Sony A6000 Memory Card Compatibility
The Sony A6000 is able to use 2 types of memory cards. Sony PRO-HG Duo and PRO Duo can be used with in addition to SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards.
There is only one card slot in the A6000. You will need to make a decision between a PRO Duo or SD memory card.
Sony engineered and is the owner of the PRO Duo card format. SD cards have had a wider adoption that PRO Duo cards because SD cards are appreciably faster plus cheaper.
- 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 brands that produce high-quality Memory cards. The best memory cards I have used have been the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards.
You do not need to buy a card made by SanDisk for your Sony ILCE-A6000. Look for memory cards with cool-sounding names. That will make sure you get fast transfer rates, shock resistance, and other professional features.
I have not run into problems with PNY Elite Performance or Lexar Professional cards.
When I have had problems with memory cards has been when I have used cheap generic brands. A low cost card increases the possibility of data corruption or card errors.
If you would like to spend less, don’t buy a generic card. You will be better off buying a professional-quality card with a reduced storage 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 A6000 SD Card Compatibility
SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards are compatible with the Sony A6000. For the optimal performance, use a card.
The most recent SDUC cards won’t work with the A6000.
There are four different specifications of SD (Secure Digital) memory cards. New memory specs add features that provides for larger memory capacity and noticeably increased data 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 memory card is determined by the sequential write and read speeds. SD memory card write speed is essential for continuous shooting as well as video.
Slows cards can cause a drop in the number of continuous frames the Sony A6000 can capture. This is because the buffer in the camera is not able to write data to the card quickly enough.
With video, a slow SD card can cause an abrupt end to recording. The video file could also be corrupted. If you are going to capture video, it is crucial the memory card you use meets the requirements of the camera.
Read speed is important for transferring files to a computer or laptop. If you are filling up cards with images or video, a card with a fast read speed will decrease the transfer time.
Speed Class Rating
A SD memory card is labeled with a Class rating based on the sustained continuous data write speed of the card. Class 10 is the best rating, even though SD memory cards are for sale that have a higher write speed.
Here you can see a list of the Classes and their corresponding 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
Any memory card worth picking for the Sony A6000 will be a Class 10 card. In the short time since the camera was launched, Memory cards have gotten much faster.
Ultra High Speed (UHS)
The Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus can be found in SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC cards. UHS cards to achieve faster read and write speeds.
There are three separate versions. They are UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III.
Look at the front of the SD card to find out the rating of a SD memory card. The presence of aRoman numeral I, II, or III on the front of the card, that is the rating of the SD 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 A6000 PRO Duo Card Compatibility
The Sony A6000 may use one PRO-HG Duo or PRO Duo cards. PRO-HG signifies the memory card may have read speeds up to 50MB/s and a 15MB/s minimum write speed.
Sony Pro Duo cards are almost always double the cost of an SD card. I would not recommend purchasing a PRO Duo card to use with a A6000 due to the increase in expense.
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
At this point you know pretty much everything about PRO Duo and SD cards.