Best SD Card for Sony a6700, ZV-E10 and FX30 by Video Mode

The best SD card for the Sony a6700 is a V90-rated UHS-II card if you want every video option the camera offers, since Fstoppers says a V90 card is needed for the best video settings and a slower card works for everything else. The FX30 adds a second card type, CFexpress Type A, and on the ZV-E10 an SDXC card is the simple choice, because SDHC cards split long XAVC S recordings into 4 GB files.

I shoot on a Sony FX3, which is not one of the three cameras in this guide. So everything below comes from Sony's own help guides and published reviews, not from card testing of my own. Where the research doesn't say exactly which card a mode needs, I tell you so instead of guessing.

Quick answer: which card for which camera

Camera	Card slot	What Sony and reviewers say about speed	Where to start
Sony a6700	One SD slot, UHS-II	V90 needed for the best video options; slower cards fine otherwise	V90 UHS-II SD
Sony FX30	CFexpress Type A, or SD UHS-I / UHS-II	Slow motion and proxy recording may need a faster card	V90 UHS-II SD, or CFexpress Type A for heavy slow motion
Sony ZV-E10	SD; microSD with an adaptor	SDHC cards split long XAVC S recordings into 4 GB files	An SDXC card, rated V30 or faster

The card ratings, in plain English

Every SD card label carries a stack of logos and numbers. Only a few of them matter for video on these cameras.

• Bit rate: the heavier the video mode, the faster the card has to write. Sony's FX30 help guide makes this point directly: slow-motion recording uses a higher bit rate than usual, so you may need a card that writes faster.
• Video Speed Class: the V number on the label. Fstoppers frames its a6700 advice in these terms, naming V90 for the camera's best video options.
• UHS-II: the a6700 has a UHS-II slot, while the older A6600 used the slower UHS-I standard.
• CFexpress Type A: the FX30 takes these cards as well as UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards.

When you compare cards, look for the V number first and the headline read speed second. The read speed on the box is not the figure the reviews above use to describe what the cameras need.

For a wider look at the two formats, see Memory Cards: SD vs CFexpress.

Sony a6700: card needs by video mode

The a6700 has one SD card slot, and it is UHS-II. Its video menu goes well past basic 4K: PetaPixel's launch coverage lists 4:2:2 10-bit, All-I, 4K/120p and FHD/240p recording, plus S-Cinetone and S-Log3 profiles.

What Fstoppers says about speed

Fstoppers' review puts it simply: you need a V90 card to record in the best available video options, and if you don't need that quality, a slower card can be used without any problem. The review doesn't list mode by mode which settings require V90, so treat the rules below as buying advice rather than a Sony specification.

• Buy V90 UHS-II if you plan to use the top of the menu: All-I, 4K 120p or FHD 240p slow motion.
• A V60 card is a reasonable middle ground if you shoot standard 4K for social posts and family video and don't touch those high-end modes.
• Whatever you buy, watch the memory card icon during your first recordings (see the warning section below).

One more planning note: PetaPixel reports that 4K 120p on the a6700 comes with a substantial 1.6x crop, so you may use that mode less than you expect. That is a good reason to decide which modes you will actually use before paying for the fastest card.

The UHS-II slot helps your photos too

Photography Blog points out that the a6700's slot is faster UHS-II, while the A6600 used the slower UHS-I standard. Digital Camera World credits that faster slot, together with the newer processor, for the a6700's much better buffer depth when shooting bursts. PetaPixel reports the a6700 can shoot 11 frames per second, even in RAW, and sustain that for roughly five seconds.

If you shoot sports, kids or pets in bursts, a UHS-II card lets you use the speed that slot was built for.

One slot means you need a habit

Photography Blog calls the single slot a weak point next to rivals such as the Fujifilm X-T5 and Canon EOS R7, which have dual UHS-II slots. The card sits behind a lockable door on the left side of the body.

With no second card recording a backup copy, your best protection is routine. Buy two cards instead of one very large one, offload after every shoot, and format the card in the camera before the next job. If you're still setting the camera up, start with the Sony A6700 Setup Guide for Photo & Video Beginners.

Sony FX30: SD or CFexpress Type A

Photography Blog reports that the a6700 uses the same 26 megapixel sensor as the FX30. PetaPixel adds that the FX30 is better for specific video work thanks to features like anamorphic support and cinema 4K modes.

Sony's FX30 help guide lists two card types: CFexpress Type A cards, and SD cards that are UHS-I or UHS-II compatible. microSD cards work with the appropriate adaptor.

The two situations that need a faster card

The help guide singles out two cases. In slow-motion recording the bit rate is higher than usual, so you may need a card that writes faster. When you shoot a proxy movie, a higher-speed card may also be required.

