Best Sony A7III Memory Cards Tested

There’s certainly no shortage of choice when it comes to memory cards for the Sony a7III but some SD cards are faster and more reliable than others.

Because I’m fortunate to own the a7III myself along with a few more Sony Alpha Cameras I was curious to know which are the best memory cards to obtain the maximum write speed from the a7III.

I also wanted to know if it’s really worth purchasing the most expensive memory cards on the market or if more budget friendly cards also offer similar levels of performance.

This article will hopefully answer these questions and more.

Sony a7III Memory Cards (Contents)

1. Top 10 UHS-II Memory Cards
2. Top 5 UHS-I Memory Cards
3. In Camera Write Speed & Buffer Test
4. Simultaneous Recording Slot 1 + Slot 2
5. Sort RAW / JPEG
6. Which Memory Cards are Supported?
7. What Size Memory Card Do You Need?
8. Maximum Still Images by Memory Card Size
9. Video Record Times
10. Best Memory Cards for 4k Video
11. UHS-I vs UHS-II
12. Memory Card Readers & Protective Cases
13. Dual Card Slot Setup Guide
14. Summary

Top 10 UHS-II Memory Cards

I’ve tested a number of UHS-II memory cards in my own Sony a7III (firmware 3.10) to get an accurate picture of their actual in-camera performance.

Please note: Only slot 1 in the a7III supports the faster UHS-II cards, slot 2 supports UHS-I cards which I will be covering next.

Here are my Top 10 recommended UHS-II memory cards for the Sony a7III.

1. Sony SF-G UHS-II (300/299)

The Sony SF-G UHS-II memory cards are one of the fastest sd cards that you can put in the a7III but sadly 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.

The Sony SF-G cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 299MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 60
Time to clear the buffer: 9.75 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 155
Time to clear the buffer: 11.55 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.18 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 147.53MB/s.

2. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II (300/260)

The SanDisk Extreme Pro cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 260MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 60
Time to clear the buffer: 9.83 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 152
Time to clear the buffer: 11.83 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.78 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 145.71MB/s.

3. Lexar Professional 2000X UHS-II (300/260)

The Lexar Professional 2000X cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 260MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 49
Time to clear the buffer: 12.23 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 119
Time to clear the buffer: 14.09 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 173
Time to clear the buffer: 56.00 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 116.70MB/s.

4. Transcend SD 700S UHS-II (285/180)

The Transcend SD 700S cards have a claimed read speed of 285MB/s and a write speed of 180MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 49
Time to clear the buffer: 12.42 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 121
Time to clear the buffer: 14.18 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.24 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 115.92MB/s.

5. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II (300/299)

Tough memory cards are 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.

The Sony SF-G Tough cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 299MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 47
Time to clear the buffer: 13.50 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 112
Time to clear the buffer: 15.17 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 173
Time to clear the buffer: 55.70 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 107.27MB/s.

6. Sony SF-M Tough UHS-II (277/150)

Sony’s SF-M Tough Series are practically identical to the more expensive SF-G Series but their read time has been cut to 277MB/s and the write time to 150MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 47
Time to clear the buffer: 13.64 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 111
Time to clear the buffer: 15.40 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 172
Time to clear the buffer: 55.42 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 106.38MB/s.

7. Sony SF-M UHS-II (277/150)

Sony’s SF-M Series are identical to the SF-M Tough Series just without the added toughness so they cost a little less. The Sony SF-M cards have a claimed read speed of 277MB/s and a write speed of 150MB/s just like the Tough version. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 47
Time to clear the buffer: 13.66 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 111
Time to clear the buffer: 15.35 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 172
Time to clear the buffer: 55.47 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 106.38MB/s.

8. ProGrade V90 UHS-II (300/250)

The ProGrade V90 cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 250MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 47
Time to clear the buffer: 13.74 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 111
Time to clear the buffer: 15.48 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.37 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 106.04MB/s.

