A question we get repeatedly is "what size memory card should I buy?" The answer depends on several factors including your camera's megapixel count, whether you are using your card for video recording, how many photos you take at any given time and what you intend to do with the photos you take. Megapixel Approx File Size 128MB 256MB 512MB 1GB 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 4MP 1.94 66 132 264 528 1056 2112 4224 8448 5MP 2.56 50 100 200 400 800 1600 3200 6400 6MP 3 42 84 168 336 672 1344 2688 5376 7MP 3.5 38 76 152 304 608 1216 2432 4864 8MP 4.5 29 59 119 223 446 892 1784 3568 10MP 5.9 21 43 86 172 338 677 1355 2711 12MP 7.5 17 34 68 133 226 533 1066 2133 Approximate number of images a memory card of the given capacity may store Video Resolution File size/ 128MB 256MB 512MB 1GB 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 160x120 5.1 25.06 50.13 100.25 200.5 401 802 1604 3208 320x240 10.2 12.53 25.06 50.13 100.25 200.5 401 802 1604 640x480 20.4 6.27 12.53 25.07 50.13 100.26 200.52 401.04 802.08 Approximate number of minutes of video a memory card of the given capacity may store All the above are at 15 frames per second with sound Video Resolution File size/minutes 128MB 256MB 512MB 1GB 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 160x120 10.2 12.50 25.00 50 100 200 400 800 1600 320x240 20.4 6.28 12.56 25.12 50.24 100.48 200.96 401.92 803.84 640x480 40.8 3.14 6.28 12.56 25.12 50.24 100.48 200.96 401.92 Approximate number of minutes of video a memory card of the given capacity may store All the above are at 30 frames per second with sound MP3 Quality 64MB 128MB 256MB 512MB 1GB 2GB 4GB 8GB 16GB 64 Kb/per sec 30 60 120 240 480 960 1920 3840 7680 128 Kb/per sec 15 30 60 120 240 480 960 1920 3840 Approximate number of tracks a memory card of the given capacity may store All storage capacity figures are approximate Card Speed 8x 12x 20x 25x 30x 40x 60x 66x 80x 100x 120x 1X Speed is equal to 150 kilobytes (KB) per second
Take a look at the chart below to determine your requirements. Bear in mind that the actual number of images you can fit on your card will vary with each camera model, resolution and compression settings. If you shoot a lot of video, get a larger card than indicated, or more than one card.
Image Storage Capacity
Video Length - 15 frames per sec
minutes
Video Length - 30 frames per sec
Sound Recording Length in Minutes
Transfer Speed Rates
Data Transfer Rate
1.2 MB/sec
1.8 MB/sec
3.0 MB/sec
3.8 MB/sec
4.5 MB/sec
6.0 MB/sec
9.0 MB/sec
10.0 MB/sec
12.0 MB/sec
15.0 MB/sec
18.0 MB/sec