Probably one of the most important, but neglected pieces of gear we don’t give too much thought about, but really should, is storage. The memory cards that go into your camera. The thing that carries all your work. It’s necessary that you get the right card for your situation.

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Transcript

The most common types of memory cards used by modern photographers include SD cards, Micro SD cards, CF cards, and CF express cards.

SD cards are, by far, the most common type of memory card used by cameras these days. They are small and affordable. You can find them as easily as you can a snickers bar in a deli.

Micro SD cards are very small storage units meant to be used with smaller devices like drones, small cameras, and other undersized devices.

CF and CF express cards are typically found in more advanced cameras meant for professionals. They are a bit bigger than an SD card, but they are more reliable in terms of build and data retention.

There's other types of memory cards you can buy, but the ones I just mentioned are the most common of the bunch.

When shopping for a memory card, first identify which of those memory cards your camera accepts.

You'll then need to decide how much storage you need. For me, If I'm shooting in studio where I can tether my camera to my computer, which allows me to send my photos I take directly to my computer instead of the memory card, then I'll choose a smaller amount like 32gb or 64gb. If I'm shooting a wedding where I wont necessarily have enough time to keep backing up my photos as I shoot, I'll opt for a larger capacity card like 64gb to 128gb. However, i'm a little odd in that I'd typically stick with 64gb because then I have no choice but to switch cards, which allows me to have photos separated in case of card failure. I wont lose everything I've shot that day. If you're shooting portraits outdoors, I'd also recommend sticking with a 64gb to 128gb card.

I started out with 32gb cards. I always found myself filling up the space very quickly and I had to stop what I was doing to sacrifice potential great photos for more photos. The hassle isn't worth it.

After you've chosen your storage amount, you'll have to decide what speeds you want for your memory card. The values you'd need to look out for are read and write speeds. When you have higher values for read and write speed, your camera can take more photos in the moment because your memory card and handle the speed at which you're shooting. The time it takes for your memory card to export your photos to another device is dependent on your write speed.

I don't want you to get jarred when you see prices for memory cards with better read and write values. I've paid more than $100 for one memory card, but I know the performance of the card will allow me to be as productive as I can be. I'd recommend you don't try to save a couple of bucks when purchasing your cards. Spend a little extra on quality cards. The worst thing that can happen when skimping on memory card quality is they can slow you down if the read speeds are slow, and cheaper cards, though it can still happen to expensive cards but not as frequently, is they can fail and corrupt your files. A shoot lost is a hurtful thing to happen to any photographer.