Don't Overpay for a Nikon D3000 SD Memory Card (32GB Max Compatibility)

The Nikon D3000 uses SD memory cards. It can use cards with up to a 32GB capacity.

If you try to use a card with a storage capacity of 64GB or larger, the D3000 will have an error. The camera will say the card is full or can not be formatted.

This is because the D3000 is only compatible with the SD and SDHC standards. It does not have the hardware required to use the newer SDXC standard that larger cards use.

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Recommended D3000 SD Cards

Any 32GB card with UHS-I will have fast enough continuous write speeds for the D3000.

Spending extra money will not get increased performance. 32GB was cutting edge in 2009. New SDHC cards are basically all the same.

SanDisk Ultra 32GB

• Class 10, V10, U1, and UHS-I
• Best selling brand
• Not worth paying a premium for

PNY Elite 32GB

• Class 10, V10, U1, and UHS-I
• PNY is a respected brand
• Excellent compatibility in other cameras and devices

Transcend 32GB

• Class 10, V10, U1, and UHS-I
• Another option to check

Nikon D3000 SD Card Compatibility

The Nikon D3400 is compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards. If you want to record video, use a card with a Class 10 speed rating.

Cards that meet the newer standards, SDXC and SDUC, are not compatible. Cards with have capacities of 64GB or larger will not work.

• SD (Secure Digital) - 128MB to 2GB.
• SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) - 4GB to 32GB.
• SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) - 64GB to 2TB.
• SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) - 4TB to 128TB.

Memory Card Errors

Trying to use a card that has a capacity of 64GB or larger in the D3000 results in the digital camera to display an error.

Use an SD card which has a storage capacity of 32GB or less to fix the error.

If you are using a memory card that has a storage capacity less than 32GB, and the card is not working correctly, try to format the SD memory card while it is in the camera.

Speed, Class, & Capacity

SD Card Image Capacity

This is a quick estimate of the number of large JPEGs you could expect to save on an SD memory card.

• 4GB - 1920 images
• 8GB - 3840 images
• 16GB - 7680 images
• 32GB - 15360 images

Memory Card Speed

Speed ratings for SD cards are determined by the sequential read and write speeds. The speed of the SD memory card is important in the event that many shots need to be written to the SD card.

SD Card Speed Class Rating

The Class speed rating of an SD memory card is determined by the sustained write speed of the SD memory card. A Class speed rating of 2 means that the SD memory card can maintain a write speed of at minimum 2MB per second.

• Class 2 - 2MB/s
• Class 4 - 4MB/s
• Class 6 - 6MB/s
• Class 8 - 8MB/s
• Class 10 - 10MB/s

The maximum rating a card can be given is Class 10. There are cards that are a good deal faster than 10MB/s. Those SD memory cards use other technologies, such as UHS (Ultra Highspeed Bus), which have a separate rating standards.

Sustained write speeds of 2MB, 4MB, 6MB, or 8MB per second means the card has a speed class of 2, 4, 6, or 8. Cards that have write speeds of 10MB/s or faster are rated as Class 10.