9. Manfrotto Pro Rugged UHS-II (280/250)

The Manfrotto Pro Rugged cards have a claimed read speed of 280MB/s and a write speed of 250MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 47
Time to clear the buffer: 13.85 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 112
Time to clear the buffer: 15.48 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 172
Time to clear the buffer: 55.97 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 105.46MB/s.

10. ProGrade V60 UHS-II (250/130)

The ProGrade V60 cards have a claimed read speed of 250MB/s and a write speed of 130MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 45
Time to clear the buffer: 15.02 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 102
Time to clear the buffer: 16.60 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 172
Time to clear the buffer: 55.63 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 97.30MB/s.

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Top 5 UHS-I Memory Cards

Because memory card slot 2 only supports UHS-I SD cards there is very little point in using the more expensive UHS-II SD cards in this slot.

Here are my Top 5 recommended UHS-I memory cards for the Sony a7III.

1. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (170/90)

The SanDisk Extreme Pro cards have a claimed read speed of 170MB/s and a write speed of 90MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 40
Time to clear the buffer: 19.21 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 90
Time to clear the buffer: 21.31 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.60 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 75MB/s.

2. Sony Professional Series UHS-I (95/90)

The Sony Professional Series cards have a claimed read speed of 95MB/s and a write speed of 90MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 39
Time to clear the buffer: 21.51 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 88
Time to clear the buffer: 23.10 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.59 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 68.23MB/s.

3. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I (150/70)

The SanDisk Extreme cards have a claimed read speed of 150MB/s and a write speed of 70MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 39
Time to clear the buffer: 21.35 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 88
Time to clear the buffer: 23.18 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.65 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 68.67MB/s.

4. Sony Expert Series UHS-I (94/70)

The Sony Expert Series cards have a claimed read speed of 94MB/s and a write speed of 70MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 38
Time to clear the buffer: 25.03 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 82
Time to clear the buffer: 26.08 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 171
Time to clear the buffer: 56.69 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 59.13MB/s.

5. Transcend 500S UHS-I (95/60)

The Transcend 500S cards have a claimed read speed of 95MB/s and a write speed of 60MB/s. Here are my in-camera test results:

Uncompressed RAW (49.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 35
Time to clear the buffer: 38.90 seconds

Compressed RAW (25MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 74
Time to clear the buffer: 40.21 seconds

JPEG Extra Fine (18.3MB)

Shots before filling the buffer: 158
Time to clear the buffer: 71.84 seconds

Shooting uncompressed RAW these cards have an in-camera write speed of around 38.45MB/s.

In Camera Write Speed & Buffer Tests

The tests that I perform to workout the fastest memory cards for the a7III are fairly straight forward.

I use my Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens, manually focus on my target (1/1000th Sports Photography of Bob Martin), set the aperture to f/1.4, shutter to 1/100, ISO to 100 and Drive Mode to Hi+ for the maximum frames per second.

I press the shutter button and time how long it takes before the buffer is full (when the LCD goes blank and shooting slows). I also time how long it takes for the buffer to clear. I repeat this test until I get 3 results with the identical number of shots taken. I then average the buffer clearing time and total time of these 3 results.

This will give me the number of shots taken before filling the buffer, the average time taken to clear the buffer and the average total time from start to finish.

The faster the memory card the more shots you will be able to take before filling the buffer, this is because files are also being written to the SD card whilst shooting thus clearing the buffer for more shots.

I do this test shooting uncompressed raw, compressed raw and extra fine jpegs.

I calculate the average in-camera write speed by taking the number of uncompressed raw shots, multiplying this by the file size (49.3MB) then dividing by the total time taken to shoot and clear the buffer.

I’ll be adding a video to my YouTube Channel demonstrating this test very soon.

Simultaneous Recording Slot 1 + Slot 2

If you want to record simultaneously to both slots 1 and 2 at the same time then there is no benefit to using a UHS-II memory card in slot 1.

With this setup the write speed is restricted to the maximum write speed of the UHS-I card in slot 2. So if you shoot like this often you can save money by using UHS-I cards in slot 1.

