Micro SD card for action camera. Everything you need to know about SD memory cards so you don't screw up your purchase. High speed UHS interface
Which one to choose for an action camera? - One of the most frequently asked questions when purchasing your first action camera from our customers. But many users neglect this issue and end up with a number of problems related to the operation of the action camera and the safety of materials on the card itself.
Therefore, in our new review, we will provide answers to the most popular questions:
- Why should you choose a memory card for an action camera carefully?
- How to correctly correlate camera capabilities and memory card parameters?
- What do the symbols and meanings on the packaging of memory cards mean?
- What speed should a memory card have to work with an action camera?
- What size memory card will be optimal for shooting in Full HD and 4K resolution?
- How to correctly and competently buy and check a memory card for compatibility with an action camera before purchasing it in a store?
- What memory cards and models should you buy for your action camera in 2018?
If you don’t have much time, we strongly recommend that you pay attention to the key time periods of the video:
00:20 - What problems can a memory card cause in the operation of an action camera?
02:38 - Basic symbols on memory card packaging
06:14 - What class of memory card is suitable for an action camera
06:50 - Let's talk about data transfer speeds in memory cards
06:03 - Which class “UHS-1/UHS-2” card to choose for an action camera
12:10 - What size memory card to choose for an action camera
14:56 - How to check a memory card for an action camera before buying it in a store
18:19 - Which memory card manufacturers should you choose to use in an action camera?
We strongly recommend that you be careful when selecting a memory card to use with your action camera. As practice shows, this is not as simple a process as it might initially seem. In addition, a memory card that is too slow can easily cause recording errors, put the camera into freezing mode, and also have a negative impact on processor overheating.
And it simply simply won’t save the photos and videos you recorded. Is saving $5-20 worth all the videos and photos you take while on vacation? - Few people would disagree with such an obvious question. From our experience, about 70% of all problems in the operation of action cameras from GoPro, Xiaomi Yi, SJCam, Sony and other manufacturers are caused by incorrectly selected memory cards. We are very careful in selecting memory cards for each of our clients, so we strongly recommend that you take a look at our catalog of memory cards for action cameras and quadcopters from leading manufacturers.
We are always happy to help you with your choice and answer all your questions. You can buy a memory card for an action camera right now
For most people, microSD is just a form factor, but in reality it is not. You can easily insert any microSD card into a standard slot, but not all of them will work, since the cards differ in many ways.
Format
There are three different SD formats, available in two form factors (SD and microSD):
- SD (microSD) - drives up to 2 GB, work with any equipment;
- SDHC (microSDHC) - drives from 2 to 32 GB, work on devices supporting SDHC and SDXC;
- SDXC (microSDXC) - drives from 32 GB to 2 TB (on this moment maximum 512 GB), work only on SDXC-enabled devices.
As you can see, they are not backward compatible. Memory cards of the new format will not work on old equipment.
Volume
Support for microSDXC declared by the manufacturer does not mean support for cards of this format with any capacity and depends on the specific device. For example, the HTC One M9 works with microSDXC, but officially only supports cards up to 128 GB inclusive.
Another one is related to storage capacity. important point. All microSDXC cards use the exFAT file system by default. Windows has supported it for more than 10 years, it appeared in OS X starting with version 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard), Linux distributions support exFAT, but it does not work out of the box everywhere.
High speed UHS interface
An I or II is added to the UHS card logo depending on the version SDHC and SDXC cards can support the Ultra High Speed interface, which, with hardware support on the device, provides higher speeds (UHS-I up to 104 MB/s and UHS-II up to 312 MB/s). UHS is backward compatible with earlier interfaces and can work with devices that do not support it, but at standard speeds (up to 25 MB/s).
2. Speed
Luca Lorenzelli/shutterstock.com Classifying the write and read speeds of microSD cards is as complex as their formats and compatibility. The specifications allow you to describe the speed of cards in four ways, and since manufacturers use them all, there is a lot of confusion.
Speed class
The speed class marking for regular cards is a number inscribed in the Latin letter C The Speed Class is associated with the minimum write speed to a memory card in megabytes per second. There are four in total:
- Class 2- from 2 MB/s;
- Class 4- from 4 MB/s;
- Class 6- from 6 MB/s;
- Class 10- from 10 MB/s.
