• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Alpha Shooters Logo

AlphaShooters.com

A Community & Resource for Sony Alpha Shooters

  • Join
  • Compare
  • Reviews
  • Accessories
  • Cameras
  • Lenses
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sony a7III Dual Card Setup Guide

You are here: Home / Sony Alpha Cameras / Sony a7III Resources / Sony a7III Dual Card Setup Guide

Last Updated: December 10, 2019 by Timothy Mayo 11 Comments

Hello and welcome to my dual card slot setup guide for the Sony a7III.

In this guide I’ll explain all the different ways you can setup dual SD card recording on the Sony a7III.

For example, if you want to write RAW to slot 1 and JPEG to slot 2, or write RAW and JPEG to both card slots simultaneously, plus many more different media recording options, then keep reading!

If you don’t care for reading too much, then you can also watch my following YouTube video that covers the same, otherwise please read on…

 

Sony a7III Dual SD Cards

The Sony a7III has two memory card slots and these are clearly numbered as slot 1 and slot 2. Slot 1 is that fastest slot and this supports UHS-II cards like the Sony SF-G Series. Slot 2 is the slowest slot and this supports UHS-I cards like the SanDisk Extreme Pro.

Sony a7III Dual Card Setup

In order to setup the dual card slots you will need to jump into that infamous Sony menu system, so simply hit the MENU button on the a7III and you should be greeted by the following menu.

sony a7iii menu image quality

If you don’t see this exact menu then you will need to select the “Camera 1” icon from the top menu tabs.

File Format

Before we jump into the dual card setup let’s just check what file format you have set, as by default the a7III is set to record in JPEG only, but for the rest of this guide to make the most sense you’ll want this set to RAW / JPEG. I expect most of you will be shooting in this mode anyway, but if not don’t worry as I’ll explain further down.

sony a7iii menu raw jpeg

So simply change the file format to RAW / JPEG if you don’t already have this set.

Record Media Settings

Next we want to find the “Rec. Media Settings” menu. Simply select the suitcase looking icon from the top menu tabs, click down then move across until you see “Setup6” as shown below.

sony a7iii record media settings

Click on the first menu item “Rec. Media Settings” to enter the sub-menu where you will see three options.

1. Prioritize Record Media

By default prioritize record media will be set to slot 1 which is the fastest of the two memory card slots. There’s really no reason to change this, so leave it set to slot 1.

sony a7iii prioritize record media

2. Recording Mode

There are 7 different recording modes that you can choose from, let’s take a look at each of them. Please note than if you have not set your file format to record RAW/JPEG, then the following options will be limited to either JPEG or RAW, but not both.

sony sony a7iii recording mode

Standard

The a7III is set to standard recording mode by default. In this mode the camera will only record images (RAW/JPEG) and videos to slot 1, or slot 2 if you have changed this under prioritize record media.

Simultaneous Images

In this mode the camera will record images (RAW/JPEG) to both slots 1 and 2 at the same time, and will record videos to slot 1. I’m using this option myself 99% of the time.

Simultaneous Video

In this mode the camera will record video to both slots 1 and 2 at the same time, and will record images (RAW/JPEG) to slot 1.

Simultaneous Images & Video

In this mode the camera will record images (RAW/JPEG) and video to both slots 1 and 2 at the same time.

Sort RAW / JPEG

In this mode the camera will record RAW images and video to slot 1 and JPEG images to slot 2. I’d recommend this setup as opposed to the next option if you are shooting continuous, as the RAW files are larger than JPEGS and will clear the buffer faster when writing to the faster slot 1 (that’s if you are using a UHS-II SD card).

Sort JPEG / RAW

In this mode the camera will record JPEG images and video to slot 1 and RAW images to slot 2.

Sort Images / Video

In this mode the camera will record images (JPEG/RAW) to slot 1 and videos to slot 2.

3. Auto Switch Media

By default this is set to off. If you turn it on and have the recording mode set to standard, and an SD card in both slots 1 and 2; then when the card in slot 1 is full the camera will automatically switch to recording on the card in slot 2. Personally I never record like this, so just leave this set to off.

sony a7iii auto switch media

 
And that’s a wrap. If you have any questions regarding dual card setup on the Sony a7III then please do drop them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you just as soon as I can.


 

My Top 6 Sony a7III Memory Card Recommendations

Here are my Top 6 recommended memory cards for the Sony a7III.

1. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II Memory Cards – 299MB/s

Sony’s SF-G Tough Series have read speeds of up to 300MB/s and write speeds of up to 299MB/s. These SD cards are actually overkill for the Sony a7III which even when using the UHS-II compatible slot one can only write at a maximum speed of around 142MB/s. However, new cameras will probably support faster in-camera write speeds so if you want to future proof your cards then these are a great choice.

