Launched in 2014, the Sony A7II quickly became a favorite among photographers. If you’re an existing user looking to upgrade your memory cards, or if you’re thinking about buying one pre-owned, you’ll want to know about the best cards currently on the market.
This guide will equip you with crucial insights into memory cards and highlight the best memory cards for the Sony A7II.
Recommended Memory Cards Sony A7 II
The Sony A7II is equipped with a UHS-I memory card slot, making it compatible with the widely available UHS-I SD cards. Most brands will function seamlessly in this camera, and while UHS-II cards are usable, they won’t enhance the write speed.
For 1080p video recording (50Mbps), the A7II requires cards that can maintain a minimum write speed of 10MB/s, which is met by both U1, U3 and V30 cards.
With support for memory cards up to 128GB, you can confidently use cards within the 64-128GB range. Considering the A7II’s write speed caps at about 35MB/s, it’s unnecessary to splurge on premium v90 cards or those exceeding 128GB.
When selecting the latest memory cards, the Sony E series stands out for its UHS-I write speeds and UHS-II read speeds, making them a valuable choice for these cameras.
| Recommended SD Cards | Speed Class | USB Write | USB Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD UHS-II V60 | UHS-II v60 | Hide | ||
| Sony E v60 256GB | UHS-II v60 | Amazon / B&H | ||
| UHS-I U3 | UHS-I | Hide | ||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 32/64/128GB | UHS-I | 144 | 172 | Amazon / B&H |
| Kingston CanvasGo! 128/256/512GB | UHS-I | 124 | 161 | Amazon / B&H |
| Sony 95 | UHS-I | 81 | 90 | Amazon |
| Delkin Advantage 32-1TB | UHS-I | 77 | 93 | Amazon / B&H |
Best SD Card For The Sony A7 II – Buffer And Speed Test
I’ll outline the memory cards that are ideal for this camera and also offer some advice. If you’re considering upgrading to a Sony 4k camera later on, like the A7SII or A7rII, it’s wise to select a memory card compatible with 4k video now. Look for an XAVC-capable card with a U3 rating to ensure future compatibility.
Sony A7r II Memory Card Speed Tests
The USB speed tests were done using a MacBook Pro and the camera tests were done in camera. UHS-II USB 3.0 memory cards were done on PC since the current Macbook Pro USB slot is not compatible with UHS-II
*I’ve listed what cards are 4K capable even though the Sony A7II does not shoot internal 4k. I’m doing this just because you might want to consider buying a card that will work on future generation 4K cameras since this seems to be the direction Sony is going with all their cameras.
| SD Memory Cards | 4K Video | Sony A7 II Write |
| UHS-II | ||
| Lexar 64GB 2000x | Yes | 32.17 MB/s |
| Toshiba 64GB | Yes | 32.99 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB | Yes | 32.07 MB/s |
| Lexar 64GB 1000x | Yes | 32.17 MB/s |
| UHS-I | ||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 | Yes | 33.51 MB/s |
| Kingston 64GB Class U3 | Yes | 33.44 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3 | Yes | 33.10 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme 64GB U3 | Yes | 33.02 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro 64GB U1 | No | 32.54 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U1 | No | 32.32 MB/s |
| PNY 64GB U3 | Sometimes | 32.20 MB/s |
| Transcend 64GB U3 | Yes | 31.86 MB/s |
| Lexar 600x 64GB U1 | No | 31.70 MB/s |
| Sony 64GB U3 | Yes | 31.29 MB/s |
| Samsung 64GB EVO U1 | No | 22.70 MB/s |
The UHS-II memory cards are the fastest, but only marginally. I wouldn’t recommend you spend the extra money on a UHS-II card unless you want faster transfer speeds from your card to your computer. In that case, you’ll want to make sure you have the Best UHS-II USB 3.0 Card Reader.
Why So Slow?
The reason the Sony A7II writes to memory cards so slowly is because they are still using USB 2.0 bus speeds in their camera. However, because Sony includes such a large buffer, you won’t notice it when you’re shooting in real-world situations.
Sony A7 II SD Card For Video
You need to use an SDXC U1 memory card as a minimum requirement to shoot XAVC video on the Sony A7II.
A U1 card should let you shoot XAVC S HD, but I would recommend buying a U3 card just to be a little future-proof.
If you’re not at all interested in shooting XAVC video, then here are some memory card specs that you’ll need for the other video codecs.
XAVC S HD – UHS-I SDXC U1 or U3
AVCHD – UHS-I SDHC U1 or better
MP4 – UHS-I SDHC U1 or better
Need Accessories For You Sony A7II?
Check out the Sony A7II accessories and gear page! Also, see Sony Lenses For The A7II.
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