perfect SD Cards For Sony A6600 | Real Benchmarks

The A6600 is Sony’s 2019 APS-C flagship — 24.2MP Exmor sensor, BIONZ X processor, 11fps burst, and a single UHS-I SD slot. The key number: the A6600’s card interface caps at around 38–39 MB/s in-camera regardless of card speed. UHS-II cards write at the same rate as UHS-I U3 cards inside this body — the only benefit of UHS-II on this camera is faster file transfer to your computer via a UHS-II reader. For 4K at 100Mbps (12.5 MB/s), any U3 card handles it without issue.

Use this guide to find the best memory cards for video or photos with the Sony A6600.

Sony A6600 Best Memory Cards & Recommendations

The Sony A6600 requires only UHS-I SD memory card speeds. This means you don’t need to buy the pricier UHS-II cards unless you want faster transfer speeds from your card to your computer.

For video, you will need a card with at least a U3 or V30 rating.

Must-Have Accessories Sony A6600

Memory Card Speed Test | In-Camera Test Results

A lot of these older Sony APS-C cameras write data slowly and almost at the same speed. So, any card will work for them and as long as you stick with SDXC U3-rated cards, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the video features.

The speed test was done by checking how fast the camera buffer gets empty and how much data was written. These numbers were from when the camera was first released so many of the cards have changed or been updated. I leave this chart here just so you can get an idea of how this camera was performing with UHS-I and UHS-II cards.

Memory Card		Speed Class	Sony A6600	USB Read	USB Write
Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s	Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s	UHS-I	38.74	99.2	88.3
Sandisk Extreme Plus	Sandisk Extreme Plus	UHS-I	38.66	99.3	88.2
Sandisk Extreme U3	Sandisk Extreme U3	UHS-I	38.81	99.3	56.8
Sandisk Ultra U1	Sandisk Ultra U1	UHS-I	26.09	99.5	34.3
Kingston Canvas Go U3	Kingston Canvas Go U3	UHS-I	39.12	99.6	82.5
Kingston Select U3	Kingston Select U3	UHS-I	39.48	99.6	74.0
Lexar 633x U1	Lexar 633x U1	UHS-I	23.64	95.0	54.6
Sony Professional U3	Sony Professional U3	UHS-I	37.49	98.5	60.2
Sony U3 94MB/s	Sony U3 94MB/s	UHS-I	38.11	96.7	57.5
Sony U3 95MB/s	Sony U3 95MB/s	UHS-I	38.11	96.6	85.4
Transcend U3	Transcend U3	UHS-I	38.62	96.7	87.8
PNY Elite Performance U3	PNY Elite Performance U3	UHS-I	38.85	96.7	66.9
Delkin Black U3	Delkin Black U3	UHS-I	39.38	94.8	87.5
Delkin Advantage U3	Delkin Advantage U3	UHS-I	37.52	99.6	78.8
Toshiba Exceria Pro U3	Toshiba Exceria Pro U3*	UHS-I	39.20	97.8	74.7
Toshiba Exceria U3	Toshiba Exceria U3	UHS-I	27.76	97.2	29.9
Verbatim Pro+ U3	Verbatim Pro+ U3	UHS-I	38.13	98.5	83.7
Verbatim Pro U3	Verbatim Pro U3	UHS-I	37.00	96.6	68.0
Amplim 667x A1 V30	Amplim 667x A1 V30	UHS-I	36.12	99.6	52.2
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/s	Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/s	UHS-II	39.67	293.7	242.2
Lexar 2000x	Lexar 2000x	UHS-II	38.74	274.3	224.0
Lexar 1667x	Lexar 1667x	UHS-II	38.85	265.8	104.2
Lexar 1000x	Lexar 1000x	UHS-II	38.92	166.8	108.3
Toshiba Exceria Pro	Toshiba Exceria Pro	UHS-II	39.63	259.6	218.1
Transcend v90	Transcend v90	UHS-II	39.01	282.2	192.8
Sony G Tough	Sony G Tough v90	UHS-II	39.66	270.6	229.1
Sony M	Sony M Tough V60	UHS-II	39.62	282.4	129.5
Sony E U3	Sony E U3	UHS-II	38.85	282.3	103.8
Delkin Black v90	Delkin Black v90	UHS-II	39.44	224	210.1
Delkin Power v90	Delkin Power v90	UHS-II	39.82	280.2	221.6
Delkin Prime v60	Delkin Prime v60	UHS-II	39.54	252.8	89.1
Fujifilm Elite II	Fujifilm Elite II	UHS-II	39.16	290.3	173.2
Adata v90	Adata v90	UHS-II	39.12	290.1	241.0
Hoodman Steel 2000x	Hoodman Steel 2000x	UHS-II	39.16	280.7	169.1
Hoodman Steel 1500x	Hoodman Steel 1500x	UHS-II	39.00	289.2	105.8
ProGrade V90	ProGrade V90	UHS-II	39.16	290.5	218.4
ProGrade V60	ProGrade V60	UHS-II	39.33	167.6	92.14
Amplim 1900x V60	Amplim 1900x V60	UHS-II	38.96	289.3	104.2
Angel Bird V90	Angel Bird V90	UHS-II	39.31	290.4	219.5
Angel Bird V60	Angel Bird V60	UHS-II	38.74	166.5	104.5
FreeTail Evoke Pro V60	FreeTail Evoke Pro V60	UHS-II	39.24	238.5	102.8
Kingston Canvas React V90	Kingston Canvas React V90	UHS-II	39.37	—	—

