Best Nikon D5600 SD Memory Card

The Nikon D5600 can use SDXC, SDHC, and SD memory cards. For video and burst shooting, it is important the SD memory card you use has a fast enough write speed.

You can spoil the functionality of your camera by using the wrong card.

If you’re in a hurry, here’s the best SD card you can buy for the Nikon D5600:

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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.

Since the release of Nikon D5600, the price of SD cards has dropped.

Seeing as how cheap the price range are, it is not going to make financial sense to pay for anything other than a pro-level SD card.

SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance cards have great transfer rates and build quality. I have under no circumstances experienced a card become inoperable or unusable data with any of those cards.

All the issues I have had has been when using low-cost unbranded SD cards. Hoping to save a buck isn’t worth the cost if your D5600 is going to have issues.

If you want to save some money, grab a smaller storage capacity memory card from a quality supplier. By making that choice, you will know your images are secure 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.

You can only use SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards with the Nikon D5600. Ensure that you have the most recent firmware installed on your camera for the best compatibility.

The newest cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), are unable to be used in the D5600.

There are four different versions of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you need to be familiar with. You can tell the difference between them according to their 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

Below is a quick approximation of how many large JPEGs shots you can expect to fit on a 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 dependant on the sequential read and write speeds of the card. The write speed of a SD memory card is critical for continuous shooting as well as video.

A slow memory card can cause a decrease in the number of continuous photos the Nikon D5600 can take. This is because the camera’s buffer will not be able to write data to the card quickly enough.

With video, a slow memory card can cause a sudden end to shooting. The video file could also end up being corrupted. If you are going to shoot video, it is important the card you use meets the requirements of the D5600.

Card read speed is nice to have for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you have cards that are full, a card with a fast transfer speed will decrease the transfer time.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

The continuous write speed of an SD card is represented by the Class rating. SD cards that have a 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 brand of SD memory card that you can get today will be rated Class 10. To check the class rating of a memory card, look for a number inside of a C on the front.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus is found in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC memory cards. The UHS bus memory cards to achieve increased write speeds.

Three separate versions have been specified. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.

You can determine the rating of a memory card by reading the front of the SD memory card. A Roman numeral I, II, or III on the label, that is going to be the rating of your 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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