An in-camera test of all the most popular UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards to determine which card is fastest in the Canon the Canon SL2 / EOS 200D.
Use this guide to find the best memory cards for your needs and your budget.
Also, there are a lot of blogs now posting “best memory cards for the Canon SL2 (or whatever camera), and they are misleading and usually wrong because they don’t test the cards in the camera. If you find this article helpful, the best thing you can do is share it.
Best Memory Card For The Canon SL2 / 200D
General Performance And The Speed Chart
Since the Canon SL2 has a very small buffer, it’s important to get as fast of a memory card as you can if you plan on doing a lot of continuous burst photography.
Canon SL2 Memory Card Speed Chart
On this chart, only the column with the Canon SL2 speeds affects the in-camera performance of the card.
Cards typically perform differently in different cameras compared to how they perform with Windows or a Mac.
The Canon SL2 does not take advantage of UHS-II memory card speeds, so there is no reason to spend the extra money on UHS-II cards.
All USB 3.0 tests were done using CrystalDisk – Windows 10, with the Lexar SR2.
| SD Memory Cards | USB 3.0 Read | USB 3.0 Write | Canon SL2 |
| UHS-II | |||
| Sony G | 259.2 MB/s | 234.5 MB/s | 38.30 MB/s |
| Toshiba Exceria Pro | 258.8 MB/s | 226.5 MB/s | 38.12 MB/s |
| Delkin 1900X | 273.3 MB/s | 97.3 MB/s | 37.86 MB/s |
| Delkin 250 | 245.1 MB/s | 164.6 MB/s | 37.82 MB/s |
| Lexar 2000x | 272.7 MB/s | 244.5 MB/s | 37.71 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 300 | 263.2 MB/s | 233.4 MB/s | 37.66 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Pro 280 | 260.5 MB/s | 214.8 MB/s | 37.49 MB/s |
| Transcend | 290.2 MB/s | 182.1 MB/s | 37.35 MB/s |
| Lexar 1000x | 147.4 MB/s | 78.4 MB/s | 37.35 MB/s |
| Sony M | 253.2 MB/s | 91.62 MB/s | 37.09 MB/s |
| UHS-I | |||
| Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 | 98.6 MB/s | 90.8 MB/s | 39.93 MB/s |
| PNY Elite Performance U1 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.5 MB/s | 39.23 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro U3 | 97.7 MB/s | 78.6 MB/s | 38.14 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme U3 | 72.43 MB/s | 54.1 MB/s | 37.61 MB/s |
| Kingston U3 | 98.1 MB/s | 90.4 MB/s | 37.57 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro+ U3 | 97.5 MB/s | 87.3 MB/s | 37.51 MB/s |
| Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 | 99.0 MB/s | 64.4 MB/s | 37.45 MB/s |
| Delkin 633x U3 | 98.3 MB/s | 88.7 MB/s | 36.89 MB/s |
| PNY Elite Performance U3 | 96.5 MB/s | 66.1 MB/s | 36.69 MB/s |
| Lexar 600x U1 | 95.4 MB/s | 64.8 MB/s | 36.52 MB/s |
| Samsung Pro U1 | 96.3 MB/s | 82.2 MB/s | 36.41 MB/s |
| Sony U3 – Old Model | 96.5 MB/s | 84.5 MB/s | 36.24 MB/s |
| Transcend U3 | 96.7 MB/s | 84.9 MB/s | 35.96 MB/s |
| Sony U3 – New Model | 96.7 MB/s | 56.2 MB/s | 35.86 MB/s |
| Lexar 633x U3 | 93.3 MB/s | 67.3 MB/s | 32.81 MB/s |
| Samsung U1 EVO | 47.7 MB/s | 27.3 MB/s | 26.11 MB/s |
| Sandisk Ultra U1 | 99.3 MB/s | 36.1 MB/s | 24.17 MB/s |
I test only 64GB cards, but the 128 and 256 variants should see very similar performance.
Camera Specs
Sensor: 24.2MP APS-C / Processor: DIGIC 7
SD Memory Card Type: UHS-I
Video: 1080p 60 fps
Continuous Burst: 5 fps
Est. Size of Buffer: 150MB
Time Taken To Fill Buffer: 1.25 sec
Uncompressed RAW Shots Till Buffer Fills: – 6-7 Shots
Est. Time Taken To Clear Buffer: 4.5 seconds
Best Accessories For The Canon SL2
Recommended Memory Cards For The Canon SL2
Fastest UHS-II Memory Cards
UHS-II memory cards have no speed benefit over UHS-I cards in the Canon SL2 / 200D, so I wouldn’t recommend spending the extra money on these cards unless you require fast transfer speeds from your card to your computer.
