If you are still clueless and wondering why did this happen then that’s because of your SD Card. Yes you read it right. So, have I selected an incorrect card for your device? You may ask. Well, probably you might have however, it’s really not your fault with a plethora of SD cards in the market it kind of becomes a little challenging in picking the right one for your device especially if you are a first time owner of a DSLR. That being said, here’s an article that has a readymade list of factors you need to take into account while buying a SD card for your DSLR. To start with let’s get to know the basic difference between SD, SDHC & SHXC.
Gone are the days when a simple SD card dominated the market. Now, with changing times you’ll majorly come across two types of SD cards; SDHC i.e. Secure Digital in High Capacity and SDXC cards i.e. Secure Digital Extended Capacity. Wondering what makes them different from each other? The key differentiator is the file system used in SDHC & SDXC. A SDHC uses FAT23 (File Allocation Table) file system which has a file size of anywhere between 4 GB to 32 GB and a SDXC uses exFAT file system.
On the scale of 1 to 10 how important is the file system you may ask? To your surprise it’s a complete 10 that’s because the file system determines the individual storage capacity of a SDHC or a SDXC card.
Similar to the external hard drive, SD cards too offer different storage capacities. Therefore, before investing in a SD card it is wise for you to look into the three basic standards for capacity listed by the SD Association they are;
| Standard Classification | Approximate Capacity |
| SD High Capacity (SDHC) | 2 GB to 32 GB |
| SD Extended Capacity (SDXC) | 32 GB to 2 TB |
| SD Ultra High Speed (SDUC) | 2 TB to 128 TB |
While larger storage capacity could sound exciting you need to make sure that your device can support the SD card offering the highest capacity for instance; an older device will be compatible with SD card only it will not read a SDHC card. Although the latest devices are compatible with SDHC and higher capacity SD cards, it is essential for you to double check the specifications of your device before investing.
The next thing that you need to consider is the Speed of the SD card. However, in order to pick up the right SD card you need to know its write and read speed. Why? Well, here’s why the read speed of the card tells you how fast the data can be retrieved from the card onto your desktop, laptop or even printers. Whereas, the write speed of a SD card describes how fast images can be saved onto the SD card, that’s because an SD card with slow speed or inadequate storage can choke up your camera’s buffer (a temporary storage space in camera’s for images & videos before it is written on the SD card) which may in turn affect the functioning of the DSLR.
Therefore, for instance if you are capturing a photography of your friend skiing or surfing then you need a SD card that can write the images swiftly. On the other hand, if you are attending a friend’s wedding you need to shoot high quality videos and images for which you will need to invest in a card that had a good read speed so that you can quickly transfer the file from the DSLR to your laptop or desktop.
But, how can one identify the speed of a SD card? The write speed of an SD, SDHC or SDXC card is determined by its Class which are segregated into four. Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10. Each class focus on the minimum data transfer rate in Megabytes per second (MB/s). For instance, A Class 2 SD Card can write the data at 2MB/s or a Class 4 SD card’s minimum transfer speed is 4 MB/s and so on. Here’s a tabular representation of the same with recommended uses.
| Speed Class | Minimum Transfer Speed | Recommended Usage |
| Class 2 | 2 MB/s | Suitable for standard video recording quality and file storage |
| Class 4 | 4 MB/s | Can be used for shooting Standard as well as high definition videos & images |
| Class 6 | 6 MB/s | Can be used for shooting Standard as well as high definition videos & images |
| Class 10 | 10 MB/s | Suitable for burst shooting mode as well as HD quality video recording |
In addition to the above class, SD Association has introduced Ultra High Speed (UHS) for SDHC & SDXC cards. UHS Speed Class 1 with minimum 10 MB/s write speed whereas, a UHS Speed Class 3 supports a minimum 30MB/s write speed. The UHS Speed Class is denoted in numerical 1 or 3 inside of a broad U symbol. These UHS card that are comparatively faster than the four distinguish classes and can be used only in a UHS enabled device.
You probably might have come across a SD card with both a Class 10 denomination and a UHS 3 right? What does it mean and what if you insert that card in your device will it still work? Well, if your device supports a UHS card it will work at the speed of UHS 3 i.e. 30MB/s. And what if you use it in a non-UHS device? Well, then it would automatically run on the speed of Class 10 i.e. 10 MB/s.
Generally the UHS cards are comparatively pricey than the regular class SDHC & SDXC cards. These Ultra High Speed cards can range anywhere between 1000 to 20,000 ₹.
While buying a SD card for your device in addition to the Standard size SD card you probably would come across smaller size variants of SD cards i.e. Micro SD card and Mini SD card.
Measuring just about the Mini SD was designed especially for the older mobile phones, however, with changing times the Micro SD dominated the smartphone market making the Mini SD card size a preference of the past.
Speaking of Micro SD, you will often find every latest smartphone, tablet, action camera comes with a Micro SD slot. Measuring just this SD card performs equally well as the standard SD card and Mini SD card.
Speaking of size have you by mistakenly purchased a micro SDHC card instead of a full SDHC card and now you are not using your DSLR because of it? Well, now here’s a solution that will let you use even the micro SDHC card in a DSLR and that’s with an Adapter. You can easily insert the card inside the Adapter and use it to capture the scenic environment without letting its quality get affected.
As a photographer your profession demands a lot of travelling right? Although it’s exciting to live out of the suitcase it can really hamper your invaluable captures stored in your SD cards as the film can react to radiation from the scanner which could erase the clicks and videos shot on your DLSR. If you pondering over what’s the solution to this well thankfully, today SD cards are X –ray proof which means the data stored in your card won’t get affected by the radiation of the airport scanner. That’s not all, if you plan to capture some breath taking underwater clicks or the great canyon you can opt for SD cards that are water resistant and shock proof in nature and will ensure that the data captured are not damaged under any climatic conditions.
While transferring the images from your DSLR to your laptop or desktop there are chances that the SD card could get affected by virus (of course, if the anti-virus it’s updated) which could mean that you will lose your valuable data. However, with advanced technology you will find SD cards with in-built anti-virus check apps that scan and notify of any virus and help in restoring the data.
Selecting the right SD card for your device is essential as a SD card with low capacity or slow writing speed won’t allow you enough space and hamper the performance of the device and could also cause loss of your valuable data. So, if you love your device and the data stored in it keep the above factors into considerations the next time you head out to buy a SD card.
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