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SubscribeMemory Card Size Guide
I can’t even begin to recalled the number of times someone has asked “What size memory card do I need?”, its nearly always as big and fast as you can afford. The best idea is to work out how many photos you normally take, triple it and compare to the guide below, then once you can afford a suitable size, look at the speed guide. Some photographers take only a couple hundred photos a year; others take that many or more in a month, work out what suits you.
Recommended Card Capacity
As a general rule of thumb, the following size memory card is a recommended minimum to allow around 1,000 images to be taken which should cover almost any event. In my book but its better to have too much capacity than to run out half way through
1-3 megapixel camera – 512 MB
4-5 megapixel camera – 1 GB
6-7 megapixel camera – 2 GB
8-12 megapixel camera – 4 GB
13-19 megapixel camera – 8 GB
20+ megapixel camera – 16 GB
Capacity Size Chart
Below is a estimated size chart on how big the average JPEG sizes from a colour digital camera are likely to be. There are many considerations that effect the size, number of colours, shades, contrast etc, so the number are average.
| Memory Card Capacity for JPEGs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megapixel | File size* | 2 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| 1 MP | 0.3 MB | 6,800 | 13,600 | 27,200 | 54,600 | 110,000 |
| 3 MP | 0.9 MB | 2200 | 4400 | 8800 | 17600 | 36,400 |
| 5 MP | 1.5 MB | 1,400 | 2,800 | 5,600 | 11,200 | 22,400 |
| 6 MP | 1.8 MB | 1,100 | 2,200 | 4,400 | 8,900 | 18,000 |
| 8 MP | 2.9 MB | 700 | 1,400 | 2,900 | 5,800 | 10,600 |
| 10 MP | 3.5 MB | 550 | 1,100 | 2,200 | 4,400 | 8,800 |
| 12 MP | 4.6 MB | 450 | 900 | 1,800 | 3,600 | 7,200 |
| 15 MP | 5.6 MB | 360 | 720 | 1,450 | 2,900 | 5,800 |
| 16 MP | 6.0 MB | 330 | 660 | 1,320 | 2,650 | 5,300 |
| 18 MP | 6.7 MB | 300 | 600 | 1,200 | 2,450 | 4,900 |
| 19 MP | 7.1 MB | 280 | 560 | 1,120 | 2,260 | 4,520 |
| 21 MP | 7.9 MB | 250 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,050 | 4,100 |
| 25 MP | 9.2 MB | 220 | 440 | 880 | 1,800 | 3,650 |
| 30 MP | 10.8 MB | 190 | 380 | 760 | 1,550 | 3,100 |
| 35 MP | 12.6 MB | 160 | 320 | 640 | 1,300 | 2,600 |
| 40 MP | 14.4 MB | 140 | 280 | 550 | 1,100 | 2,250 |
| *average file size for a high resolution JPEG. | ||||||
In Conclusion…
You should go to the size you expect multiplied by 3-4 of what you normally shoot, which allows for increased usage, and of course future camera upgrades. Once you have made this calculation, and selected an appropriate size, you should go for the fastest speed you can afford.
I personally go for 4-8gb Compact Flash cards with a minimum speed of 300x, and I have a Canon 5D 12.8 Megapixel Camera.
