Welcome to my Sony A7CR (ILCE7CR) memory card guide that will help you to find the best cards for your needs and budget.
Which Memory Cards are Compatible?
The Sony A7CR is compatible with UHS-I / UHS-II (SD/SDHC/SDXC) cards in its single memory card slot.
Here’s a quick speed comparison between UHS-I and UHS-II cards.
- UHS-I: theoretical maximum transfer speeds of up to 104MB/s
- UHS-II: theoretical maximum transfer speeds of up to 312MB/s
In-Camera Write Speed Comparison
Because the Sony A7CR has only just launched I’ve not yet had the opportunity to perform my extensive in-camera tests.
Therefore the following results are based on my Sony A7R V In-Camera Tests. As soon as I have the A7CR in my hands these results will be updated to reflect the performance in the A7CR.
Best UHS-II Memory Cards
| Memory Card | * In-Camera Write Speed (A7RV) | * Max Shots/Burst (A7RV) | Price Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sony SF-G Tough | 243 MB/s | 50 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 2. ProGrade V90 | 231 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 3. Hoodman Steel 2000X | 229 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 4. Ritzgear Video Pro | 229 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 5. Delkin Devices POWER | 228 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 6. SanDisk Extreme Pro | 216 MB/s | 47 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 7. Kingston Canvas React Plus | 201 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 8. Sony SF-M Tough | 144 MB/s | 44 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 9. Sony SF-M | 144 MB/s | 44 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 10. Angelbird AV Pro Mk 2 V90 | 141 MB/s | 42 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 11. Lexar Professional 2000X | 123 MB/s | 46 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 12. PNY X-PRO 90 | 119 MB/s | 39 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 13. Transcend SD 700S | 117 MB/s | 49 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
Best UHS-I Memory Cards
If you don’t shoot continuous bursts then the slower UHS-I memory cards might be sufficient for your needs.
These UHS-I results are based on my Sony A7IV In-Camera Tests for now.
| Memory Card | * Approx In-Camera Write Speed (A7IV) | * Max Shots/Burst (A7IV) | Price Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SanDisk Extreme Pro | 83 MB/s | 19 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 2. SanDisk Extreme | 61 MB/s | 18 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| 3. Lexar Professional 633X UHS-I | 37 MB/s | 18 | B&H Photo | Amazon |
Compatible Memory Cards for Video
For shooting video an SDXC V90 rated card will cover you for all of the movie recording formats the A7CR supports.
If you don’t plan to shoot in the most demanding of recording formats that you can get away with using slower cards.
The following tables will help you to determine which cards can be used depending on how you are recording and the recording format used.
For movie recording (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [Off])
For movie recording (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [On])
This camera cannot perform proxy recording when shooting in the XAVC S-I format. The maximum recording bit rate for proxy movies on this camera is 16 Mbps.
For S&Q Motion shooting (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [Off])
For S&Q Motion shooting (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [On])
This camera cannot perform proxy recording when shooting in the XAVC S-I format. The maximum recording bit rate for proxy movies on this camera is 16 Mbps.
For time-lapse shooting (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [Off])
For time-lapse shooting (When [Proxy Recording] is set to [On])
Number of Images That Can Be Recorded on a Memory Card
The table below shows the approximate number of images that can be recorded on a memory card formatted in the A7CR.
These figures are when using a Sony memory card with the aspect ratio set to 3:2 and JPEG/HEIF size set to L:24M.
The values may vary depending on the shooting conditions and the type of memory card used.
| JPEG Quality/HEIF Quality/ File Format | SD memory card | |
|---|---|---|
| 64GB | 128GB | |
| JPEG Light | 4 900 | 9 000 |
| JPEG Standard | 3 300 | 6 700 |
| JPEG Fine | 2 300 | 4 700 |
| JPEG Extra fine | 1 200 | 2 500 |
| HEIF Light | 6 500 | 13 000 |
| HEIF Standard | 4 800 | 9 000 |
| HEIF Fine | 3 600 | 7 200 |
| HEIF Extra fine | 2 500 | 5 000 |
| RAW & JPEG (Compressed RAW)*2 | 590 | 1 100 |
| RAW & HEIF (Compressed RAW)*2 | 640 | 1 300 |
| RAW (Compressed RAW) | 780 | 1 500 |
| RAW & JPEG (Lossless Compressed RAW: L)*2 | 530 | 1 000 |
| RAW & HEIF (Lossless Compressed RAW: L)*2 | 570 | 1 100 |
| RAW (Lossless Compressed RAW: L) | 680 | 1 300 |
| RAW & JPEG (Uncompressed RAW)*2 | 360 | 720 |
| RAW & HEIF (Uncompressed RAW)*2 | 380 | 770 |
| RAW (Uncompressed RAW) | 420 | 860 |
*2JPEG image quality when [RAW & JPEG] is selected: [Fine]
HEIF image quality when [RAW & HEIF] is selected: [Fine]
Movie Record Times
The table below shows the approximate total recording times using a Sony memory card formatted in the Sony A7CR. The recording times are with Proxy Recording set to [Off].
The maximum continuous recording time for a single movie shooting session is approximately 13 hours (a product specification limit).
Note: The recordable time of movies varies because the camera is equipped with VBR (Variable Bit-Rate), which automatically adjusts image quality depending on the shooting scene. When you record a fast-moving subject, the image is clearer but the recordable time is shorter because more memory is required for recording. The recordable time also varies depending on the shooting conditions, the subject or the image quality/size settings.
Leave a Reply