The only benefit to using a UHS-II card when shooting simultaneously is to enjoy the faster read times when copying the files to your computer.

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Sort RAW / JPEG

This setup is also slower than writing to a single card but unlike simultaneous recording there are still benefits to using UHS-II cards in slot 1 but only when shooting uncompressed raw.

The fastest setup here is to shoot RAW to slot 1 with a UHS-II card, then JPEGs to slot 2 with a UHS-I card, but here’s a little more information on this setup.

If you record uncompressed RAW files to slot 1 (with a UHS-II card) and extra fine JPEGs to slot 2 (with a UHS-I card) this will reduce the shots that you can take before filling the buffer from around 60 to 46 (compared with single slot recording) and also increase the time to clear the buffer by around 50 percent. If you use a UHS-I card in slot 1 then this slows down further to around 40 shots and doubles the time to clear the buffer compared with writing to a single card.

If you record compressed RAW files to slot 1 (with a UHS-II card) and extra fine JPEGs to slot 2 (with a UHS-I card) this will reduce the shots that you can take before filling the buffer from around 157 to 81 and also increase the time to clear the buffer by around 300 percent. If you now use a UHS-I card in slot 1 then then the figures stay roughly the same as using a UHS-II card due to the additional compression overhead slowing things down and wiping out the UHS-II speed benefits.

I don’t recommend shooting JPEGs to slot 1 and uncompressed RAW to slot 2 as this is slower still unless you shoot compressed RAW then the performance is very similar and again you may as well use UHS-I cards in slot 1.

Which Memory Cards are Supported?

Slot 1: The Sony a7III supports SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II + UHS-I memory cards in slot 1 only, this is the fastest card slot.

Slot 2: Only SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I memory cards are supported. UHS-II cards will still work in slot 2 but you won’t get the speed benefit, they simply default to UHS-I speeds. I tested the Sony SF-G UHS-II cards in slot 2 and they were 0.05 seconds slower than the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I cards.

You can also use microSD memory cards with this camera providing you use an appropriate adaptor.

What Size Memory Card Do You Need?

For shooting stills I would recommend a minimum memory card size of 64GB.

For each memory card this will give you around 3500 images if you shoot JPEG (Extra Fine) only, 1750 images when shooting RAW & JPEG (Compressed RAW), 2400 RAW only images (Compressed RAW), 1000 RAW & JPEG images (Uncompressed RAW) and 1200 images shooting uncompressed RAW.

If you are shooting a lot of continuous bursts then you might want to use 128GB cards instead.

For shooting video the size of memory card will depend on the format that you are recording in.

The following two tables should help you to decide which size memory card you will need depending on your recording settings for both stills and video.

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Maximum Number of Still Images Recorded by Memory Card Size

The table below shows the approximate number of images that can be recorded on a memory card formatted within the a7III. These numbers may vary depending on the shooting conditions and the type of memory card used, so please use these figures as a rough guide only.

Video Record Times

The table below shows the approximate total recording times using a memory card formatted within the a7III camera. The values may vary depending on the shooting conditions and the type of memory card used.

The duration of time available for movie recording varies depending on the file format/recording settings for movies, memory card, ambient temperature, Wi-Fi network environment, condition of the camera before you start recording, and condition of the charging of the battery.

Continuous shooting is possible for approximately 29 minutes (a product specification limit) at which time the recording will end and you will need to press record again.

Best Memory Cards for 4k Video

The Sony a7III supports a maximum of 100Mbps 4k video which is around 12.5 MB/s. Therefore you don’t require the fastest memory cards for 4k video recording.

Any memory cards that are rated U3, v30, v60, v90 card will work perfectly for shooting 4k video.

For video only I’d recommend a card like the SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I 128GB SDXC Memory Card.

UHS-I vs UHS-II

As already mentioned the Sony a7III has two memory card slots. Slot 1 supports the fastest UHS-II cards and Slot 2 the slower UHS-I cards.