Camera Specs

Sensor: 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS Sensor
Processor: BIONZ X Image Processor
Memory Cards: Single Slot UHS-I
Continuous Burst: 11fps
Video: 4k 100Mbps 8-bit 4:2:0, H.264
Buffer Size: 1GB
Shots To Fill Buffer: 46 RAW
Time To Clear Buffer: 24.5 seconds
Memory Card Capacity: This is no limit to the size of memory card the Sony A6600 can take. Keep in mind, SDXC formats start at 64GB and you’ll need this for some video features.

 

Best Memory Cards For 4k Video

Record Limit Time: Unlimited
Minimum Requirements: U3

Sony cameras are compatible with most memory cards nowadays. The only exception was Samsung SD cards, but they are rare now.

I have tried many U3 memory cards and they all work well for 4k video. You just need to make sure the card has that rating or higher. So any card with U3, v30, v60, or v90 will do.

The other thing you need to check is whether the card is SDXC or SDHC.

SDXC – This means the card can use a 64-bit file system and store large video clips.

SDHC – This means the card will use a 32-bit file system and split video files into 4GB parts.

 

What Size Memory Card Do You Need?

I put together a nice guide based on specs and my experience to help you decide which size memory card to buy.

 

For Stills

64GB is enough for most situations unless you shoot many big events.

I have been switching to 128GB cards lately because they are not very expensive. I do this for a few reasons. Sometimes I shoot big events and need more than a 64GB card. Sometimes I don’t want to delete my card for a week or so or I’ll keep the images on my card until they are backed up to my server.

But mostly, I still use 64GB cards in my cameras and it’s fine.

For Video

The memory card size for the A6600 for video depends on what format you use and how you use the camera.

There are some things you should know. Look at the max bitrates.

4k 24p / 30p Max Bitrate: 100Mbps

1080 24p / 25p / 30p / 50p / 60p Max Bitrate: 50Mbps

For the best quality or 100Mbps at 24fps or 30fps with the Sony A6600, you should use 4k. But if you need 100fps or 120fps, you can use 1080p with 100Mbps.

If you only need 1080p 24fps or 1080p 30fps, you will get only 50Mbps. So it’s better to use 4k and then make it smaller, which can give you a 4:2:2 data compression if you do it right in a 16-bit sequence. That’s what some people say.

 

Sony A6600 Record Times

This chart shows you the best memory card size for your recording format. It also shows you how long you can record with different formats and card sizes.

For videographers, I suggest 128GB cards.

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 Memory Cards Sony A6600 Conclusions

The Sony A6600 is a great camera and I think it will last for a long time. It can do almost anything you want.

You can use any U3 card for this camera and they will work fine. UHS-II cards don’t add any in-camera performance benefit on the A6600 — the interface caps at around 38–39 MB/s regardless of card tier. If you own UHS-II cards already, they’ll work; just don’t buy them specifically for this camera.

Note on microSD cards: The A6600 uses a full-size SD slot. MicroSD cards work with an adapter, but adapter connections 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 A6600 Memory Card FAQ

Does the A6600 need a UHS-II card?

No. The A6600 uses a UHS-I interface that caps at around 38–39 MB/s in-camera. UHS-II cards write at the same speed as UHS-I U3 cards inside this body — the benchmark table shows UHS-II and fast UHS-I cards clustered at the same ~39 MB/s ceiling. The only reason to use UHS-II is faster file transfer to your computer via a UHS-II reader.

What card speed is needed for 4K recording on the A6600?

The A6600’s max 4K bitrate is 100Mbps (12.5 MB/s). Any U3 or V30 card handles this without issue. Even slower U3 cards in the benchmark write at 36–39 MB/s in-camera, well above what 4K recording on this body requires. There’s no scenario where a faster card meaningfully improves 4K recording performance.

How long does the A6600 buffer take to clear?

The 1GB buffer fills with 46 RAW frames at 11fps — about 4 seconds of continuous shooting. It takes approximately 24.5 seconds to clear with a U3 card. Higher-tier UHS-II cards didn’t meaningfully improve this because the camera’s UHS-I interface is the bottleneck, not the card’s write speed.

Will an older or slower card work in the A6600?

Any SDXC U3 card should work for 4K recording. The one exception: very slow U1/Class 10 cards may not sustain 100Mbps 4K reliably. For stills and 1080p, even a basic U1 card covers the bitrate — though buffer clearing will be slower with lower-tier cards. If you’re unsure, look for the U3 label (a number 3 inside a U-shaped icon) before buying.