The Fastest Memory Cards for Nikon Z: 12 Tested

The excessive decision of at present’s cameras, coupled with their means to seize excessive FPS images and as much as 8K video,  locations big calls for on the pace of reminiscence playing cards. For those who’ve ever needed to wait dozens of painful seconds for the buffer to empty, you’ll know what I’m speaking about.

After all, reminiscence card producers know of this drawback, which is why they compete on learn and write speeds. In a super world, these proudly proclaimed numbers, glowing in gold lettering on the field, can be the proper shopping for information. However we reside in the true world, the place the data written on the field doesn’t all the time imply very a lot.

Are producers making an attempt to misinform us? I want to assume not. Nonetheless, their take a look at situations are removed from the true world. That’s why I made a decision to search out out the learn and write speeds for myself.

For now, I’ve examined the 12 reminiscence playing cards that I occur to personal. I’ll broaden this real-life pace rating each time I exploit a brand new reminiscence card sooner or later.

How I Tested

I carried out the checks beneath utilizing a Nikon Z9 or Nikon Z8 coupled with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Each cameras have the identical most body charge, the identical buffer capability, and the identical file sizes. The benefit of the Z8 is that it additionally lets you take a look at SD playing cards. I set lossless compressed RAW (common file dimension 54.8MB), 1/1000s, f/2.8, and steady taking pictures on the highest charge of 20 FPS. I shot the take a look at scene for 60 seconds. This was repeated for 5 completely different take a look at scenes to attenuate the measurement error and the impact of the scene on the file dimension.

To measure learn pace, I used my MSI Creator Z16 laptop computer (Intel Core i9, Geforce RTX 3060, USB3.2 Gen2 ports). For the connection between the cardboard and the laptop computer, I used Exascend USB 3.2 Gen 2 Twin-Slot Readers (CFExpress B and SD playing cards) and Lexar Skilled XQD 2.0 USB 3.0. For testing I used the EaseUS DiskMark software. Once more, I took 5 measurements after which averaged the outcomes.

I didn’t take a look at the playing cards’ means to withstand overheating, nor did I measure their pace as a operate of temperature. This measurement will surely be very fascinating, however would require strictly standardized situations, which aren’t simple to realize. The authentic Nikon MC-CF660G CFexpress Sort B or the Delkin Gadgets 325GB BLACK CFexpress Sort B card are reported to provide excellent outcomes on this respect. So should you plan to make use of the cardboard primarily for video recording, you need to think about this characteristic as properly along with pace.

The Outcomes

Within the first few seconds of high-FPS taking pictures, I didn’t discover any vital variations between the completely different playing cards. That is because of the comparatively deep buffer of the Nikon Z9 and Z8. Nonetheless, as soon as the buffer is full, the variations grow to be obvious, because the slowest playing cards instantly grind to a halt. On the worst card I examined, the body charge after the primary few seconds dropped precipitously, and the typical pace over 60 seconds was a mere 1.9 FPS.

With that, let’s get into the checks.

#1 Nikon MC-CF660G CFexpress Sort B

Declared write pace: 1500 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1700 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 854.9 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 15.6 fps

Appropriate for 8K video: Sure

Common worth: $726

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#2 Delkin Gadgets 325GB BLACK CFexpress Sort B

Declared write pace: 1530 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1725 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 839.9 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 15.3 fps

Common measured learn pace: 1067.0 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: Sure

Common worth: $425

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#3 Delkin Gadgets 128GB POWER CFexpress Sort B

Declared write pace: 1700 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1780 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 832.4 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 15.2 fps

Common measured learn pace: 1055.6 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: Sure

Common worth: $110

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#4 Delkin Gadgets 256GB BLACK CFexpress Sort B

Declared write pace: 1400 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1645 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 831.0 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 15.2 fps

Common measured learn pace: 821.3 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: Sure

Common worth: $_ _

The place to purchase: No Longer Accessible

 

#5 Exascend Important CFexpress B 1TB

Declared write pace: 1700 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1800 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 805.6 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 14.8 fps

Common measured learn pace: Not measured (to be added)

Appropriate for 8K video: Sure

Common worth: $469

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#6 SanDisk 128GB Excessive PRO CFexpress Sort B

Declared write pace: 1200 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 1700 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 427.6 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 7.8 fps

Common measured learn pace: 1064.2 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $110

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#7 Sony 64GB G Collection XQD

Declared write pace: 400 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 440 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 355.1 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 6.5 fps

Common measured learn pace: 355.5 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $90

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#8 Nikon XQD 64GB

Declared write pace: 400 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 440 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 352.7 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 6.4 fps

Common measured learn pace: 402 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $160

The place to purchase: Amazon.

 

#9 Lexar XQD 32GB 2933x Skilled

Declared write pace: 400 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 440 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 351.1 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 6.4 fps

Common measured learn pace: 361.3 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $_ _

The place to purchase: No Longer Accessible

 

#10 Sony 64GB SF-G TOUGH Collection UHS-II SDXC

Declared write pace: 299 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 300 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 236.4 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 4.3 fps

Common measured learn pace: 94.3 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $100

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#11 SanDisk 64GB Excessive PRO UHS-II SDXC

Declared write pace: 260 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 300 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 222.5 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 4.1 fps

Common measured learn pace: 94.5 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $65

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

 

#12 SanDisk 64GB Excessive PRO UHS-I SDXC

Declared write pace: 90 MB/s

Declared learn pace: 200 MB/s

Common measured write pace: 106.5 MB/s

Common measured body charge: 1.9 fps

Common measured learn pace: 95.6 MB/s

Appropriate for 8K video: No

Common worth: $13.49

The place to purchase: B&H and Amazon.

Evaluation

What stood out to me was the dramatic distinction between CFExpress Sort B, XQD, and SD playing cards. All the CFExpress B playing cards, with the disappointing exception of the SanDisk 128GB Excessive PRO, achieved roughly 15 FPS averaged over 60 seconds of high-speed taking pictures. The XQD playing cards hovered round 6.4 FPS. UHS-II SD playing cards have been about 4.2 FPS, whereas the UHS-I card I examined achieved a mere 1.9 FPS.

A constructive shock was the Delkin Gadgets 128GB POWER CFexpress Sort B card. It achieved a body charge of 15.2 fps, simply 0.4 fps behind the take a look at winner, whereas costing a lot much less ($110 quite than $726, granted, with a smaller reminiscence capability). Nonetheless, Filip Bartak, a product specialist at Nikon Czech Republic, identified that the 256GB model of this card doesn’t obtain these speeds. In an replace to this text, I’ll assist – or deny – this declare with my very own information.

The disappointment of this take a look at was the SanDisk 128GB Excessive PRO CFexpress Sort B card. The common body charge was solely 7.8 fps, which is about half of what the aforementioned Delkin 128GB can do for precisely the identical cash.

Taking worth under consideration, I used to be additionally impressed by the Exascend Important CFexpress B 1TB card. This card has an enormous capability and a body charge of 14.8 FPS, which is nearly on the degree of the winners of the take a look at. All this for a worth of $469, which is the second greatest worth/capability ratio after the SanDisk 64GB Excessive PRO UHS-I SDXC card.

Let me know what playing cards you want to see me take a look at subsequent!