What flash drive for action camera. Everything you need to know about SD cards so you don't screw up when buying

There can be two reasons why you decided to read this article: either there was no memory card included with your action camera, or there is not enough memory in the existing one, or it is incompatible. It turns out that not all memory cards are equally suitable for most action cameras. The most common reason is the low data transfer rate. If you shoot video in FullHD, then there is no problem. But if you bought yourself a camera with a resolution of 4K, this is where compatibility errors arise. Cards differ primarily in the speed of writing and reading information. When we write videos in a very high resolution, the value of the bitrate (the amount of information per unit of time) rises, and if the media is not able to record it so quickly, then an error occurs due to data overflow. High-speed cards that solve this problem tend to be significantly more expensive than their predecessors. Plus, marketing cheats for the brand get stuck in this mess. Cards can be exactly the same in all respects, and due to the fact that this brand is twice as old as the other, the price tag will also double. People's thinking is built on trusting higher prices in the hope of not being too cheap. Since you are buying a top speed card, then do it from trusted sellers, because now they like to fake such brands as Transcend, Kingston, SanDisk. Do not rush to buy top options right away, you may not need them. So you will only waste money by acquiring unnecessary excess potential.

Now let's take a closer look at what was said above. For cameras that do not record 4K video, it makes no sense to buy media over 32 GB. The optimal size is 16-32 GB. Such cards are suitable for cameras SJ6 Legend , SJ 360 , SJ 4000Wi-Fi , SJ 5000 , SJ M10 , SJ M20 and all models derived from them with index +. If you put a larger card - again, it may not work or throw surprises when writing / reading. By the way, such complaints about non-working cameras have already arrived at our store, but as it turned out, they put voluminous 64 GB MicroSD on them and the camera equipment itself is not designed for such numbers.

The micro memory cards we are interested in come in three types: SD, SDHC, SDXC. These prefixes were invented for a reason and characterize individual compatibility with the gadget (responsible for formatting, writing and reading) and the amount of writeable memory. For example, SD supports up to 4 GB, SDHC - up to 32 GB, and SDXC - over 32 GB. It has nothing to do with speed. More detailed information compatibility with a specific action camera can be found on the SJCAM box or in the passport, and if this is not possible, then always give preference to micro SDHC.

Let's talk about storage class. Usually this information is indicated by the numbers 2, 4, 6, 10 in a circle and is immediately after the volume in GB. This is specifically the write speed in megabytes per second and our bitrate should not be higher than this figure. For example, a class 10 card has a speed of 10 Mbps = 8*10 Mbps = 80 Mbps. If you meet the number 3 on the package (there are no other numbers except 1 or 3) in the form of a square glass, then multiply the available recording speed by 3 = 240 Mbps. Sometimes there are still cards with a useless UHS-1 or UHS-2 index. The second one has a higher transfer rate due to an additional row of contacts (see picture below). Only now there are very few ports in which this advantage will work. The situation is reminiscent of the use (or rather lack thereof) of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. The speed advantage will be only when using two pins with a blue connector.

I would like to finish the article with the following list, which SJCAM published on its website. All of them have been tested and there will certainly be no problems.

Silicon Power Micro SDXC 64GB Class 10

Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB

Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB UHS-3

Other action cameras:

Samsung EVO Class-10 32GB

Sandisk Extreme Class-10 32GB

Lexar EVO Class-10 32GB

Transcend Premium 300 Class-10 32GB

Stronium Class-10 32GB

Sony Class-10 32GB

Kingston Class-1016GB

Samsung EVO 16GB SDHC

Sony Micro SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 16GB

Which action camera to choose? - One of the most FAQ when buying the first action camera from our customers. But many users neglect this issue and end up with a number of problems related to the operation of the action camera and the safety of materials on the card itself.

Therefore, in our new review, we will give answers to the most popular questions:

• Why should an action camera memory card be chosen carefully?
• How to correctly correlate the capabilities of the camera and the parameters of the memory card?
• What do the symbols and meanings on the packaging of memory cards mean?
• What speed should a memory card have to work with an action camera?
• What size memory card will be optimal for shooting in Full HD and 4K resolution?
• How to correctly and competently buy and check a memory card for compatibility with an action camera before buying it in a store?
• What brands and models of memory cards should you buy for your action camera in 2018?

If you have little time, we strongly recommend that you pay attention to the key time periods of the video:


00:20 - What problems can a memory card cause in an action camera

02:38 - Basic designations on memory card packages

06:14 - What class of memory card is suitable for an action camera

06:50 - Let's talk about data transfer speed in memory cards

06:03 - What class "UHS-1/UHS-2" card to choose for the action camera

12:10 - What size memory card to choose for an action camera

14:56 - How to check a memory card for an action camera before buying it in a store

18:19 - Memory cards of which manufacturers should be chosen to work in an action camera

We strongly recommend that you carefully and carefully choose a memory card to work with your action camera. As practice shows, this is not such a simple process as it might seem at first. In addition, a memory card that is too slow can easily cause recording errors, put the camera in freezing mode, and also have a negative impact on processor overheating.



