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The Best SD Cards for 4K Video

When it comes to buying an SD memory card for your camera, there are several factors to consider. You’ll want to look at features like read and write speed, reliability, and durability. But if you’re shooting 4K video, what SD card do you need? After extensive testing, we’ve compiled a list of the best SD cards and XQD memory cards you should buy.

For 4K video recording, you’ll want an SD card that is reliable, durable, and fast. The SanDisk U3 SD card is a great option, but for even faster performance, we recommend a UHS and U3 SD card with class 10 speed. Two of the best options on the market are the Sony Tough and ProGrade Digital SD cards, both of which are built to last and offer high performance.

It’s also important to have backup memory cards on hand, especially for travel photographers. We recommend purchasing a few extra SD cards to avoid running out of storage space.

In summary, the best SD cards for 4K video recording are reliable, fast, and durable. Look for options like the SanDisk U3 SD card, or the Sony Tough and ProGrade Digital SD cards for even better performance. And don’t forget to purchase a few extra memory cards as backups. With this updated list of the best and fastest SD cards, photographers can make an informed decision and get the best quality SD memory cards for their needs.

Also: Best microSD Cards

A List of Top 10 Best SD Cards for 4K Video

SanDisk Extreme PRO Card

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Need for speed? This is the world’s fastest SD card you can buy. It’s ideal for recording extreme sports and other fast-action photography without dropping frames. This SanDisk card also comes with data recovery software. Ideally, this SD card is the perfect choice for amateur or professional photographers.

Pros

  • Up to 300MB/S reading and 260MB/S writing speed
  • Capable for recording cinema quality 4K video
  • Shockproof, waterproof, temperature and x-ray-proof

Cons

  • Expensive

Sony SF-G Memory Card

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A storage capacity of 128GB allows you to focus more on your shooting, and less on fearing that you’ll have no more space for your more great work. Buy this Sony 128GB SF-G Series UHS-II SDXC memory card for your peace of mind and enjoy shooting.

Pros

  • Fast and reliable
  • Read and write speeds of up to 300 MB/s

Cons

  • Not quite reliable
  • Not ideal in cold weather use
  • Read/write lock can easily and unexpectedly break off

Lexar Professional 1000x 64GB Memory Card

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The Lexar Professional 1000x 64GB memory card is the best option. If this capacity doesn’t suit your shooting need, you may also consider getting the larger capacity of 1TB Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I Card.

Pros

  • Available capacity up to 1TB
  • 150MB/s speed
  • 4K video ready

Cons

  • Slow performance than expected
  • Reliability: average

PNY Elite Performance 512GB SDXC Class 10

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Need for large capacity storage? The PNY SD card is the best choice for most people. This SD card is fast for a camera recording images or video. How not for the Raspberry Pi.

Pros

  • 95MB/sec speed for the ultimate transfer rates
  • 4K Ultra HD video recording
  • Waterproof

Cons

  • Firmware issue with new camera
  • Slow transfer speed to computer

Silicon Power 64GB SDXC UHS-I Memory Card Elite Series

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The best SD card for its price. Before buying, you should make sure that you get it from Silicon Power on Amazon.

Pros

  • Read speed: 85MB/s
  • Storage temperature: -40 Degree C to 85 Degree C

Cons

  • Not fastest reading/writing speed

Transcend 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card

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The Transcend comes with the RecoveRx Software. The Transcend SD card is not as fast as the SanDisk. However, it’s much cheaper.

Pros

  • Built-in Error Correcting Code (ECC) to detect and correct transfer errors
  • Supports Content Protection for Record-able Media (CPRM)
  • Easy to use, plug-and-play operation

Cons

  • Write speed performance: average
  • Reliability: medium

ProGrade Digital SDXC UHS-II Memory Card

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Both the speed performance and storage capacity makes this the best value for your money. The ProGrade SD card is compatible for most cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji, and Samsung.

Pros

  • 200 MB/s Read and 80 MB/s Write
  • 4K, 8K, RAW, RAW HD ready
  • Cheap

Cons

  • Reliability: medium

Strontium Nitro 128GB SD SDXC Flash Memory Card

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Backed By Strontium Lifetime Warranty, you’ll enjoy having this Strontium Nitro SD Card for your DSLR and Mirrorless cameras.

Pros

  • Water Proof, Temperature Proof, Magnet Proof and X-Ray Proof
  • Not expensive

Cons

  • Durability and reliability: not high

Sony 128GB High Performance Class 10 UHS-1/U3 SDHC

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If you want a Sony’s budget SD card with reliable quality, this Sony 128GB High Performance Class 10 UHS-1/U3 SDHC is the best for most beginners. The SD card works seamlessly well with my Sony RX10 IV camera.

Pros

  • Up to 95 MB/s transfer speed and up to 90MB/s write speed
  • Amazon’s Choice

Cons

  • Not cheap

Toshiba 256GB EXCERIA PRO N502 SDXC UHS-II UHS2 U3 SD Card Memory Card

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Toshiba continues to release new SD card to the market. The Exceria Pro is the best SD card for most photographers. The Toshiba SD card supports supports 4K/8K video recording. Made in Japan, the memory card is X-ray Proof. It can withstand harsh weather conditions very well.

  • Read : 270 MB/s , Write : 260 MB/s
  • Temperature durability
  • Perform well under rough condition
  • Operating temperatures from -20 ℃ to 85℃ (without condensation)

Cons

  • Not cheap

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