How to choose between SD and CFexpress Type A

Start with a V90 UHS-II SD card. It covers the FX30 and also works in an a6700 if you ever add one as a second body, so the money isn't stranded in one camera.

Move to CFexpress Type A if slow motion with proxies is a regular part of your work, or if your SD card ever triggers the warning marks on the card icon. Before you buy one, check that your computer setup can read the format.

For the menu side of this, see Best Sony FX30 Video Settings for Beginners, and for how proxies fit into editing, the Sony FX30 Editing Workflow for Beginners.

Sony ZV-E10: avoiding split files

Digital Camera World describes the ZV-E10 as a compact interchangeable lens APS-C camera with a 24.1MP sensor and 4K video. Sony's ZV-E10 help guide covers one card issue that surprises new owners: when an SDHC card is used to record XAVC S video over long periods, the recording is divided into 4 GB files. The guide also says microSD cards need the appropriate adaptor.

The fix is to buy an SDXC card, so long talking-head clips and event recordings stay in one piece. Check the label before you buy: it prints SDHC or SDXC.

The passages I'm relying on from the ZV-E10 guide don't give a speed class for each recording mode. Open the "Memory cards that can be used" page in the help guide for your camera and check it against the format you plan to use. As a buying rule, a V30 SDXC card is a sensible floor for this camera, and a V60 or V90 UHS-II card is the better buy if you expect to move up to an a6700 or FX30 later. Setting tips are in Best Sony ZV-E10 Video Settings for Beginners.

If your camera is the ZV-E10M2

The newer ZV-E10M2 has its own help guide, and Sony says that model supports only SD cards, UHS-II compatible. On that camera, proxy recording isn't possible at 120p or 100p, and turning proxy recording on can lower the maximum bit rate depending on the file format. The same page lists supported cards for each file format, so check it before buying.

How to tell a card is too slow

Sony builds a warning into these cameras. Both the FX30 and ZV-E10M2 help guides say that if certain marks appear on the memory card icon while you shoot, you should use another card.

Test a new card at home before it matters. Set the most demanding mode you plan to use, record a few minutes, and watch that icon. If the marks show up, move to a faster card or a lighter mode before a real shoot.

One last note from Sony's ZV-E10 guide: charge the battery sufficiently before trying to recover the database files on a memory card.

The cards worth buying

The ratings in this table are the figures printed in each product's listing. I haven't tested these cards myself.

Card	Type	Video rating in listing	Listed speeds	Best fit
Sony TOUGH-G 128GB	SDXC UHS-II	V90	Read 300MB/s, write 299MB/s	a6700 top modes, FX30
Lexar Professional 2000x 128GB	SD UHS-II	V90	Read 300MB/s	a6700 top modes, FX30
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB	SD UHS-II	Not stated in title	Read up to 300MB/s	Check the label first
SanDisk Extreme PRO 256GB	SD UHS-II	Not stated in title	Read up to 280MB/s	Check the label first
Sony TOUGH-M 128GB	SDXC UHS-II	V60	Read 277MB/s, write 150MB/s	Everyday 4K, photo bursts
Lexar Professional 1667x 128GB	SDXC UHS-II	V60	Read up to 250MB/s	Everyday 4K, photo bursts
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB UHS-I	SD UHS-I	V30	Read up to 250MB/s, write 120MB/s	ZV-E10 on a budget
Sony CFexpress Type A 160GB	CFexpress Type A	Not applicable	Not stated in title	FX30 only

V90 UHS-II: the a6700's top modes and the FX30

These two match the V90 rating Fstoppers names for the a6700's best video options. Either one also covers the FX30's SD slot.

SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II

These listings give read speeds but don't print a V rating in the title. Read the card label or packaging and confirm it says V90 before you rely on it for the a6700's top modes.

V60 UHS-II: standard 4K and photo bursts

If you shoot standard 4K and skip All-I and high frame rates, Fstoppers says a slower card than V90 works without problems on the a6700. These V60 cards still use the UHS-II interface the a6700's slot supports.

V30 UHS-I: a budget card for the ZV-E10

This is the least expensive route for everyday ZV-E10 video, and it also makes a reasonable spare. In an a6700 it would leave the speed of that camera's UHS-II slot unused, so buy UHS-II for that body.

CFexpress Type A: FX30 only

The FX30's help guide lists CFexpress Type A support, while the a6700 has a single SD slot. Buy this card only for the FX30, and mainly if you shoot a lot of slow motion or proxies.

For cards across more camera brands, see Best SD Cards and CFexpress Cards and How to Choose the Right Memory Cards.