Best Memory Cards for Canon XA45

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Searching for the best memory cards for Canon XA45? Here is the guide for you to get the top recommended & fastest SD cards for Canon XA45 Camcorder.

The Canon XA45 (Amazon, B&H, Adorama) features a 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor, two XLR audio inputs, one mini-HDMI output, as well as an additional BNC 3G-SDI output. The 3G-SDI terminal, in particular, enables quick and reliable transmission of uncompressed video with timecode and audio embedded directly to mobile workstations. The XA45 weighs around three pounds and comes with a built-in microphone and headphone jack, making it perfect for journalists and one-person production teams that are always on the move. It also features a 20x HD optical zoom and supports 4k UHD recording for crisp and detailed footage even when zoomed in. The camera’s pro-style features include Hybrid, Normal, Face Only, Manual Focus, Instant, and Canon’s Medium autofocus; fast- and slow-motion recording, full manual control, optical and electronic image stabilization, a 3″ touchscreen LCD, user-assignable buttons, infrared mode, and a DIG!C DV 6 image processor with high sensitivity and low noise. The XA45 also has display monitoring features such as zebra, color bars, and test tone.

So, the Canon XA45 has dual SD memory card slot that both support UHS-I SD cards. That means you can easily save some money by getting a fast and reliable UHS-I card for your Canon XA45 since you can’t get any extra write speeds from the UHS-II speeds. But, the UHS-II cards can be used in Canon XA45 in UHS-I mode at the fastest UHS-I write speed, and you can take advantage of the read speed of UHS-II cards (up to 300 MB/s), especially when transferring files from the card to a computer.

Below are our top recommended SD memory cards for Canon XA45 based on the speed and price. You can choose the one you like.

Best Memory Cards for Canon XA45

If you just want to cut to the chase, here are our top 5 recommended SD cards for Canon XA45:

  1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3)
  2. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II Card (250 MB/s, V60)
  3. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)
  4. Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)
  5. Kingston Canvas React UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)

Any of these make for a good choice. If you’d like more detailed recommendations, you can find them below.

1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3)

  • UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 170 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s

The Fastest UHS-I SD card. Highly recommended! 

The SanDisk Extreme Pro 170 MB/s UHS-I card is the fastest UHS-I SD card and the most popular card out there and is almost always one of my top recommended SD card, especially for consumer UHS-I cameras. With write speeds of up to 90 MB/s and read speeds of up to 170 MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s UHS-I card is ideal for whatever you’re doing: fast burst shooting, 4K video and full HD video at 120fps. In addition, SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I cards feature a speed class rating of V30 and U3 standard, which guarantees minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. Available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB sizes, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170 MB/s UHS-I cards are ideal for professionals recording extreme sports and other fast-action activities.

Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I 170 MB/s (V30, U3) at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

2. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card (250 MB/s, V60)

  • UHS-II / V60 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 250 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s

Affordable UHS-II card with excellent performance.

The Canon XA45 can’t take advantage of those extra write speeds with the UHS-II cards, but if you are seeking the ultra high read speeds to transfer your images and videos much quicker, a fast UHS-II card will be the first choice. With maximum read speeds of up to 250 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 90 MB/s, the Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II card is great for fast burst shooting and 4K & full HD video recording! This card offers excellent performance with a similar price of UHS-I cards. Great value!

Buy Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

3. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)

  • UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 150 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 70 MB/s

Great Value!

If you are really on a very tight budget and just want to save some money, this is the card for you! The SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3) supports extremely fast read speeds of up to 150MB/s and write speeds of up to 70MB/s, making it an ideal choice for fast-action or continuous burst mode photography, as well as full HD, 3D, and 4K video – available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB sizes. A built-in write-protect switch helps to safeguard against the accidental erasure of card data.

Buy SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3) at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

4. Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)

  • UHS-II / V90 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 300 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 260 MB/s

Highly recommended and Best Value! With maximum read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 260 MB/s, the Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II card is the perfect match for any UHS-II compatible camera that records 4K and Full HD video or has a fast 8fps+ continuous shooting speed. The buffer clearing time will be much much quicker which means you can take more shots. In addition, you can get a free Lexar SD UHS-II Reader for high-speed file transfer from card to computer, dramatically accelerating workflow. Thanks to its V90 speed class rating, minimum write speeds are guaranteed not to drop below 90 MB/s.

Buy Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Cards: at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

5. Kingston Canvas React UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)

  • UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10 / A1
  • Max Read Speed: 100 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 80 MB/s

Another great choice!

Designed to capture action with high-speed photo bursts or 4K video, the Kingston Canvas React UHS-I SDXC Memory Card takes advantage of the UHS-I bus to support read speeds of up to 100 MB/s and write speeds of up to 80 MB/s. This Canvas React card supports the V30 speed class, which guarantees minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. Ideal for shooting burst-mode photos and 4K video.

Buy Kingston Canvas React UHS-I SDXC Card at Amazon, Adorama