Best Memory Cards Sony ZV-1

After testing all the most popular memory cards in Sony cameras for the last several years, I’ve put together this memory card recommendation guide to help you find the best memory cards for the Sony ZV-1.

This guide will clear up any confusion and hopefully save you some money. Plus there are some cool options for Tough and UHS-II cards, it all depends on your setup and needs.

Best Memory Cards Sony ZV-1

Before getting into the memory card recommendations there are a few things you should know. The Sony ZV-1 only is UHS-I memory card capable and features a single card slot. You can buy UHS-II cards but they won’t offer you any benefit when shooting. They will however allow you to transfer data from your cards to your computer quicker if you use a UHS-II compatible memory card reader (like this one – Amazon) and you transfer to a fast drive like an SSD.

When buying UHS-I cards, there is really only one spec you need to make sure you match and that’s the U3 speed class rating also known as V30. U3 and V30 memory cards guarantee a 30MB/s write speed which is more than enough for Sony’s 12MB/s 4k bandwidth. Do not buy U1 memory cards, your camera will reject them if you try to shoot 4k video.

Top Recommendations Memory Cards For The Sony ZV-1

Since the Sony ZV-1 is targeting video shooters as a vlogging focused camera, there won’t see any noticeable difference between faster or slower cards when shooting 4k video. The ZV-1 will require U3 or V30 rated cards within the UHS-I speed class which will guarantee a minimum of 30MB/s write speeds.

The Sandisk card is the number one selling card, but if you want a tough card with improved durability the Delkin Black is a great option. The Kingston Canvas GO! is also another great card.

For faster transfer speeds from card to computer, Sony makes a nice E card that’s rated for UHS-I write speeds but it also supports UHS-II read speeds. For UHS-II cards, this would be the best bang for the buck from the reliable brands.

*Under no conditions have we ever been able to achieve the 170MB/s read and write speeds claimed by Kingston and Sandisk. They will perform all at about 90MB/s.

Sony ZV-1 Specs

Sony ZV-1 – Amazon / Adorama / BHphoto

To get an idea of how the various brands of memory cards perform in the Sony ZV-1, check out this chart with the RX100 VII speeds where each card was tested in the camera.

As you can see, the fastest speed we were able to achieve was about 37MB/s due to a slow internal buffer. Since the Sony ZV-1 has mostly the same hardware and specs, this table should give you a pretty good idea of how cards perform in the ZV-1. However, there are several new cards that are not on this list, like the new Delkin Black and Kingston GO!.

Buying Memory Cards For 4k Video

For 4k shooting in the Sony ZV-1, you don’t need anything different or special when buying memory cards other than the U3 or v30 rating.

Because Sony cameras have a low bitrate for 4k video, it can write to memory cards with speeds as low as 12MB/s. Any memory card with a U3 rating will meet these specs, but U1 cards may not and the ZV-1 will reject U1 cards if you try to record 4k video to them.

Sony RX100VII Record Times

I’ve listed all 64GB memory cards in my recommendations above, but you may want a bigger card depending on how much you record. Here is a chart that shows you the record times of the various record formats related to size of each card.

By the way, is chart is the same for just about all Sony cameras that are shooting 4k.

How To Avoid Counterfeit Cards

Counterfeit memory cards are one of the big reasons why memory cards fail. Typically what happens is the memory card controller has been hacked to indicate there is more memory in the card than there actually is. For example, they’ll sell you a 128GB card that actually only has 32GBs of memory. You may go shooting for weeks with everything working fine, then one day you pass the 32GB threshold and your card fails. 

To check for counterfeit memory cards, the best thing to do is to max your cards right when you get them. If they don’t fail, or aren’t running super slow, you should be good to go.

When shopping for memory cards, try to stick with trusted stores. Especially if you shop on Ebay or Amazon. Look for big camera stores selling the products on Ebay or Amazon, and try not to buy from store names you’ve never heard of before. I often buy cards for B&H or Adorama.

Best Memory Cards Sony ZV-1 Bottom Line

Shopping memory cards for the Sony ZV-1 is pretty straight forward. There are only a few great UHS-I cards that are easy to come by anymore and that’s Kingston, Delkin and Sandisk. Sony is now making a pretty cool E card that is designed for UHS-I write performance with UHS-II read speeds, so consider that card if you want faster read speeds.