And it simply simply will not save the photos and videos you recorded. Is the $5-$20 savings worth all the vacation videos and photos you take? Few would disagree with such an obvious question. From our practice, about 70% of all problems in the operation of action cameras GoPro, Xiaomi Yi, SJCam, Sony and other manufacturers are caused by improperly selected memory cards. We are very careful in selecting memory cards for each of our customers, so we strongly recommend that you look into our catalog of memory cards for action cameras and quadcopters from leading manufacturers.



We are always happy to help you with the choice and answer all your questions. You can buy a memory card for an action camera right now

Good afternoon, dear readers. In this article, I am ready to answer the question of concern to many, which memory card to choose for a camcorder. When buying a memory card, special attention should be paid to the choice of storage media, because the memory tends to end at the most inopportune moment, hardly anyone wants to lose the most interesting part of the recorded video. Which accessory to choose, what to focus on - about these important issues will be discussed in this article.

The main criteria for choosing an information carrier are:

1. Support suitable video type;
2. capacity;
3. Recording speed;
4. Reading speed.

It would seem that such a trifle, but requires such a careful selection. Do you wonder why? All this is due to the fact that a wide range of media offered in hardware stores is very large. But not every card will fit a certain model of video camera. That is why variety and size are of fundamental importance.

If it is quite easy to figure out the supported device type and volume, then speed issues remain a mystery for some camera users. The speed of writing a flash drive is responsible for the scope of this accessory. If the flash drive has a low speed, then it is unlikely that you will be able to shoot a Full HD quality video or the device will simply “freeze”. Agree, an unpleasant situation. Therefore, every aspect must be carefully considered.

Varieties and speed of memory cards

Often, you have to deal with the choice of a flash drive for a camcorder immediately when buying a device. With the question of which media to choose for the camera you like, you can always contact the sales assistant, who will determine the maximum possible recording speed of the flash drive and the type of necessary component. But what to do if something happened to the memory card, or you just need to increase the memory. Then you will have to figure it out on your own, or rather, with my help.

Common types of cards:

• SDHC, capacity, which does not exceed 32 GB;
• SDXC, with a capacity of 64 GB or more.

The most popular manufacturers of flash media can be considered Silicon Power, Transend, SanDisc, Kingston.

What you should pay attention to when buying a USB flash drive from manufacturers:




What threatens buying a slow flash drive

Proper equipment is very important for the continuous and productive operation of the camcorder. Therefore, the use of media that does not match the speed of the camera is fraught with numerous consequences. Purchasing a slow card may damage the files captured by the camcorder or reduce the recording extension to match the ratio of speeds. When shooting short clips, there may be a problem with a long wait, since the previous file is still saved to the USB flash drive. Another problem that you may encounter is camera freezing, long and persistent shooting can result in the video breaking off at any moment due to insufficient speed.




So, we have dealt with the types of carriers and their speed indicators. Let's start discussing another important aspect when choosing a video camera card.

Memory card capacity

If you ask me how much memory is needed for a video camera, then I will answer you: "The more the better." That's why good option cameras are considered models where there are 2 memory card slots. Owners of such a practical device will definitely not have to face the problem of insufficient capacity. Therefore, we will now discuss the amount of storage devices for units with 1 slot.

When buying, there are several factors to consider:

• The purpose of the video. If you are professionally engaged in shooting video, for example, you work as an operator at celebrations, then the capacity of the flash drive should be maximum, as far as it is provided by the camera;
• The weight of the video, if you have to, for example, shoot a 4K video, then 1 second of a video of this quality will take about 10 MB. Having made simple calculations, you can understand that approximately 2 hours of shooting will fit on a 64 GB card.

I would like to advise you to conduct a small capacity test right in the store before choosing a memory card. Shoot several videos of various formats and calculate how many videos will fit on such an important part of the camera package.




When buying a card, you should follow two important rules. First, choose a media that matches the technical parameters of the camcorder. Secondly, give preference to well-known, reputable manufacturers, they often provide a guarantee for their products, this gives confidence that the component will last a long time, and the recorded data will not be lost.

That's all for me, dear readers, see you soon. By adhering to these rules, you will always know the answer to the question of which memory card to choose for the camera. Subscribe and share information about me with your friends, then I will help you more than once in solving many issues.

Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.

Today we will talk about memory cards for DVRs and action cameras. I think you know that not every memory card will work correctly in your registrar. How to choose the right memory card? What should you pay attention to when choosing a memory card and which models/brands should you recommend?

Why won't any card work?

Modern DVRs record in HD/FullHD/QHD resolution, and every year there is a trend of increasing the number of pixels. But, in addition to resolution, there is also a bitrate. This is the speed of the stream being written to the memory card, depending on the model, even with the same resolution, this parameter can change quite a lot. The manufacturer of the DVR often writes in the instructions - support for MicroSD memory cards (the most popular format) up to 32/64/128/256GB 10th grade. But he usually does not write anything about the bitrate of his stream. You can find out these numbers only by looking at the technical information of the recorded video or the profile branch of the forum of the selected gadget model.

