Best Memory Cards for Sony a9 II

Looking for the best SD memory cards for Sony a9 II? Here is the guide for you to get the top recommended SD cards for Sony a9 II mirrorless camera.

Designed for professional sports photographers and photojournalists, the Sony a9 II mirrorless camera boasts improved connectivity, a refined body design, and faster performance alongside the existing features of its predecessor. Utilizing a 24.2MP full-frame Exmor RS BSI stacked CMOS sensor and an updated BIONZ X processor, the Sony a9 II supports up to 20 fps burst shooting with a silent electronic shutter or up to 10 fps continuous shooting with a mechanical shutter (both with continuous AF/AE tracking at 60 calculations per second and no EVF or LCD blackout), and it is capable of UHD 4K video recording up to 30 fps as well as full HD 1080p recording at up to 120 fps. Additionally, 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE sensor-shift image stabilization is available, too, which minimizes the appearance of camera shake by up to 5.5 stops.

Want to get the best memory cards for the Sony a9 II (AmazonB&HAdorama)? In this post, we are going to go through absolutely everything you need to know before buying the best memory card for the Sony a9 II.

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

Before buying a memory card, make sure it complies with your Sony a9 II camera. This is what Sony a9 II requires:

  • Memory Card Slot: 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC
  • Memory Card Type: SD Card
  • Memory Card Speed: UHS-II
  • Recommended Capacity: 32GB-512GB (SD/SDHC/SDXC)

So, the Sony a9 II provides two media slots for SD cards, both SLOT 1 and SLOT 2 are now compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II for fast mass-volume data writing. Two cards in the slots can be used to simultaneously record or relay record data; separate RAW data from JPEG data, or stills from movies, and copy data from one card to the other. A slide lock structure prevents the memory card cover from being opened unintentionally.

Recommended SD Cards for Sony a9 II

If you just want to cut to the chase, here are our top recommended SD cards for Sony a9 II mirrorless camera.

UHS-II SD Cards:

  1. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)
  2. Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)
  3. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II Card (300 MB/s)
  4. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II Card (250 MB/s, V60)
  5. Hoodman Steel 2000x UHS-II SD Card (300 MB/s)

UHS-I SD Cards:

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

Why Do You Need a High-Speed SD Card?

Not every memory card will work well with your Sony a9 II 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.

Reminder: if you plan to shoot videos, stick to 64GB (or larger) cards for the best video codex.

So, what’s the best SD card for Sony a9 II?

The Sony a9 II supports up to 20 fps burst shooting and UHD 4K30p and Full HD 120p video recording. This requires a fast SD card at least U3 or V30 (writing speed of 30MB/s). UHS stands for “Ultra High Speed”. The chart below can help you figure out what speed class you need for each video format.

Graphic via SD Association

Best UHS-II SD Memory Cards for Sony a9 II

1. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)

  • UHS-II / V90 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 300 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 299 MB/s

The Fastest UHS-II SD Card, highly recommendedBoasting an ultra-fast maximum read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 299 MB/s, the Sony SF-G Tough Series UHS-II Memory Card is currently the world’s fastest SD memory cards and it is well-suited for 4K and Full HD video reacording and super fast continuous shooting. Thanks to its V90 speed class rating, minimum write speeds are guaranteed not to drop below 90 MB/s. So, if you are seeking the highest write speed with a V90 rating as well as extremely high 250-300MB/s read speeds for transferring photos from the card to a computer, this is the recommended cards for you.

Buy Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II SDXC Cards: at AmazonB&HAdorama.

2. 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 offers the super fast speeds for both writing and reading files, and 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. It’s 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.

Buy Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Cards: at AmazonB&HAdorama.

3. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II Card (300 MB/s)

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

Incredibly Fast SD Card. Designed for professional photographers and videographers, the SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Cards can achieve maximum read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 260 MB/s. Fast and fantastic! Ideal for continuous shutter bursts and rapid shooting, as well as 4K video recording. Thanks to its U3 speed class rating, minimum write speeds are guaranteed not to drop below 30 MB/s.

Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Cards: at AmazonB&HAdorama.

4. 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 performanceWith 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 the similar price of UHS-I cards. Great value!

Buy Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card at AmazonB&HAdorama.

5. Hoodman Steel 2000x UHS-II SD Card (300 MB/s)

 

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

Hoodman Steel is a ruggedized, steel plated SDXC card designed to withstand the rigors of high performance photography/videography. With a ruggedized steel construction, the Hoodman Steel 2000x SDXC UHS-II Memory Card supports 4K Ultra HD video and features a read speed of up to 300 MB/s and a write speed of up to 260 MB/s making it easy to transfer large files quickly and efficiently. Another great choice!

Buy Hoodman Steel 2000x SDXC UHS-II Memory Card at AmazonB&HAdorama.

Best UHS-I SD Memory Cards for Sony a9 II

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! We highly recommend picking two UHS-II cards from the list above because of the slow performance of the UHS-I cards. But, if you are on a very tight budget, then you can also get a UHS-I card. The SanDisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s is the fastest UHS-I card on the market with write speeds of up to 90 MB/s and read speeds of up to 170 MB/s and it is ideal for 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. 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.

Read more: Best Lenses for Sony a9 II.