Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

  • Reviews
  • Recommended Cameras & Gear
  • Learn Photography
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe

Nikon D5500 Memory Card Speed Test

March 29, 2015 By Eric Reagan

Nikon D5500-2

Memory cards matter quite a bit when it comes to your expectations and experience with a DSLR. The Nikon D5500 accepts most modern SD cards, including SDHC and SDXC cards, and takes advantage the speed boost from UHS-I (Ultra-High Speed Type I bus) cards. For a broader explanation of SD card types and designations, see my prior article Demystifying SD Cards.

Below, I have tested a few different memory cards in the Nikon D5500 to demonstrate the positive effects of buying a more capable memory card and to highlight some specifications of particular cards that might make them a better fit for the D5500 and similar cameras.

Memory Cards

The performance chart below should be pretty self-explanatory but let me detail it out a little further for the sake of clarity. We have the product labeling to identify it as accurately as possible. SD cards are a mess with their symbols and abbreviations, which is why I wrote the Demystifying SD cards article mentioned above. In addition, I provide a link to a reputable online vendor for the specific card in the first column and further specify the bus-type and class ratings for the card, as well as the capacity.

With each card, I performed three tests in camera and one test on the computer to help verify the numbers and performance we see in camera. The initial burst is often cited as the biggest spec feature and I have it listed, along with the frame rate provided. Additionally, I spell out what happens after the initial burst in terms of continuous frame rates after things slow down. The final numbers show the actual sustained read and write speed to read and transfer a 1GB file in the card reader of an iMac.

Memory CardCard Type / CapacityFile TypeFile SizeMax Frame RateMax Burst (pre-buffer)Continuous Rate (post-buffer)Disk Speed Test Rating
Transcend Ultimate (85MBs Write Speed)SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3RAW + F31.4MB + 12.4MB5fps5 frames1.75fps65MB/s Write - 87MB/s Read
64GBRAW31.4MB5fps7 frames3fps
Fine JPEG12.4MB5fps81 frames (then pause)~5fps (for 19 frames)
SanDisk Extreme Pro (95MBs Label)SDHC UHS-IRAW + F31.4MB + 12.4MB5fps5 frames1.65fps69MB/s Write - 89MB/s Read
8GBRAW31.4MB4fps8 frames2.9fps
Fine JPEG12.4MB5fps100 framesN/A
Transcend Ultimate (60MBs Write Speed)SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3RAW + F31.4MB + 12.4MB4.8fps5 frames2 frames at 0.75fps — then 1.5fps53MB/s Write - 86MB/s Read
64GBRAW31.4MB4.8fps7 frames1.67fps
Fine JPEG12.4MB5fps35 frames17 frames at 3fps — then 3 frames at 1fps — then 44 frames at 3.6fps
SanDisk Extreme (30MBs Label)SDHC Class 10RAW + F31.4MB + 12.4MB4.2fps5 frames0.5fps18MB/s Write - 22MB/s Read
32GBRAW31.4MB4.2fps6 frames0.67fps
Fine JPEG12.4MB4.8fps16 frames1.4fps

These are the cards I had on hand to test with the D5500. If this is something you find helpful, let me know in the comments at the bottom of the page or in the forum and I will try to get my hands on more cards to test with more cameras. If you have a card/camera combo you are interested in, specify it and I will see what I can do.

Filed Under: Nikon, Reviews Tagged With: D5500, frames per second, memory card, Nikon, sdhc, sdxc, speed test

 

Comments

  1. Crystal says

    December 29, 2016 at 10:20 pm

    Hello! I am new to Nikon and I just purchased my first! The D5500. I got a SanDisk Ultra Plus SDXC UHS-I 64gb as card. It says 80mb’s 533x. My question is did I purchase the right card for me? I want to take AMAZING portrait photos. And have very clear video. In your opinion, Should I have purchased a more expensive Sd card? Thank youfor any help

Trackbacks

  1. ???D5500???????????????photographybay? | YOU??????????? says:
    March 30, 2015 at 12:00 am

    […] Nikon D5500 Memory Card Speed Test […]

Copyright © 2023 | Photography Bay