SDXC or bust

SD Cards for Video

Since the Canon 70D has been announced, I have realized that I need to learn about a new card format: Secure Digital (SD). Not that I knew much about the CF card format other than what it looks like but the SD card space is rich in options. Firstly there are three main variants:

• SD - The original specification, capacities up to 2GB.
• SDHC - Updated specification to allow for sized up to 32GB
• SDXC - Recent specification to allow for theoretical sizes up to 2TB but requires the use of a new filesystem (exFAT).

Then there comes the speed specification. For use in a digital SLR recording 1080p video, you want Class 10 which specifies a minimum write speed of 10MB/s. Then there is Ultra High Speed cards.

After that comes the form factors of mini and micro but for most cameras, the standard size is the one you want though the smaller ones can be used with an adapter.

So after all that research, I've decided to go for a pair of 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-I cards.

Looking at the cards below, note that the 45MB/s is the read speed whilst the write speed is given a minimum by the class rating, in this case Class 10 = 10MB/s minimum. They are also UHS Type I, the number 1 inside the cup (supposed to be a U). Lastly the try to give an estimate on the amount of video that can be recording with the given capacity but obviously that varies with things like compression and resolution.

You can get yours by clicking on the picture!

Now of course I'm tempted to buy mine now instead of waiting until I have the camera.