Nikon D5500 Memory Card Speed Test

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.

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 Card	Card Type / Capacity	File Type	File Size	Max Frame Rate	Max Burst (pre-buffer)	Continuous Rate (post-buffer)	Disk Speed Test Rating
Transcend Ultimate (85MBs Write Speed)	SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3	RAW + F	31.4MB + 12.4MB	5fps	5 frames	1.75fps	65MB/s Write - 87MB/s Read
	64GB	RAW	31.4MB	5fps	7 frames	3fps
		Fine JPEG	12.4MB	5fps	81 frames (then pause)	~5fps (for 19 frames)
SanDisk Extreme Pro (95MBs Label)	SDHC UHS-I	RAW + F	31.4MB + 12.4MB	5fps	5 frames	1.65fps	69MB/s Write - 89MB/s Read
	8GB	RAW	31.4MB	4fps	8 frames	2.9fps
		Fine JPEG	12.4MB	5fps	100 frames	N/A
Transcend Ultimate (60MBs Write Speed)	SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3	RAW + F	31.4MB + 12.4MB	4.8fps	5 frames	2 frames at 0.75fps — then 1.5fps	53MB/s Write - 86MB/s Read
	64GB	RAW	31.4MB	4.8fps	7 frames	1.67fps
		Fine JPEG	12.4MB	5fps	35 frames	17 frames at 3fps — then 3 frames at 1fps — then 44 frames at 3.6fps
SanDisk Extreme (30MBs Label)	SDHC Class 10	RAW + F	31.4MB + 12.4MB	4.2fps	5 frames	0.5fps	18MB/s Write - 22MB/s Read
	32GB	RAW	31.4MB	4.2fps	6 frames	0.67fps
		Fine JPEG	12.4MB	4.8fps	16 frames	1.4fps

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.