Tough memory cards are also 18 times stronger than standard SD cards, bend proof to 180N, drop-proof to 5 meters, waterproof to a depth of 5 meters for up to 72 hours (IPX8 rating) and dustproof with an IP6X rating. The cards feature a one-piece ribless structure and don’t have the common lock switch, they are also X-ray proof, magnet proof, anti-static and temperature proof.

sony a7iii sf-g tough UHS-II memory cards

Check Price & Deals for Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II Memory Cards (#afflinks)

32 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

64 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


2. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II Memory Cards – 260MB/s

Sony’s SF-G Tough cards are definitely not the cheapest memory cards that you could put in your a7III, thankfully the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II memory cards are normally around 10 percent cheaper. Their write speed of 260MB/s is a little slower than the Sony SF-G cards but since the a7III writes at a maximum speed of around 142MB/s anyway this isn’t too important. The read speed of 300MB/s is identical to the Sony SF-G Tough cards.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-II Memory Cards

Check Price & Deals for SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II Memory Cards (#afflinks)

32 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

64 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


3. Sony SF-M Tough UHS-II Memory Cards – 150MB/s

Sony’s SF-M Tough Series are practically identical to the more expensive SF-G Series but their write time has been cut to 150MB/s and the read time to 277MB/s. Still, like I have mentioned above since the a7III can only write at a maximum speed of around 142MB/s these cards will be fast enough and will also save you quite a bit of money.

Sony SF-M Tough UHS-II Memory Cards

Check Price & Deals for Sony SF-M Tough UHS-II Memory Cards (#afflinks)

64 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

256 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


4. Sony SF-M UHS-II Memory Cards – 150MB/s

Sony’s SF-M Series are identical to the SF-M Tough Series just without the added toughness so they cost a little less. They write at a maximum speed of 150MB/s and can read up to 277MB/s. Again because the Sony a7III writes at a maximum speed of around 142MB/s these cards will be fast enough.

Sony SF-M UHS-II Memory Cards

Check Price & Deals for Sony SF-M UHS-II Memory Cards (#afflinks)

64 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

256 GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


5. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I Memory Cards – 95MB/s

Because only memory card slot one in the a7III supports the faster UHS-II cards there is really no benefit to using UHS-II cards in slot two. Therefore I’d recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I memory cards. I’d actually recommend using these slower cards in both memory cards slots if you don’t plan on shooting lots of continuous bursts and don’t require the performance of the faster and more expensive UHS-II cards.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I Memory Cards

Check Price & Deals for SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (#afflinks)

32GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

64GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


6. Sony SF-G UHS-II Memory Cards – 299MB/s

The Sony SF-G UHS-II memory cards used to be my number one recommended memory card but for some reason Sony has decided to obsolete them. You might still find them in some stores but most of the larger reputable dealers no longer have them in stock. They have the same 299MB/s write and 300MB/s read speed as the Sony SF-G Tough cards but like I mentioned above because the a7III only writes at around 142MB/s they are overkill for this camera unless you want to future proof your card collection.

Sony SF-G UHS-II Memory Cards

Check Price & Deals for the Sony SF-G Memory Cards (#afflinks)

32GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

64GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

128GB
US: Amazon.com | Adorama
UK: Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras

Other Countries: Amazon links above should redirect to your local Amazon.


Helpful Sony a7III Resources

  • My Sony a7 III Accessories Guide
  • My Sony a7 III Lenses Guide
  • My Sony a7 III Memory Card Guide
  • My Sony a7 III Shooters Facebook Group

If you are on Facebook then I’d love for you to join one of the many Sony Alpha Shooters groups that I run. There are groups for Sony Alpha landscape, portrait, sports, wildlife, weddings, macro, street, and video shooters, as well as a generic group for everything else Alpha. You can find all of the links here.

 

* Check Price & Deals for Sony a7 III

US: (#afflinks) Amazon.com | Adorama (With 28-70 Kit Lens)
US: (#afflinks) Amazon.com | Adorama (Body Only)

UK: (#afflinks) Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras (With 28-70 Kit Lens)
UK: (#afflinks) Amazon.co.uk | Wex Photo | Park Cameras (Body Only)

 

* Affiliate Links

Within this article there are affiliate links (denoted with #afflinks). If you decide to buy something after clicking a link I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information on affiliate links click here. Thank you.

 

About Timothy Mayo

I love shooting wildlife, sports, and landscapes the most, but will happily point my camera at pretty much anything. I started Alpha Shooters in 2017 to share my own photographic journey and experiences with shooting Sony. The site has since evolved into a community and resource for Sony Alpha Shooters. If you would like to be part of this journey then you can join our growing community of Alpha Shooters, or visit the Alpha Shooters Amazon Store (US Only) to see my recommended Sony Alpha Gear and Accessories. You can also find out more about my story here or follow me on Instagram if you wish. I've also recently started a YouTube Channel.

