Best Memory Cards for the Canon R5 Mark II – CFexpress Type B & SD Card Guide

Buy a VPG400 CFexpress card for slot 1 and a V90 SD card for slot 2. The Canon EOS R5 Mark II has one CFexpress Type B slot (CFexpress 2.0, VPG400 supported) and one UHS-II SD slot, with Canon rating the RAW buffer at about 230 shots on CFexpress versus 95 on a UHS-II SD card at 12 fps. Like the original R5, the camera is the bottleneck with any good CFexpress card: in my Canon R5 tests, 21 of 23 CFexpress cards wrote between 365 and 399 MB/s in-camera.

Which R5 is this? This page covers the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, released in 2024 with a stacked sensor. If you’re looking for the original EOS R5 (2020), see my Canon R5 memory card guide, which has my full in-camera test results.

Table of Contents

• How I Picked These Cards
• Quick Picks: Best Memory Cards for the Canon R5 Mark II
• Dual Card Slot Setup: What to Put in Slot 2
• CFexpress 4.0 vs 2.0 in the Canon R5 Mark II
• Current CFexpress Type B Cards I Recommend
• V90 vs V60 SD Cards for the Canon R5 Mark II
• Current SD Cards I Recommend
• Canon R5 Mark II Video Card Requirements
• What Size Memory Card Do You Need for the Canon R5 Mark II?
• What Size Card for Weddings and Big Events?
• Original Canon R5 In-Camera Test Results (Tested 2022)
• Canon R5 Mark II Memory Card Specs
• Canon R5 Mark II Memory Card Quick Answers
• What is the fastest memory card for the Canon R5 Mark II?
• Do I need a VPG400 card for 8K RAW?
• Can the Canon R5 Mark II record RAW video to an SD card?
• How big is the Canon R5 Mark II buffer?

How I Picked These Cards

The R5 Mark II uses the same card setup as the original R5: a CFexpress 2.0 Type B slot and a UHS-II SD slot, and the same logic applies here. When I tested 23 CFexpress and 27 UHS-II SD cards in the original R5 by shooting continuous RAW bursts and timing how long the buffer took to clear against the amount of data written, every good CFexpress card landed within a few MB/s of the others, so the R5’s own write speed was the limit, not the card. That’s why the picks below include current CF4.0 cards from my recommended list alongside cards I’ve tested in my reader. Reader numbers are from my own tests; rated and sustained speeds are the manufacturer’s.

Quick Picks: Best Memory Cards for the Canon R5 Mark II

You’ll likely want a bigger card than you’re used to if you’re coming from an older or lower-resolution camera, as the R5 Mark II’s 45MP RAW files (about 47.6 MB each) and 8K video fill cards faster than you might expect. If you’re not sure what capacity to get, check what size memory card you need before you buy.

	Best overall: Lexar Professional DIAMOND CFexpress 4.0 Type B. It’s VPG400 and rated at 3,400 MB/s write with 3,200 MB/s sustained, so 8K RAW never gets close to its limit. In the R5 Mark II’s CFexpress 2.0 slot it runs at CF2.0 speeds, but the extra speed pays off when you offload on a CF4.0 reader.
	Highest sustained write: Nextorage B2 Pro CFexpress 4.0 Type B. VPG400 with a rated 3,400 MB/s sustained write makes this the highest on my recommended list. You’ll want this for the R5 Mark II if you record long 8K RAW or Standard Intra takes and want the most headroom.
	Pro pick I’ve reader-tested: Delkin Devices BLACK CFexpress 4.0 Type B. Delkin rates it for a 400 MB/s minimum sustained write, which is several times what the R5 Mark II’s 8K RAW needs. In my reader, it wrote 1,736 MB/s and read 2,476 MB/s.
	Best value CFexpress: Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Type B (512GB+). In my original R5 tests, Lexar’s Gold and Diamond cards wrote within 3 MB/s of each other. It’s rated 3,000 MB/s sustained in 512GB and larger, but the 128GB and 256GB Gold cards are a slower 1,000 MB/s tier.
	Best SD card for slot 2: Delkin Devices POWER V90 UHS-II SD. I got 207 MB/s in-camera in the original R5, plus 248 MB/s write and 287 MB/s read in my reader. Slot it into the R5 Mark II for backup recording or 8K Standard LGOP, which Canon lists as a V90 mode.
	Budget SD card: Lexar Professional ARMOR GOLD V60 UHS-II SD. This is fine for JPEG/HEIF backup and Canon’s V60 modes, such as 8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:0 and 4K 120p 4:2:2 LGOP, with 195 MB/s write and 253 MB/s read in my reader (128GB).

Dual Card Slot Setup: What to Put in Slot 2

How much that SD card matters really comes down to how you set up the two cards, since the R5 Mark II’s SD slot is much slower than its CFexpress slot.

• Backup (Rec. to multiple): Use a V90 card here since every file goes to both cards, so bursts run at SD card speed. Canon rates the RAW buffer at about 95 shots on a UHS-II SD card versus 230 on CFexpress.
• Relay (Auto switch card): The camera moves to the SD card when the CFexpress card fills. A V90 card keeps burst performance closer to normal, but a V60 card is fine if it’s only overflow.
• Sort (Rec. separately): A V60 card is enough for most shooters with RAW to CFexpress and JPEG/HEIF to SD, since the files are small.

Note on PNY Cards: I have received reader reports of file corruption with PNY Elite X-Pro60 cards on the R5 Mark II. While this may be isolated, I recommend sticking to Sony, Delkin, SanDisk, and Lexar for critical professional work until this is better understood.

CFexpress 4.0 vs 2.0 in the Canon R5 Mark II

Since nearly every new Type B card is now CF4.0, that’s what you’ll be buying anyway, but the Canon R5 Mark II’s CFexpress slot is CFexpress 2.0 (PCIe Gen 3). CF4.0 cards work, but they run at CF2.0 interface speeds in the camera, so choose by VPG400 rating, sustained write, and capacity, not peak speed. Where CF4.0 does help is offloading: on a CF4.0 reader and a fast computer, the CF4.0 Type B cards I’ve tested in my reader read at about 2,500–3,200 MB/s.

Just watch the capacity on some lines. The Lexar Gold CF4.0 is rated 1,000 MB/s sustained at 128GB and 256GB, and 3,000 MB/s at 512GB and up. ProGrade’s 400GB Iridium and 512GB Gold CF4.0 cards are rated 850 MB/s sustained, while the larger versions are rated 1,500 MB/s. Still, all of these are well above the R5 Mark II’s 8K RAW bitrate.

Current CFexpress Type B Cards I Recommend

The speeds are from my card reader tests where I have them, plus the manufacturer’s rated and sustained speeds, and I update this list as new cards come out.

V90 vs V60 SD Cards for the Canon R5 Mark II

V90 cards are the better choice for the Canon R5 Mark II’s SD slot if you shoot backup bursts or high-bitrate video. In my original R5 tests, most V90 cards wrote 195–225 MB/s in-camera, while V60 cards wrote 79–165 MB/s, though V60 is enough for sorting JPEG/HEIF files, overflow, and Canon’s V60 video modes.

A practical advantage of using SD cards in slot 2 is thermal performance — they typically don’t heat up the camera as quickly as CFexpress Type B cards, at least in my experience after heavy use with my Nikon Z8, which has a similar card setup. The tradeoff is that V60 and V90 cards limit your bitrate options. If you’re struggling with overheating during long shoots, also look into cooling fans in my full Canon R5 Mark II accessories guide.

Current SD Cards I Recommend

The speeds are from my card reader tests, which show how fast each card writes and reads outside the camera, and I update this list as new cards come out.

Canon R5 Mark II Video Card Requirements

RAW movies on the R5 Mark II can only be recorded to CFexpress, and the most demanding modes need a card rated for 400 MB/s or faster, which is what VPG400 guarantees. Canon lists a card requirement for every recording mode, and the table covers the main modes; bitrates are Canon’s.

Mode	Frame rate	Bitrate (Mbps)	CFexpress card	SD card
8K RAW (Standard RAW)	29.97p and below	2600	400 MB/s or faster	Not supported
8K RAW (Light RAW)	59.94p / 50p	2600	400 MB/s or faster	Not supported
8K RAW (Light RAW)	25p / 24p	1340–1400	200 MB/s or faster	Not supported
8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Standard Intra	29.97p	1800	400 MB/s or faster	Not supported
8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Light Intra	29.97p	1200	200 MB/s or faster	Not supported
8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Standard LGOP	29.97p	540	Any	V90
8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:0 Standard LGOP	29.97p	400	Any	V60
4K Fine SRAW (Standard RAW)	59.94p	1860	400 MB/s or faster	Not supported
4K Fine XF-AVC S 4:2:2 High Quality Intra	29.97p	600	Any	V90
4K XF-AVC S 4:2:2 Standard Intra	119.88p	1800	400 MB/s or faster	Not supported
4K XF-AVC S 4:2:2 Standard LGOP	119.88p	500	Any	V90
4K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Standard LGOP	119.88p	450	Any	V60
4K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Standard LGOP	29.97p	135	Any	U3
2K XF-AVC S 4:2:2 Standard Intra	239.76p	1200	200 MB/s or faster	Not supported

What Size Memory Card Do You Need for the Canon R5 Mark II?

For stills, you get plenty of room: Canon rates a 325GB CFexpress card at about 6,540 RAW files, 15,210 C-RAW files, or 23,710 large JPEGs. Just shooting around town, I never use more than a 64GB card, but a 128GB card lets me shoot for a few days without worrying about offloading. Wedding and event photographers shooting on one card should start at 128GB so they don’t hit a storage limit mid-event, though 64GB cards can work if you swap through the day, depending on how much you burst. Video is different: 8K RAW at 2600 Mbps uses about 18,631 MB per minute, which works out to roughly 13 minutes on a 256GB card and 51 minutes on 1TB. For regular 8K RAW or high-bitrate 4K, 1TB or larger saves a lot of card swapping. Still, if you can afford it, two 512GB cards is often a safer choice than one 1TB card; if one fails or gets lost, you haven’t lost the entire shoot.

What you shoot	Card size	What it holds (Canon’s figures)
Stills, shooting around town	64GB	About 1,300 RAW or 3,000 C-RAW files
Stills, a few days without offloading	128GB	About 2,500 RAW or 6,000 C-RAW files
Weddings and big events, one card	128GB minimum	About 2,500 RAW or 6,000 C-RAW files
Weddings and big events, swapping cards through the day	64GB or 128GB per card	Depends on how much you burst; 64GB holds about 1,300 RAW or 3,000 C-RAW files
Backup to the SD slot	Match both cards	The smaller card sets the limit
4K video (XF-HEVC S 4:2:2, 30p)	256GB	About 4 hours 12 minutes
8K RAW video	1TB or larger	About 51 minutes per 1TB

What Size Card for Weddings and Big Events?

It’s generally considered good practice to use several smaller cards and swap to a fresh one between the phases of a wedding, rather than putting the whole day on one card. If a card is lost or corrupted, you only lose part of the day. When you rotate cards like this, 64GB cards (about 1,300 RAW or 3,000 C-RAW files each) can be enough; it all depends on how much you burst. If you’re shooting the whole day on one card, though, start at 128GB so you aren’t hitting a storage limit partway through. Based on Canon’s figures, that’s about 2,500 RAW or 6,000 C-RAW files.

Backup mode adds a second layer of protection, but when you use Rec. to multiple, every file goes to both cards and your smaller card sets the limit. You’ll want to pair matching capacities, like a 128GB CFexpress card with a 128GB V90 SD card. Shooting C-RAW also helps the SD card keep up in backup mode: Canon rates the 12 fps burst at about 580 C-RAW files on either card, versus 95 RAW files on SD. If you also shoot video at the reception, 4K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 at 30p (135 Mbps) runs about 4 hours 12 minutes on a 256GB card.

Original Canon R5 In-Camera Test Results (Tested 2022)

These are my in-camera results from the original Canon R5, which shares the R5 Mark II’s CFexpress 2.0 Type B and UHS-II SD card setup. While most of these cards have since been replaced by CF4.0 versions, the pattern is what matters: 21 of 23 CFexpress cards wrote 365–399 MB/s, so any good current card hits the same limit. You can find the full breakdown on my Canon R5 memory card page.

Canon R5 Mark II Memory Card Specs

Card slot 1	CFexpress Type B (CFexpress 2.0, VPG400 supported)
Card slot 2	SD / SDHC / SDXC, UHS-II
RAW file size	About 47.6 MB (C-RAW about 20.6 MB)
Max burst, 12 fps mechanical, RAW	About 230 (CFexpress) / 95 (UHS-II SD)
Max burst, 12 fps mechanical, C-RAW	About 580 (CFexpress and UHS-II SD)
Max burst, 30 fps electronic, RAW	About 93 (CFexpress) / 86 (UHS-II SD)
Highest video bitrate	2600 Mbps (8K RAW), about 325 MB/s
RAW video	CFexpress only

Canon R5 Mark II Memory Card Quick Answers

What is the fastest memory card for the Canon R5 Mark II?

Any solid VPG400 CFexpress Type B card will max out the camera. Just like the original R5, where 21 of 23 cards I tested landed between 365 and 399 MB/s, the R5 Mark II’s CFexpress 2.0 slot and the camera itself are the real bottleneck, not the cards. If you want the most headroom possible, grab the Lexar Diamond or the Nextorage B2 Pro.

Do I need a VPG400 card for 8K RAW?

For the heaviest modes like 8K RAW up to 30p, 8K Light RAW at 60p, or the big Intra settings, Canon calls for 400 MB/s or faster, so a VPG400 card is the safe bet since it guarantees that sustained write speed. If you stick to lighter modes like 8K Light RAW at 24p, you only need 200 MB/s.

Can the Canon R5 Mark II record RAW video to an SD card?

Canon blocks RAW video on the SD slot, so you’re limited to the CFexpress card for that. The SD card can still handle compressed codecs up to the camera’s V90 limits, including heavy options like 8K XF-HEVC S 4:2:2 Standard LGOP at 540 Mbps.

How big is the Canon R5 Mark II buffer?

Shooting RAW at 12 fps, Canon rates the buffer at roughly 230 shots on a CFexpress card versus about 95 on a UHS-II SD card. Switch to C-RAW and it jumps to about 580 shots on either card, which is an easy way to keep shooting fast without the SD card slowing you down.

More guides: Best Memory Cards for the Canon R5, Canon R6 III memory cards, Best CFexpress Type B cards, Best SD cards, Canon R5 Mark II accessories, and Canon R5 Mark II vs Nikon Z8 vs Sony A1.