By analogy with the marking of regular cards, the speed class of UHS cards fits into the Latin letter U Cards running on the high-speed UHS bus currently have only two speed classes:
- Class 1 (U1)- from 10 MB/s;
- Class 3 (U3)- from 30 MB/s.
Since the speed class designation uses the minimum entry value, theoretically a card of the second class may well be faster than a card of the fourth. Although, if this is the case, the manufacturer will most likely prefer to indicate this fact more explicitly.
Maximum speed
The speed class is quite enough for comparing cards when choosing, but some manufacturers, in addition to it, use the maximum speed in MB/s in the description, and more often than not even the write speed (which is always lower), but the read speed.
These are usually the results of synthetic tests under ideal conditions, which are unattainable in normal use. In practice, speed depends on many factors, so you should not rely on this characteristic.
Speed multiplier
Another classification option is the speed multiplier, similar to the one used to indicate the read and write speed of optical discs. There are more than ten of them, from 6x to 633x.
The 1x multiplier is 150 KB/s, that is, the simplest 6x cards have a speed of 900 KB/s. The fastest cards can have a multiplier of 633x, which is 95 MB/s.
3. Objectives
StepanPopov/shutterstock.com Choose the right card taking into account specific tasks. The biggest and fastest is not always the best. In certain use cases, the volume and speed may be excessive.
When buying a card for a smartphone, capacity plays a bigger role than speed. The advantages of a large drive are obvious, but the advantages of high transfer speeds on a smartphone are practically not felt, since large files are rarely written and read there (unless you have a smartphone with 4K video support).
Cameras that shoot HD and 4K video are a completely different matter: both speed and volume are equally important here. For 4K video, camera manufacturers recommend using UHS cards U3, for HD - regular Class 10 or at least Class 6.
For photos, many professionals prefer to use several smaller cards to minimize the risk of losing all the images in force majeure circumstances. As for speed, it all depends on the photo format. If you shoot in RAW, it makes sense to invest in microSDHC or microSDXC class UHS U1 and U3 - in this case they will reveal themselves fully.
4. Fakes
jcjgphotography/shutterstock.com No matter how trivial it may sound, but buying a fake under the guise original maps Now it's easier than ever. Several years ago, SanDisk claimed that a third of SanDisk memory cards on the market were counterfeit. It is unlikely that the situation has changed much since then.
To avoid disappointment when purchasing, just follow common sense. Refrain from buying from untrustworthy sellers, and beware of offers of “original” cards that are significantly lower than the official price.
Attackers have learned to fake packaging so well that sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish it from the original. You can judge with complete confidence the authenticity of a particular card only after checking using special utilities:
- H2testw- for Windows;
If you have already experienced the loss of important data due to a memory card failure for one reason or another, then when it comes to choosing, you will most likely prefer a more expensive card a well-known brand than an affordable “no name”.
In addition to greater reliability and safety of your data, with a branded card you will receive high speed and a guarantee (in some cases even lifetime).
Now you know everything you need to know about SD cards. As you can see, there are many questions that you will have to answer before purchasing a card. Perhaps, best idea will have different cards for different needs. This way you can take full advantage of the equipment without exposing your budget to unnecessary expenses.
There may be two reasons why you decided to read this article: either your action camera did not come with a memory card, or the existing one does not have enough memory, or it is incompatible. It turns out that not all memory cards are equally suitable for most action cameras. Most often the reason is low data transfer speed. If you shoot video in FullHD, then there are no problems. But if you bought yourself a camera with 4K resolution, this is where compatibility errors arise. Cards differ primarily in the speed of writing and reading information. When we write a video in very high resolution, our bitrate value (the amount of information per unit of time) rises, and if the media is not capable of recording it so quickly, then an error occurs due to data overflow. High-speed cards that solve this problem tend to cost significantly more than their predecessors. Plus, marketing markups for the brand get mixed into this mess. The cards can be absolutely identical in all respects, and due to the fact that this brand is twice as old as another, the price tag will also double. People's thinking is designed to trust higher prices in the hope of not being cheap. Since you are buying a top-end high-speed card, do it from trusted sellers, because now they are very fond of counterfeiting brands such as Transcend, Kingston, SanDisk. Don’t rush to buy top options right away; you may not need them. This way you will only waste your money by gaining unnecessary excess potential.
