The Best Memory Cards for the Sony A65
Two different kinds of memory cards are compatible with the Sony A65. SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards are compatible as well as Sony PRO-HG Duo and PRO Duo cards.
The A65 only has only one memory card slot. You’ll need to make a decision between a PRO Duo or SD card.
Sony created and owns the PRO Duo format. SD memory cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD memory cards are substantially faster as well as being less expensive.
- 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 make the best Memory cards. The best SD cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro cards.
That does not mean you need to buy a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A65. Just make sure the name sounds cool. That will make sure you get fast read/write speeds, shock resistance, and more features.
I have not run into errors with Lexar Professional or PNY Elite Performance memory cards.
The problems I have encountered with memory cards has been when cheap generic brands were used. Not having a brand name increases the possibility of card failure or corrupted data.
If you want to spend less money, don’t buy a generic card. You will be better off buying a high-quality SD card with a smaller 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 A65 SD Card Compatibility
SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards are usable in the Sony A65. In order to get the best overall performance from the camera, use a card.
The most recent SDUC cards can’t be used in the A65.
Currently, there are four specs of Secure Digital (SD) cards. New memory specs add tech that provides for greater storage capacity and improved data transfer 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
The speed rating of an SD card is based on the sequential write and read speeds. The speed of a SD card is essential for clearing the buffer for continuous shooting and recording video.
A slow SD card can reduce the number of continuous images the Sony A65 can take. This is because the camera’s buffer is not able to write to the SD card fast enough.
When shooting video, a slow card can cause recording to end. The video file could also end up being corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is crucial the memory card you use meets the required continuous write speed for video.
Read speed is important for file transfers to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a memory card with a fast read speed will cut down on the time it takes the transfer to complete.
Speed Class Rating
A memory card is given a Class rating based on the continuous data write speed of the memory card. Class 10 is the top rating, even though cards are made that have a improved read speed.
Here is a list of the Class ratings and corresponding minimum read/write speeds:
- Class 2 - 2MB/s
- Class 4 - 4MB/s
- Class 6 - 6MB/s
- Class 8 - 8MB/s
- Class 10 - 10MB/s or faster
Nearly every card worth ordering for the Sony A65 will be a Class 10 SD memory card. In the time since the camera was released, SD cards have gotten a good deal faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is built into SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. The UHS bus cards to have increased read and write speeds.
There are three different versions. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
You can figure out the UHS rating of a memory card by checking the front of the card. The presence of aRoman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that will be the rating of the memory 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 A65 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
The Sony A65 may use either a PRO Duo or PRO-HG Duo cards. PRO-HG signifies the memory card may have read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed.
You’ll have to pay twice as much to get a hold of a PRO Duo card than an equal SD card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo memory card for use in a A65.
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
There is no more you need to determine about PRO Duo and SD memory cards.