The Best Memory Cards for the Sony A68
The Sony A68 can use 2 different kinds of memory cards. SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards can be used in addition to Sony PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, and XC-HG Duo cards.
There is a single card slot in the A68. You’ll need to make a decision between an SD or PRO Duo memory card.
Sony designed and is the owner of the PRO Duo memory card format. SD memory cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD cards are noticeably faster plus 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 brands that make high-quality Memory cards. The best memory cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards.
That does not mean you need to purchase a card from SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A68. Look for memory cards with impressive names. That will mean you get fast read/write rates, shock resistance, and other professional features.
I have not had issues with Lexar Professional or PNY Elite Performance SD cards.
The issues I have experienced with memory cards has been when cheap no name brands were used. Not having a brand name increases the chance of card errors or corrupted data.
If you would like to save money, don’t buy a generic card. You will avoid problems by purchasing a name brand 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 A68 SD Card Compatibility
SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are usable with the Sony A68. To get the best overall performance from the camera, use a card.
The brand new SDUC cards are not supported by the A68.
There are four different specs of Secure Digital (SD) cards. New memory specifications add features that provides for greater memory capacity as well as greatly improve 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 card is based on the sequential read and write speeds. SD memory card write speed is important for continuous shooting in addition to video.
A slow SD card can cause a reduction in the number of continuous images the Sony A68 can capture. This is because the camera’s buffer will not be able to write data to the memory card quickly enough.
With video, a slow SD card can cause an abrupt end to recording. The video file might also be corrupted. If you are going to shoot video, it is critical the memory card you use meets the required minimum continuous write speed for video.
Read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a SD card with a fast read speed will cut down on the amount of time it takes the transfer to complete.
Speed Class Rating
A SD card is assigned a Class rating based on the continuous data write speed of the card. Class 10 is the best rating, even though memory cards are made that are a good amount faster.
Here is a list of the Classes and associated minimum transfer rates:
- Class 2 - 2MB/s
- Class 4 - 4MB/s
- Class 6 - 6MB/s
- Class 8 - 8MB/s
- Class 10 - 10MB/s or faster
Any memory card worth picking out for the Sony A68 will be a Class 10 card. In the short time since the launch of the camera, SD cards have gotten so much faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be found in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. The UHS bus memory cards to achieve increased write speeds.
There are three different specifications. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
Look at the label to figure out the UHS rating of a SD memory card. If the SD card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III will be on the front of the 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 A68 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
The Sony A68 can use one 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 have to hand over double the amount to get a hold of a PRO Duo memory card than a comparable SD card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card for use in a A68.
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 goes over all of the important specs you need to find out about SD and PRO Duo memory cards.