The Best Memory Cards for the Sony A77ii
Two types of memory cards will work with the Sony A77ii. Sony PRO Duo and PRO-HG Duo will work in plus SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards.
There’s is only room for only one card to be in the camera at the same time. You will have to make a choice between an SD or PRO Duo memory card.
PRO Duo memory cards are a proprietary card format that is controlled by Sony. SD memory cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD cards are much faster as well as 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 high-quality SD cards. The best SD cards I have used have been SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards.
That does not mean you need to buy a card from SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A77ii. Look for memory cards with cool-sounding names. That will mean you get fast transfer rates, dust resistance, and other professional features.
I have not run into issues with Lexar Professional or PNY Elite Performance SD cards.
When I have had problems with memory cards has been when inexpensive generic brands were used. A low cost card increases the chance of data corruption or card errors.
If you want to save money, don’t buy a generic card. You will be better off buying a professional-quality 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 A77ii SD Card Compatibility
SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards can be used by the Sony A77ii. Use a memory card to get the best performance from the camera.
The latest SDUC memory cards can’t be used with the A77ii.
Currently, there are four specifications of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. Newer card specs add more tech that allows for more storage space and much faster 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 dependant on the sequential write and read speeds. SD memory card speed is important for video in addition to continuous shooting.
Slows memory cards can decrease the number of continuous images the Sony A77ii can take. This is because the camera’s buffer will not be able to write to the SD card quickly enough.
When shooting video, a slow card can cause an unexpected end to recording. The video file might also end up being corrupted. If you are going to record video, it is important the card you use meets the minimum requirements of the camera.
Read speed is nice to have for file transfers to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a card with a fast read speed will decrease the amount of time it takes the transfer to finish.
Speed Class Rating
A SD memory card is given a Class rating based on the sustained data write speed of the memory card. Class 10 is the highest rating, even though SD cards are manufactured that are far faster.
Here you can see a list of the Class ratings and applicable 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
Virtually any memory card worth picking out for the Sony A77ii will be a Class 10 SD memory card. In the short time since the camera was launched, SD memory cards have gotten a good deal faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be found in SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. The UHS bus memory cards to have increased read and write speeds.
There are three different specifications. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
You can find out the UHS rating of a memory card by checking the front of the SD card. If there is aRoman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that is the UHS 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 A77ii PRO Duo Card Compatibility
One PRO-HG Duo or PRO Duo memory cards can be used in the Sony A77ii. What PRO-HG signifies is that the memory card has a minimum read speed of 50mb/s and a 15mb/s minimum write speed.
You will need to hand over more money to buy a PRO Duo card than an equivalent SD memory card. Considering the price difference, I will not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo memory card for use in a A77ii.
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 nothing else you need to learn about SD and PRO Duo cards.