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Best Nikon D5500 SD Memory Card

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Compatible Nikon D5500 memory card options include SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. Fast SD cards will be the best memory cards for the Nikon D5500.

The Nikon D5500 can use SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. Video and burst shooting need cards with high write speeds to the card.

The card you select has a large impact on the functionality of your camera.

If you are in a rush, here’s the best card you can buy for the Nikon D5500:

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SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.

SD cards have come way down in cost since the launch of the Nikon D5500.

Since the cost are quite low, it does not make financial sense to pick anything other than a high-quality card.

The best cards I use have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance models. I have not encountered corrupted data or a card break with any of those SD cards.

Every one of the problems I have had has been due to low-cost unbranded cards. Trying to save a small amount of money isn’t worth it if your D5500 is going to experience complications.

To cut costs, select a lower capacity SD memory card from a quality manufacturer. Because of this, you will know your shots are safe and sound on the memory card.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
SanDisk Ultra 64GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.
PNY Elite-X 128GB SD Card
PNY Elite-X 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SD Card
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB SD Card
Check prices on: Amazon
  • 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.

The only cards compatible in the Nikon D5500 are SD, SDHC, and SDXC. Check to be sure that you have the most up to date firmware installed on your camera for the best performance.

The newest SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) memory cards, are not able to be used in the D5500.

There are four different versions of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you should be familiar with. SD memory cards can be recognized based on the memory card’s storage size.

  • 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.
SD Card Contacts
SD Card Contacts

Listed below is an approximation of the total number of large JPEGs pictures you should expect to be saved on a SD memory card:

  • 16GB - 4,640 images
  • 32GB - 9,280 images
  • 64GB - 18,560 images
  • 128GB - 37,120 images

The speed rating of an SD card is determined by the continuous write and read transfer speeds of the card. SD card continuous write speed is essential for video in addition to continuous shooting.

Slows memory cards can cut down the number of continuous frames the Nikon D5500 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 card can cause a sudden end to shooting. The video file could also be corrupted. If you intend to shoot video, it is important the card you use meets the required minimum write speed for video.

Read speed is nice to have for file transfers to a computer. If you have cards that are full, a SD card with a fast transfer speed will cut down on the transfer time.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

The sustained write speed of an SD memory card is represented by the Class rating. Memory cards that have a minimum write speed of at least 10MB/s will be rated Class 10.

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

Every name-brand SD card that you can purchase today will receive a Class 10 rating. You can check the class rating of a SD memory card by looking for a number inside of the C on the sticker.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be gotten with SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC cards. UHS memory cards to have increased read and write speeds.

There are 3 separate specs. The versions are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

Look at the front of the card to figure out the rating of a SD memory card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the SD memory card, that will be the UHS rating of the 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

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Updated on 2022-10-10
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