How to choose a memory card

Without going into the technical details of memory chips (MLC NAND is better) and specifications, pay attention to the 2 main characteristics of the card, indicated right on it. These are the speed class (class 10) and the UHS parameter (U1 or U3).

If you have:

• 2 channel device
• 1 channel device with average recording bitrate
• device with QHD resolution (2k)

Then regular class 10 memory cards will still work for you. With index U1 and recording speed from 18 to 22 mb/s. It should be borne in mind that a class 10 card provides a minimum speed of 10mb / s, and this may not be enough in most modern DVRs. Therefore, it is not worth simply navigating by class. Do not look at the loud labels on the packaging of memory cards. Usually there is not a write speed, but a read speed. It is the recording that is important to us, as a rule, this characteristic is much more modest than reading, so marketers try to hide it. If you have:

• 4k action camera/dvr
• DVR with QHD resolution for 2 cameras
• device with very high recording bitrate

Most likely you will need a class 10 memory card with index U3. It provides minimal recording at speeds up to 30mb/s. In some cases, this will not be enough, so for 4k with a bitrate of more than 70-100mbit / s, we recommend top (or pre-top) cards with the U3 index in the line of various brands, where the recording speed is from 50mb / s.

How to find out the WRITE speed on a memory card?

Only empirically through special programs. Before buying, you need to look for tests on the memory card of your choice on the Internet and see the write speed. Or you can test the memory card yourself using the CrystalDiskMark program. Please note that many cards will only show maximum write speeds with a USB3.0 capable card reader, so should your USB port on your laptop or computer. When testing, the computer should not perform any other tasks.

More programs

1. Mydisktest - a program for testing USB Flash media for bad sections
2. Panasonic SD formatter - heals and restores almost any flash drive for mobile devices and more
3. Check Flash - designed to check the performance of flash drives, and also allows you to use tests to determine the instantaneous read / write speed

How to format a memory card

Attention, like all manufacturers in their instructions, we advise you to format any memory card once every 2 months at least if you want to extend its life. This can be done both with the built-in tools of the camera or recorder, and on your computer. Never format an Sdxc memory card (often this is a capacity of 64gb or more) in devices that support the Sdhc type. Your card reader or adapter must be able to work with Sdxc.

You can use a special program for PC or MAC called SD Card Formatter. Set the options in the settings as shown in the figure on the right.

Best Memory Card for DVR

Unfortunately, not all memory cards, even from well-known brands, are so reliable. Recommended brands to look out for: Sony, Toshiba, Lexar, Transcend, Samsung, Pny.

Finally, let's see a list of specific memory cards that we recommend to buy and use.

TOP 5 most popular memory cards you will find in our other article,.

In the regular recording segment from 15 to 22 Mbit/s of the U1 index

• transcend premium 300x 16/32/64
• transcend premium 400x 16/32/64/128
• transcend high endurance U1 16/32/64
• transcend ultimate 600x 8/16/32
• toshiba exceria U1 16/32/64/128
• lexar high endurance U1 16/32/64
• lexar 300x U1 16/32/64
• lexar 600x U1 16/32/64/128
• Sony SR-UY3A U1 16/32/64/128
• samsung evo U1 16/32/64/128

In the segment of increased bitrate up to 50m mbit/s index U3

• Sony SR-UX2A u3 16/32/64/128
• toshiba exceria U3 32/64
• transcend ultimate U3M 16/32/64/128
• samsung pro U3 16/32/64
• samsung evo + U3 32/64/128/256
• viofo U3 32/64
• transcend USD300S 16/32/64/128
• transcend C10V High Endurance 16/32/64/128
• viofo Professional High Endurance

In the segment of high bitrate from 80 mbit/s index U3

• transcend ultimate 633x U3 32/64
• toshiba exceria PRO U3 32/64
• lexar professional 1000x 32/64/126/256
• lexar professional 1800x 32/64/128
• samsung pro+ U3 32/64/128
• viofo U3 32/64
• transcend USD500S 16/32/64/128

For 4k action cameras cards from Sandisk or kingston with U3 index may be suitable, v30, A1. They work for a long time, since action cameras do not record continuously.

Guarantee

You have probably seen that many manufacturers of memory cards give a long warranty period, from 3 to 5 or more years. And even a lifetime warranty. Alas, this warranty has limitations, usually stated in the fine print in the terms and conditions, and certainly does not cover devices with frequent data overwrites, such as action cameras and dash cams. Therefore, do not rely on full warranty service when used in registrars. For example, here is a screenshot of the warranty conditions Samsung cards one example:


conclusions

Take the right choice of a memory card for your gadget, do not buy unknown Chinese brands on Aliexpress for use in a DVR or action camera, they are suitable for simpler devices such as a smartphone or player.

If you really want to take good card, choose with nand flash memory type MLC or SLC. This type of memory allows you to overwrite cells 2-2.5 times more than conventional ones on TLC chips.

Our always in the kit supplies only branded cards from well-known manufacturers at the speed that is required for your device.