Now let's take a closer look at what was discussed above. For cameras that do not record 4K video, there is no point in buying media larger than 32 GB. The optimal size is 16-32 GB. Such cards are suitable for cameras SJ6 Legend, SJ 360, SJ 4000Wi-Fi, SJ 5000, SJ M10, SJ M20 and all derivative models with index +. If you install a larger card, again it may not work or throw up surprises when writing/reading. By the way, our store has already received such complaints about non-working cameras, but as it turned out, they were equipped with a voluminous 64 GB MicroSD and the camera equipment itself is not designed for such numbers.
The micro-sized memory cards we are interested in come in three types: SD, SDHC, SDXC. These set-top boxes were not invented without reason and characterize individual compatibility with the gadget (responsible for formatting, writing and reading) and the amount of writable memory. For example, SD supports up to 4 GB, SDHC - up to 32 GB, and SDXC - over 32 GB. The speed of the console has nothing to do with it. More detailed information Compatibility with a specific action camera can be found on the SJCAM box or in the passport, and if this is not possible, then always give preference to micro SDHC.
Let's talk about the drive class. Usually this information is indicated by the numbers 2, 4, 6, 10 in a circle and appears immediately after the volume in GB. This is specifically the recording speed in megabytes per second and our bitrate should not be higher than this figure. For example, a class 10 card has a speed of 10 MB/s = 8 * 10 Mbit/s = 80 Mbit/s. If you see the number 3 on the package (there are no other numbers except 1 or 3) in the shape of a square glass, then multiply the available recording speed by 3 = 240 Mbit/s. Sometimes there are still cards with the useless UHS-1 or UHS-2 index. The second has a higher transmission speed due to an additional row of contacts (see picture below). Only now there are very few ports in which this advantage will work. The situation is reminiscent of the use (or rather the lack thereof) of USB ports of the 2.0 and 3.0 standards. Speed benefits will only be achieved when using two pins with a blue connector.
I would like to finish the article with the following list, which the SJCAM company published on its website. All of them have been tested and there will certainly be no problems.
Silicon Power Micro SDXC 64GB Class 10
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB
Sandisk Extreme PLUS 64GB UHS-3
Other action cameras:
- Support suitable video type;
- Capacity;
- Write speed;
- Reading speed.
- SDHC, capacity not exceeding 32 GB;
- SDXC, with a capacity of 64 GB or more.
- Purpose of video filming. If you are professionally engaged in video shooting, for example, working as a cameraman at celebrations, then the capacity of the flash drive should be maximum, as provided by the camera;
- Video weight, if you have to, for example, shoot a 4K video, then 1 second of a video of this quality will take about 10 MB. Having made some simple calculations, you can understand that approximately 2 hours of shooting will fit on a 64 GB card.
