The process of acquiring a camera always begins with a long selection period in which we compare different models, brands, prices and an endless list of technical characteristics of one and the other. However, when we have finally decided on a specific model, we are struck by another great question: which card is the best for my new camera? To avoid that this process resembles the acquisition of the same, below we will explain the differences between SD, SDHC and SDXC cards and then inquire about which is the best suited to each device , thus avoiding headaches.
The first thing to know is what those acronyms mean , impossible to pronounce and above all, to remember: SD stands for Secure Digital , SDHC, Secure Digital High Capacity and, lastly and, without a doubt the most complicated, is SDXC which means Secure Digital eXtended Capacity . There is no difference between these three models in terms of quality or safety , but rather in terms of their capacity and speed and, therefore, their price . The SD cover a range from 2GB , however the SDHC have a minimum capacity of 4GB . The cardsSDXC usually have much more capacity ( up to 126GB ), however its price increases considerably .
Once the problem of the acronym and its storage capacities has been solved, we will now move on to its size . We will have also heard about miniSD or microSD cards . These cards, as their name suggests, are smaller than standard SD cards . They are usually used to increase the internal storage capacity of smartphones . Since we focus on cameras in this article , normal-size cards will be the best suited to this equipment, especially DSLR or SLR cameras.. The only thing that varies between one and the other is its size and not its benefits, in fact if we buy an adapter we can use a microSD in a DSLR camera without problems.
Things get a little more complicated when we look at the SD card classes (we are only talking about the SD and not the SDHC or SDXC , which we will see later). The class is indicated on the same card with a number that can vary between 2, 4, 6 or 10 . These “classes” correspond to the speed of the card when reading and saving the images from our camera , so these numbers mean the number of megabytes per second at which the card is capable of saving the image we have made and being ready. to take another picture as well as thespeed at which files will be transferred to be stored on a computer, for example. Thus, if what we want is to shoot in bursts and the camera responds quickly, we will have to opt for a card with a minimum of 6MB / second or even 10MB / second . If, on the other hand, we are going to use our camera more normally , taking pictures from time to time, it will be worth it with a class 4 and even 2 .
For its part, the speed of SDHC and SDXC cards is governed by another more modern standard known under the acronym UHS . This UHS technology makes speeds reach figures of up to 104 MB / second . However, there are also different classes adapted to all needs. If we see the UHS-I mark on the card, this means that the speed of that card will be at least 10MB / second .
We also have to bear in mind that it is always necessary to verify what type of "host" device we have , that is, to verify if the SDHC and SDXC formats are compatible in our camera , since, if they are not, we will not be able to use these two cards must also appear on the camera with the initials UHS to be compatible. Thus it will be useful to know that SD cards work with all devices while SDHC cards work only with SDHC and SDXC devices and lastly SDXC cards work exclusively with SDXC devices . Therefore, looking at the compatible formats of the camera will be the first step. before choosing the type of cards we want to choose.