You’ll also want to buy a fast UHS-II memory card reader.
Sony 64GB G – 38.30 MB/s
Sony’s UHS-II G card is fantastic and is now one of the best memory cards for UHS-II devices available. Compared to the Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-II memory card, the Sony matches it in performance in most devices. Canon recently said Sony cards are not compatible with their cameras, but in all the cards I’ve tested they seem to work fine. I think this is just Canon being mad at Sony. – Amazon
Delkin 1900x – 37.86 MB/s
Delkin cards have been around for a while. The Delkin 1900x is the slower of their two UHS-II cards, however, its read speeds are actually faster, so this makes this card better for the tasks of downloading images from the card to a computer HDD.
– Amazon
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300 – 37.66 MB/s
Sandisk cards are the most trusted and reliable brand of memory card. Their cards usually work flawlessly in most devices and they even offer a lifetime warranty, unlike Sony which only offers a 1-year warranty. – Amazon
Fastest UHS-I Memory Cards
The best cards were the Sandisk Extreme Pro and PNY U1, but in real-world testing, they all pretty much performed the same except the few cards at the bottom of the chart. With Sandisk Ultra and Samsung EVO you could clearly tell they were slower.
In other words, buy whatever card you like that performs at around 30MB/s+ and you won’t be able to notice the difference. I buy Sandisk.
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 – 39.93 MB/s
The Sandisk Extreme Pro is the ultimate memory card. Nothing beats it and you’ll never go wrong buying it. Of UHS-I memory card it almost always is the fastest memory card you can buy and it has a lifetime warranty – Amazon
Kingston U3 – 37.57 MB/s
Kingston wasn’t on the top of the list but it was close enough. Kingston has been a reliable memory card and like Sandisk they work great in every device I’ve tested. They also offer a lifetime warranty – Amazon
Samsung Pro+ 64GB U3 – 37.51 MB/s
Samsung dominates the micro SD memory card market, but they’ve also made some really nice SD memory cards. The Samsung Pro or the Samsung Pro+ are fantastic. The Pro+ is a little easier to find than the Pro and it also comes in more sizes.
– Amazon
Canon SL2 Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve compiled some basic information about memory cards and their problems. You can read about all the different and best types of memory cards in this guide.
Can I use Micro SD Memory Cards in the Canon SL2?
Yes, you can. I don’t test Micro SD cards in DSLRs, but I do have almost all of them and do use them in other cameras from time to time with no real consequence. The only issue I’ve seen is the micro card wiggling loose inside the adapter causing a connection error. Changing out the adapter usually fixes this.
What Cards Work Best For Video?
Since the Canon SL2 doesn’t have any real significant video requirements or features, any of the cards listed here will work. I tested them all at 1080p 60.
My Card Isn’t Fast, What’s Wrong?
If you’re having some issues with your memory cards, here is a list of a few things that could be your problem.
- Sometimes cards are just bad. You can usually get them replaced without hassle and many have really good warranties.
- There are a lot of counterfeit cards out there. If you bought of Ebay, chances are you got duped. Stick with BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon or other trusted stores.
- Make sure the cards and connection pins are all clean and undamaged.
What Size Memory Card Should I Get, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB?
I use 32GB cards if I’m just shooting photos casually and I rarely fill the cards. If I’m shooting photos with some videos here and there, I’ll need a 64GB card.
If I’m traveling and shooting on a card that I don’t clear for a few days I’ll usually fill up a 32GB card.
If you’re only shooting JPEG you’ll probably be fine with a 32GB card. That way after a few weeks the card will fill up and you’ll be forced to clear it off and back it up, instead of putting all your eggs in one basket with a 128GB card.
Best SD Memory Card Canon SL2 / 200D | Bottom Line
The Canon SL2 doesn’t have a very big buffer and it doesn’t have a very fast continuous shoot speed. This means you can burst off about 6 RAW shots before filling the buffer, which happens in about 1.25 seconds, then it takes about 4.5 seconds to clear that buffer. Different cards will perform slightly differently but it’s not very noticeable.
This means almost any modern card you buy will perform just fine. But if you want the absolute best performance then the Sandisk Extreme Pro beats them all.
