Best Nikon Df SD Memory Card

The Nikon Df may use SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. A memory card with fast write speeds is crucial for burst shooting and video.

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

Want to skip the technical details? This is my recommendation on the SD card to get for the Nikon Df:

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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.

Like all things tech, the price range of cards has greatly fallen since the release of the Nikon Df.

With prices becoming quite cheap, it will not make sense to choose anything besides a high-quality SD memory card.

SanDisk Extreme Pro, Lexar Professional, and PNY Elite Performance cards have great overall performance and build quality. I have under no circumstances experienced corrupted data or a card become inoperable with those memory cards.

Every one of the trouble I have had has been with low-cost unbranded SD memory cards. Seeking to save a small amount of money is not worth the cost if your Df is not going to function properly.

To save money, purchase a lower capacity card from a quality supplier. By doing this, you’ll not have to be worried about the photos stored 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 SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards with the Nikon Df. Check to ensure your camera has the latest firmware installed.

The newest cards, SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity), can’t be used in the Df.

There are four separate versions of Secure Digital (SD) cards that you should take into consideration. You can recognize them based on their 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

Here is a quick approximation of just how many max-quality JPEGs shots you should expect to store on a memory card:

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

Speed ratings of an SD card is based on the sequential read and write speeds of the card. SD memory card write speed is critical for continuous shooting in addition to video.

A slow SD card can reduce the number of continuous frames the Nikon Df can capture. This is due to the camera’s buffer not being able to write data to the SD card fast enough.

When recording video, a slow SD card can cause recording to end. The video file may also be corrupted. If you intend to record video, it is important the card you use meets the minimum requirements of the Df.

Read speed is nice to have for file transfers to a computer or laptop. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a memory card with a fast transfer speed will cut down on the transfer time.

SD Card Speed Class
SD Card Speed Class

The Class rating of a card is determined by the continuous write speed. Memory cards that have a write speed of 10MB/s will be labeled 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 memory card that you can buy today will be rated Class 10. To discover the class rating of a card, find a number inside of the C on the front label.

Example of UHS Rating
Example of UHS Rating

The Ultra High Speed bus (UHS) is built into SDUC, SDXC, and SDHC memory cards. The UHS bus cards to have increased write speeds.

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

Look at the label to find out the rating of a SD card. If the card has UHS, a Roman numeral I, II, or III will be on the SD card label.

  • 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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