The Sony A7 II has 1 x SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot and supports UHS-I.
UHS-II fits as well, but the camera won’t be able to use the better technology and will write at a max speed that the UHS-I offers. It caps at around 30MB/s so there’s no need to buy an overly expensive card for the advantages you won’t even be able to use.
However, UHS-II cards will allow you to transfer your photos/videos to your computer much faster, assuming you have a UHS-II USB 3.0 reader.
Below you will find our top SD memory cards that get the most out of your A7S without waiting too much when recording videos or shooting in continuous mode.
Best SD Memory Cards for Sony A7 II:
- Lexar Professional 300MB/s UHS-II U3
- SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s UHS-I U3
- Transcend R95/W60MB/s UHS-I U3
Lexar Professional 300MB/s UHS-II U3
The Lexar Professional 300MB/s UHS-II U3 is our top pick, despite being UHS-II. So besides getting the max writing speed in the camera, UHS-II will actually transfer your files on your computer much quicker than UHS-I.
For both Full HD video and continuous shooting at 5fps, this is literally your best option and more than you’ll need. It’s also a great card to future-proof yourself when buying a new camera that will most likely support UHS-II.
Don’t have a memory card reader that supports such UHS-II speeds? Luckily you get a free Lexar UHS-II reader that’ll greatly reduce the waiting time. You also get a free downloadable Imaging Rescue software. It comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB sizes.
You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.
SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s UHS-I U3
The SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro 32GB U3 is a UHS-I SD card but the writing speed will be identical to the one above, as they both easily reach the limit of the A7’s II possible writing speed (around 30MB/s). Reading speeds on the other hand will be slower (previewing pictures on your camera, sending the files to your computer etc.) so keep that in mind.
It comes in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes.
You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.
Transcend R95/W60MB/s UHS-I U3
The most affordable on our list, yet still UHS-I, is the Transcend 64GB UHS-I U3. In terms of reading speed it goes up to 95MB/s, while for writing the maximum is 60MB/s. If you want the most GB’s for the money and don’t want the fastest speeds, this card will do.
Transcend, just like Lexar above, gives you the option of downloading their free image recovery program and they both work pretty good in most cases. It comes in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes.
You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.
Comparison of the 3 Memory Cards
Card | Size | Speed |
Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s U3 | 32GB | Writing files: ~90MBs. Reading files: ~95MB/s |
Lexar Professional 300MB/s U3 | 64GB | Writing files: ~240MB/s. Reading files: ~280MB/s |
Transcend R95/W60MB/s U3 | 64GB | Writing files: ~60MB/s. Reading files: ~90MB/s |
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, Toshiba, Kingston, Sony and. There may be a few other good brands out there, but the ones we mentioned are already more than enough and offer great prices.
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Last Updated on September 14, 2021 by Nick Voorhees
First and foremost, I’m a husband and father. Then professionally I’m photographer, designer, blogger, and Esty store owner. My homebase is near the stunning Wasatch mountains in Utah but I love traveling with my family as part of our homeschooling journey. I also love teaching and helping out others. My faith is one of the biggest aspects of my life and brings be a consistent joy that I haven’t found in anything else. My main blog is BestPhotographyGear.com and I strive to make photography simple for anyone looking to learn or find gear for their individual needs. By nature, I like to study, research, and analyze things and I use that help provide the best advice and reviews I can.