UHS-I SD cards have write speeds up to around 100MB/s and read speeds of around 170MB/s. UHS-II compatible cards increase this speed by adding a second row of contacts to the card, these cards are now capable of writing and reading up to around 300MB/s.

But this extra speed comes at a cost as UHS-II cards are more expensive then UHS-I cards and I’d only recommend buying them for your a7III if you do a lot of shooting in continuous bursts and you want to get the maximum number of shots before the buffer fills along with the fastest clearing time.

If you only shoot single shots and therefore don’t require the speed benefits of the faster UHS-II cards then you can save a small fortune by purchasing UHS-I cards instead.

Memory Card Readers & Protective Cases

Sony MRW-S1 High Speed UHS-II USB Memory Card Reader/Writer

Sony’s MRW-S1 UHS-II USB SD Card Reader/Writer enables the fast transfer of data via a USB 3.1 interface. It can read/write to UHS-II SD Cards and is backward compatible with UHS-1 SD cards. The MRW-S1 together with Sony SF-G cards can transfer files to and from your computer at around 2.6x faster than UHS-1 cards. It also works perfectly with other UHS-II cards like the SanDisk Extreme.

Beeway Water & Shock Resistant Memory Card Case

The Beeway SD Card holder holds 12 SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and 12 MicroSD cards perfectly in place. The case is water resistant, very strong and also includes a small bag and a carabiner.

Dual Card Slot Setup Guide

If you are having a tough time understanding and setting up dual card slot recording with your a7III then I’ve created a setup guide that should hopefully help.

If you don’t care much for video then you’ll also find a written version of this dual card setup guide here.

Summary

The Sony SF-G UHS-II (300/299) cards came out on top for speed when shooting both uncompressed and compressed RAW but Sony has discontinued these cards.

The Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II (300/299) normally perform the same but they are expensive and there also appears to be a performance issue with them when used in my a7III with firmware 3.10.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II (300/260) are only a hair slower than the Sony SF-G cards and cheaper as well. If you shoot a lot of continuous bursts and RAW files these are currently the cards I would recommend in slot 1.

If budget is a concern then the Sony SF-M UHS-II (277/150) are much more reasonably priced but around 25% slower (shooting RAW) than the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II (300/260) cards.

If you prefer shooting in JPEG than RAW then the extra overhead from compressing the files really hits the write times and there is no benefit to buying the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II cards. Instead I would recommend the Sony SF-M UHS-II (277/150) or even the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (170/90) cards as these are only a fraction slower when shooting in JPEG file format.

If you don’t shoot a lot of continuous bursts then you don’t really need UHS-II cards and I’d recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (170/90) that came out top in my tests. I’d recommend these cards for slot 2 as well.

I’d also recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (170/90) cards for 4k video as these are V30 / U3 rated. You don’t need faster cards for 4k video in the a7III as it supports a maximum of 4k 100Mbps which is around 12.5 MB/s.

If you record simultaneously to both slots 1 and 2 then the write speed is restricted to the maximum write speed of the UHS-I card in slot 2. So if you shoot like this often you can save money by using UHS-I cards in slot 1.

If you want to record RAW files to one slot and JPEGs to the other slot then this will also be slower than writing to a single card. There is however still a benefit to using UHS-II cards in slot 1 if you shoot uncompressed RAW to slot 1 and JPEGs to slot 2. But if you shoot compressed RAW to slot 1 and JPEGs to slot 2 there is no benefit to using UHS-II cards in slot 1.

Of course, in-camera write speed isn’t everything, the card read speed can also be very important. So if you often get frustrated waiting for files to copy from your SD cards to your computer then you might still want to go for the faster UHS-II cards simply for the faster read speeds.

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My Sony a7III Resources

If you found this guide helpful then you might also find the following a7III guides and resources helpful.

• Sony a7III Lenses Guide
• Sony a7III Accessories Guide
• Sony a7III Shooters Facebook Group
• Sony a7III Battery and Charger Guide
• Sony a7III Manual
• Sony a7III Firmware