The Best Memory Cards for the Sony A55
The Sony A55 can use 2 types of memory cards. SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards are compatible as well as Sony PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo memory.
The A55 only has just one card slot. You will need to pick between a PRO Duo or SD memory card.
Sony is the owner of the PRO Duo format. SD cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD cards are much faster as well as being more affordable.
- UHS-I, U1, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 10MB/s write speeds.
- Excellent choice for photos.
- Capable of recording Full HD (1920x1080) Video.
- Inexpensive with more than good enough performance.
- Larger capacities are available for a reasonable price.
Best SD Cards
SanDisk, Lexar, and PNY are manufacturers that produce high-quality SD cards. The best SD cards I have owned have been SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards.
You do not need to buy a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A55. Look for SD cards with impressive-sounding names. That will make sure you get fast transfer speeds, dust resistance, and more features.
I have not had issues with PNY Elite Performance or Lexar Professional cards.
The problems I have encountered with memory cards has been when I have used cheap no name brands. Being cheap increases the chance of card errors or data corruption.
If you would like to spend less, don’t buy a generic card. You will avoid problems by buying a professional-quality SD card with a smaller storage capacity.
Recommended SD Cards
- UHS-I, U1, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 10MB/s write speeds.
- Excellent choice for photos.
- Capable of recording Full HD (1920x1080) Video.
- Inexpensive with more than good enough performance.
- Larger capacities are available for a reasonable price.
- UHS-I, U3, V30, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 30MB/s write speeds.
- Good for burst shooting photos and recording 4K video.
- Larger capacity cards are available.
- Reliable & Durable: Magnet Proof, Shock Proof, Temperature Proof, Waterproof.
- Comparatively expensive for faster read speeds.
- UHS-I, U3, V30, and Class 10 Speed Rating. Can sustain 30MB/s write speeds.
- Only makes sense for professional use or if you need the largest storage capacity available.
- Temperature-proof, waterproof, shock-proof, and X-ray-proof.
Sony A55 SD Card Compatibility
SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards are usable in the Sony A55. To get the most performance from the A55, use a card.
The newest SDUC cards are not supported by the A55.
Currently, there are four specs of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. New memory specifications increase tech that allows for larger memory capacity as well as increased read/write speeds.
- Secure Digital (SD) - 128MB to 2GB.
- Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) - 4GB to 32GB.
- Secure Digital eXtended Capacity (SDXC) - 64GB to 2TB.
- Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) - 4TB to 128TB.
SD Card Speed
Speed ratings of an SD memory card is determined by the sequential read and write speeds. Card file write speed is very important for video as well as continuous shooting.
Slows cards can cause a drop in the number of continuous photos the Sony A55 can capture. This is due to the camera’s buffer not being able to write to the SD card fast enough.
When shooting video, a slow memory card can cause an unexpected end to shooting. The video file may also end up being corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is crucial the card you use meets the minimum requirements of the camera.
Card read speed is important for transferring files to a computer. If you have cards that are full, a SD card with a fast read speed will save you time.
Speed Class Rating
A SD card is assigned a Class rating based on the continuous write speed of the card. Class 10 is the top rating, even though SD memory cards exist that have a faster transfer rate.
Here you can see a list of the Classes and their applicable lowest transfer rates:
- Class 2 - 2MB/s
- Class 4 - 4MB/s
- Class 6 - 6MB/s
- Class 8 - 8MB/s
- Class 10 - 10MB/s or faster
Practically every SD memory card worth owning for the Sony A55 will be a Class 10 card. In the time since the camera was made, Cards have gotten a good deal faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is available in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. The UHS bus makes it possible for faster data transfer rates.
There are 3 separate versions. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
To know what the UHS rating of a memory card, look at the front of the card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD card, that is going to be the UHS rating of your SD card.
- UHS-I - Maximum transfer rate of 104 MB/s
- UHS-II - Maximum transfer rate of 312 MB/s
- UHS-III - Maximum transfer rate of 624 MB/s
Sony A55 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
One PRO Duo or PRO-HG Duo memory cards can be used in the Sony A55. PRO-HG signifies the memory card may have read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed.
You will need to hand over double the amount to purchase a PRO Duo memory card than a similar SD card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card for use in a A55.
Image Capacity
Below is an approximate estimation of how many large JPEG images you can expect to store on each size of SD card.
- 16GB - 4,640 images
- 32GB - 9,280 images
- 64GB - 18,560 images
- 128GB - 37,120 images
- 256GB - 74,240 images
Related Cameras
That covers all of the critical specs you need to check about SD and PRO Duo cards.