- 2 channel device
- 1 channel device with average recording bitrate
- device with QHD (2k) resolution
- 4k action camera/dvr
- DVR with QHD resolution for 2 cameras
- device with very high bitrate recording
- Mydisktest - a program for testing USB Flash media for bad areas
- Panasonic SD formatter - heals and restores almost any flash drive for mobile devices and not only
- Check Flash - designed to check the performance of flash drives, and also allows you to use tests to determine the instant read/write speed
- transcend premium 300x 16/32/64
- transcend premium 400x 16/32/64/128
- transcend high endurance U1 16/32/64
- transcend ultimate 600x 8/16/32
- toshiba exceria U1 16/32/64/128
- lexar high endurance U1 16/32/64
- Lexar 300x U1 16/32/64
- Lexar 600x U1 16/32/64/128
- Sony SR-UY3A U1 16/32/64/128
- samsung evo U1 16/32/64/128
- Sony SR-UX2A u3 16/32/64/128
- toshiba exceria U3 32/64
- transcend ultimate U3M 16/32/64/128
- samsung pro U3 16/32/64
- samsung evo+ U3 32/64/128/256
- viofo U3 32/64
- transcend USD300S 16/32/64/128
- transcend C10V High Endurance 16/32/64/128
- viofo Professional High Endurance
- transcend ultimate 633x U3 32/64
- toshiba exceria PRO U3 32/64
- lexar professional 1000x 32/64/126/256
- lexar professional 1800x 32/64/128
- samsung pro+ U3 32/64/128
- viofo U3 32/64
- transcend USD500S 16/32/64/128
Samsung EVO Class-10 32GB
Sandisk Extreme Class-10 32GB
Lexar EVO Class-10 32GB
Transcend Premium 300 Class-10 32GB
Stronium Class-10 32GB
Sony Class-10 32GB
Kingston Class-1016GB
Samsung EVO 16GB SDHC
Sony Micro SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 16GB
Good afternoon, dear readers. In this article, I am ready to answer the question that worries many, which memory card to choose for a video camera. When purchasing a memory card Special attention You should pay attention to the choice of storage medium, because memory tends to run out at the most inopportune moment; it is unlikely that anyone would want to lose the most interesting part of the recorded video. Which accessory to choose, what to focus on - these important issues will be discussed in this article.
The main criteria for choosing an information carrier are:
It would seem such a trifle, but it requires such careful selection. Do you wonder why? All this is due to the fact that the wide range of media offered in hardware stores is very large. But not every card is suitable for a specific video camera model. That is why variety and size are of fundamental importance.
While the supported device type and volume are quite easy to figure out, issues related to speed remain a mystery for some camera users. The speed of writing a flash drive is responsible for the scope of application of this accessory. If the flash drive has a low speed, then it is unlikely that you will be able to shoot a Full HD quality video or the device will simply freeze. Agree, it's an unpleasant situation. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to every aspect.
Types and speed of memory cards
Often you have to deal with the choice of a flash drive for a video camera immediately when purchasing a device. If you have a question about which media to choose for the camera you like, you can always contact a sales consultant, who will determine the maximum possible speed of recording a flash drive and the type of required component. But what to do if something happened to the memory card, or you just needed to increase the memory. Then you will have to figure this out on your own, or rather, with my help.
Common types of cards:
The most popular manufacturers of flash media can be considered Silicon Power, Transend, SanDisc, Kingston.
What you should pay attention to when buying a flash drive from these manufacturers:
What are the risks of buying a slow flash drive?
The correct configuration is very important for continuous and productive operation of the video camera. Therefore, using media that does not match the speed of the camera has numerous consequences. Buying a slow card may result in damage to the files captured by the camcorder or a reduction in the recording expansion in order to match the speed ratio. When shooting short videos, you may encounter the problem of long waits, since the previous file is still saved on the flash drive. Another problem that you may encounter is camera freezing; long and persistent shooting can result in the video ending at any moment due to insufficient speed.
So, we have dealt with the types of media and their speed indicators. Let's start discussing another important aspect when choosing a video camera card.
Memory card capacity
If you ask me how much memory is needed for a video camera, then I will answer you: “The more, the better.” That is why good option cameras are considered models with 2 memory card slots. Owners of such a practical device will definitely not have to deal with the problem of insufficient capacity. Therefore, we will now discuss the storage capacity for units with 1 slot.
There are several factors to consider when purchasing:
I would like to advise you to conduct a small capacity test right in the store before choosing a memory card. Shoot several videos of different formats and calculate how many videos will fit on such an important part of the camera package.
When purchasing a card, you should adhere to two important rules. First, choose a medium that matches the technical parameters of the video camera. Second, give preference to well-known, reputable manufacturers; they often provide a warranty on their products, this gives you confidence that the component will last a long time and the recorded data will not be lost.
That's all for me, dear readers, see you soon. By adhering to these rules, you will always know the answer to the question of which memory card to choose for your camera. Subscribe and share information about me with your friends, then I will help you more than once in solving many issues.
Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.
