Best Memory Cards for Canon XA50

Searching for the best memory cards for Canon XA50? Here is the guide for you to get the top recommended & fastest SD cards for Canon XA50 Camcorder.

The Canon XA50 (AmazonB&HAdorama) Professional UHD 4K Camcorder is a compact, lightweight camera featuring UHD 4K capture, a 1″ CMOS sensor, two XLR audio inputs, and one mini-HDMI output which fits right into the ENG category for documentary or journalism-style productions. The XA50’s optics include an integrated 15x HD optical zoom and a nine-bladed circular iris for more natural highlights, and wide DR gamma support for low-light recording. The camera’s pro-style features include Dual Pixel and Contrast 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 XA50 also has display monitoring features such as zebra, color bars, and test tone and a built-in neutral density filter mechanism offering ND4, ND16, and ND64 options. The camera records UHD 4K30 and Full HD 1080p60 captured to dual SD card slots, and outputs to a mini-HDMI port. The camera can output up to 1920 x 1080p 10-bit 4:2:2 video at 59.94 fps via its mini-HDMI output. On the audio side, the XA50 features up to four channels of LPCM audio with manual/automatic recording levels, two XLR inputs with phantom power, and a 3.5mm stereo mini input.

Want to get the best memory cards for the Canon XA50? In this post, we are going to go through absolutely everything you need to know before buying the best memory card for Canon XA50.

First off… What kind of memory card do you need?

Before buying a memory card, make sure it complies with your Canon XA50. This is what Canon XA50 requires:

  • Memory Card Slot: 2 x SD UHS-I Card Slots
  • Memory Card Type: SD Card
  • Memory Card Speed: UHS-I
  • Recommended Capacity: 64GB-256GB

So, the Canon XA50 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 XA50 since you can’t get any extra write speeds from the UHS-II speeds.

Why Do You Need a High-Speed Memory Card?

Not every memory card will work well with your Canon XA50 camera. If the card is too slow, you may have to wait longer for the buffer to clear or end up with recording errors and loose all your footage. So, buying a fast card is always worth it:

  • Fast write speed provides fast buffer clearing time between burst shots optimizing your shooting experience.
  • Fast read speed can let large files such as 4K video or a bunch of high-resolution images by continuous shooting transfer to PC in seconds.

Recommended SD Memory Cards for Canon XA50

If you just want to cut to the chase, here are our top 5 recommended SD cards for Canon XA50:

  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)

Best SD Memory Cards for Canon XA50

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 AmazonB&HAdorama.

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 XA50 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 AmazonB&HAdorama.

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 AmazonB&HAdorama.

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 AmazonB&HAdorama.

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 AmazonAdorama