11
Leave a Reply

avatar
4 Comment threads
7 Thread replies
2 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
6 Comment authors
Timothy MayoChrisMakMicheleCaio Recent comment authors
avatar
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Mak
Guest
Mak

Hey Timothy,
I wonder if it is possible to:
– Save RAW to slot 1
– Save JPEG to slot 2
PLUS
– Save video to slot 2.

Thanks for your reply!

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
14 days ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

Hey Mak, sadly this is not an option. The closest you will get is Sort Images / Video which puts jpegs + war on slot 1 and video on slot 2.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
13 days ago
Chris
Guest
Chris

Hi, I just recently purchased an a9 (still waiting on it to arrive), but I was wondering about this as well. What happens when you select slot 2 as the priority, but then use sort JPEG/RAW? I assumed the priority slot was where the video would go, and by sorting jpeg first, the raws would go to slot 1 (since priority is on slot 2). That said, with the slot 2 being only uhs-i, would the buffer clear faster shooting simultaneously raw+jpeg to both slots, or raw+jpeg to slot 1? Lastly, what are your thoughts on the new sony m… Read more »

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
9 days ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

Hi Chris. You definitely made a good choice with the a9! You are correct about changing the Prioritize Record Media Slot from 1 to 2, I completely forgot about that! The buffer clears the fastest when you shoot raw+jpeg to slot 1, as soon as you record to both slots simultaneously things slow down due to the slower speed of slot 2. I did test this at some point but can’t find the results now. I’ve actually just ordered some of the new SF-M Tough memory cards myself which are a lot cheaper than the SF-G version. I also have… Read more »

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
7 days ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

Sorry my mistake Mak. After Chris’s comment below I’d forgotten about changing the Prioritize Record Media to Slot 2. If you do this then select Sort(JPEG/RAW) you will get RAW on Slot 1 and JPEG and Video on Slot 2.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
7 days ago
Michele
Guest
Michele

well done I like your video clear to the point.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
1 month ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

Thank you Michele! 🙂

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
13 days ago
Caio
Guest
Caio

Can you tell me if is possible to copy selected images from slot 1 to slot 2? Sometimes I need to transfer quickly some images and I don’t found this option.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
3 months ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

I’m afraid that this is not an option Caio.

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
3 months ago
Lyndon King
Guest
Lyndon King

Well done Tim, liked your video very much! Keep up the good work!

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
4 months ago
Timothy Mayo
Author
Timothy Mayo

Thank you Lyndon! 🙂

You Must Be Logged In To Vote0You Must Be Logged In To Vote  Reply
4 months ago

Primary Sidebar

Most Popular Articles

best sony fe lenses

Best Sony FE Lenses (Full-Frame)

Sony a7 III Accessories

Best Sony a7III Accessories

sony a6400 accessories

Best Sony A6400 Accessories

Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G vs FE 100-400 F4.5-5.6 GM Comparison

Sony 200-600 G vs 100-400 GM Review & Comparison

Most Recent Articles

Sony a9II Gets Adobe Lightroom and Camera RAW Support

Sony a9II Gets Adobe Lightroom and Camera RAW Support

a6500-amazon-uk-deal-400

Save £369 on the Sony a6500

Best Sony Alpha Black Friday Deals

Best Black Friday Deals for Sony Alpha Shooters

View All
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Adorama.com

Visit our Amazon Store (US Only).

Join Alpha Shooters & Get Some GAS

GAS is my monthly email that features a round-up of all the previous months news, reviews and articles worth reading for Sony Alpha Shooters. No spam. I promise. And you can unsubscribe anytime.
Members of GAS will also receive the username/password for downloading RAW files on this site where available.

Footer

Accessory Guides

  • Sony a7R IV Accessories
  • Sony a7 III Accessories
  • Sony a9 Accessories
  • Sony a6400 Accessories
  • Sony a6000 Accessories

E-Mount Lens Guides

  • Sony FE Lenses
  • Sony APS-C Lenses
  • Sony a7III Lenses
  • Sony a6400 Lenses
  • Sony a7R IV Lenses

Popular Reviews

  • Sony FE 100-400mm GM Review
  • Sigma 60-600mm Sport Review

Popular Tutorials

  • Sony a6400 Time-lapse Setup, Recording, and Editing Guide
  • Sony a7III Dual Card Setup Guide
  • Sony a6400 Touch Tracking in Video Mode Setup Guide

© 2019 Alpha Shooters. All Rights Reserved. Content and images may not be used without permission.
Disclaimer: Alpha Shooters is an independently run website and is not affiliated with Sony.com
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Terms · Privacy · Contact · About · Affiliate Links

Alpha Shooters Logo


wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment