Best SD Memory Cards for Canon SL1

Just like all Canon’s Rebel DSLR cameras, the Canon Rebel SL1 has 1 SD memory card slot and can accept both SDHC and SDXC types of cards, basically all that are available.

For Full HD video, as well as shooting in the continuous mode with 4 frames per second, it’s important that you have a memory card that is fast enough.

We recommend buying a card with Class 10, whereas in Canon’s manual it says their minimum is Class 6. Since Class 10 is nowadays so cheap, there’s really no reason to not get them (cost from $5-$10).

Speed Class of SD Cards

While all of the different classes above will fit the Canon SL1 (they are all SD format), the camera won’t be able to use the extra speeds offered by UHS type. This means that strictly in-camera, you won’t notice a difference in the time it takes your SL1 to write a photograph/video file.

However, for transferring the files to a computer or somewhere else, UHS will be much faster, but again this is only for non-camera work. If that matters to you then feel free to buy a faster card (we recommend 1 in this guide), but it is not necessary.

Stick to Lexar, Sandisk and Transcend brands, and make sure they’re Class 10 as these give you the most speed in Full HD video as well as continuous shooting, so you won’t experience any lag. How to tell? Look for a number 10 inside a circle, you can check the examples below. It might also say U3 or other different terms, but as long as that 10 is there, you’re good.

In this guide, we’ve picked out the 2 best memory cards when it comes to speed, performance and the price you pay.

These are the best 2 SDHC/SDXC memory cards you can get:

• Transcend Class 10 UHS-I U1
• Transcend R95/W60MB/s UHS-I U3

Transcend 16GB SDHC Class 10

For less than $7, the Transcend 16GB Class 10 is the best deal you will find. With a minimum writing speed of Class 10 (which is 10MB/s), you don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to writing video and photo files.  With 16GB, you can store around ~3000 photographs.

As you can see the from image above, it’s actually an UHS-I U1 card, but for $6 you’re not really overpaying anything here. It comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sizes.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

Transcend R95/W60MB/s UHS-I U3

The Transcend 64GB UHS-I U3 is more expensive because of its faster reading (95MB/s) and writing speeds (60MB/s). As we stated previously, you won’t see any improvement in the camera itself, and you should only get it if reading speeds matter to you.

Basically if you transfer a lot of shots everyday and need something fast, you might want to get this. Being UHS U3, it’ll also be fast enough if you decide to upgrade to a different camera.

It comes in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

What Brands are the Best?

Your photographs and videos are stored on a memory card, so you should definitely not try to save any money here by buying from unknown, cheap brands. While you save a few bucks, you probably won’t even get the advertised speeds, and are at a bigger risk of losing your shots.

We see too many beginners choosing the cheap route here, but until you transfer your shots to a computer/online, this is where they’re stored at. You want the memory card to be the most reliable piece of your equipment!

Stick to Sandisk, Lexar, Transcend, Kingston, Sony and Toshiba. There may be a few other good brands out there, but the ones we mentioned are already more than enough and offer great prices.

Last Updated on September 14, 2021 by Nick Voorhees