Today we will talk about memory cards for DVRs and action cameras. I think you know that not every memory card will work correctly in your recorder. How to choose the right memory card? What should you pay attention to when choosing a memory card and which models/brands should you recommend?
Why not just any card will do?
Modern DVRs record with HD/FullHD/QHD resolution, and every year there is a growing trend in the number of pixels. But, in addition to resolution, there is also bitrate. This is the speed of the stream being written to the memory card, depending on the model, even with the same resolution, this parameter can change quite a lot. The DVR manufacturer often writes in the instructions - support for MicroSD memory cards (the most popular format) up to 32/64/128/256GB 10th grade. But he usually doesn't write anything about the bitrate of his stream. You can find out these numbers only by looking at the technical information of the recorded video or the profile forum thread of the selected gadget model.
How to choose a memory card
Without going into the technical details of memory chips (MLC NAND is better) and specifications, pay attention to the 2 main characteristics of the card indicated right on it. This is the speed class (class 10) and UHS parameter (U1 or U3).
If you have:
Then regular class 10 memory cards will still suit you With index U1 and recording speed from 18 to 22 mb/s. It should be taken into account that a class 10 card provides a minimum speed of 10mb/s, and this may not be enough in most modern DVRs. Therefore, you shouldn’t just navigate by class. Don't look at loud labels on memory card packaging. Usually the speed indicated there is not write speed, but read speed. What is important to us is writing; as a rule, this characteristic is much more modest than reading, so marketers try to hide it. If you have:
Most likely you will need a class 10 memory card with index U3. It provides minimal recording at speeds up to 30mb/s. In some cases, this will not be enough, so for 4k with a bitrate of more than 70-100mbit/s, we recommend top-end (or pre-top) cards with the U3 index in the line of various brands, where the recording speed is from 50mb/s.
How to find out the WRITE speed on a memory card?
Only experimentally through special programs. Before purchasing, you need to look for tests on the Internet for the memory card you have chosen and see the writing speed. Or you can test the memory card yourself using the CrystalDiskMark program. Please note that many cards show maximum writing speed only if you have a card reader that supports USB3.0; your USB port in your laptop or computer should be the same. The computer must not be performing any other tasks during testing.
More programs
How to format a memory card
Attention, like all manufacturers in their instructions, we recommend formatting any memory card once every 2 months at least if you want to extend its life. This can be done either with the built-in tools of the camera or recorder, or on your computer. Never format an Sdxc type memory card (often with a capacity of 64gb or more) in devices that support the Sdhc type. Your card reader or adapter must be able to work with Sdxc.
You can use a special program for PC or MAC called SD Card Formatter. Set the options in the settings as shown in the figure on the right.
The best memory card for a DVR
Unfortunately, not all memory cards, even from famous brands, are so reliable. Recommended brands to check out include:: Sony, Toshiba, Lexar, Transcend, Samsung, Pny.
Finally, let's see a list of specific memory cards that we recommend for purchase and use.
You will find the TOP 5 most popular memory cards in our other article.
In the regular recording segment from 15 to 22 mbit/s index U1
In the segment of increased bitrate up to 50m mbit/s index U3
In the high bitrate segment from 80 mbit/s of the U3 index
For 4k action cameras Cards from Sandisk or Kingston with the U3 index may be suitable, v30, A1. They work for quite a long time, since action cameras do not record continuously.
Guarantee
You've probably seen that many memory card manufacturers provide a long warranty period, from 3 to 5 or more years. And even a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, this warranty comes with limitations, usually stated in the fine print of the terms and conditions, and certainly does not apply to devices with frequent data overwriting, such as action cameras and dash cams. Therefore, do not rely on full warranty service when used in recorders. For example, here is a screenshot of the warranty terms Samsung cards using one example: 
conclusions
Be careful when choosing a memory card for your gadget; do not buy unknown Chinese brands on Aliexpress for use in a DVR or action camera; they are suitable for simpler devices such as a smartphone or player.
If you really want to take good map, choose with nand MLC or SLC flash memory type. This type of memory allows you to rewrite cells 2-2.5 times larger than conventional TLC chips.
Our kit always supplies only branded cards from well-known manufacturers with the speed required for your device.