Quick question regarding SD cards and shooting 4k on the a7s II

[thrara]

I recently picked up an a7s II after years of using Canon products almost exclusively. The camera itself is fantastic and impresses me more and more every day, but the transition, as is standard I'm sure, is kind of rocky, though I feel like I'm slowly homing in on how to use it best.

 

Anyway, I have a very simple/probably inane question. I'm still using my old SD cards, all of which do not let me shoot in anything other than MP4 and AVCHD. I'd like to shoot in XAVC but I'm having trouble figuring out which new SD card to purchase.

 

It is my understanding that the a7s II requires:

-class 10

-sdxc

-UHS speed class 3

 

Those things considered, it looks like Sony's own SD card here should work: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1151542-REG/sony_sf64ux2_tq_64gb_sdhc_uhs_1_memory_card.html

 

However, if you look at the Q&A section for the a7s II body (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1186034-REG/sony_ilce7sm2_b_alpha_a7sii_mirrorless_digital.html), the first and most popular question is in regards to the fact that the person purchased that exact SD card and cannot shoot 4k. The person responding states you need  a Class 10 UHS-3 card to shoot 4k. Searching for a Class 10 UHS-3 only yields 'off-brand' SD cards, and I can't find anything like Sandisk or Sony that has that marker.

 

So, if the SD card linked above, which is the one that is recommended by B&H, doesn't work, what does? I've already purchased a class 10 U3 card, but it didn't work because it is sdhc (though I had read that it being sdhc does not matter as much as its speed class/it being class 10). Am I missing something? Can someone who has an a7s II tell me what SD cards hold up?

 

Thank you.

[adwb]

you need any brand sd XC  not HC  

 

hc only goes up to 32 mb and is classed by Sony as too small for 4k or you need XC which start at 64 mb HC1 U1 card 

don't know where you are in the world but this link should help identify 

 

https://www.7dayshop.com/products/transcend-128gb-sdhc-class-10-TS128GSDXC10

 

https://www.7dayshop.com/search/filter/sdxc/64-gb/sandisk?q=sandisc+extreme+pro

[thrara]

Thanks a ton adwb, that was my suspicion. I just have one more question: how would you explain the conflicting answers on the a7s B&H page? The person who proposed the question has a class 10 SDXC U3 card but receives the same error, and the person who answered it refers them to a type of card that is kind of obscure. I can see the answer being human error, but what about the person who proposed the question?

[adwb]

Thus is a far as I can see correct, I think however the source might be pointed out to your original source of info?

 

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/fastest-memory-cards-money-can-buy/bi/6784/kbid/7355

[Berek]

Sandisk extreme pro 95MB  SDXC I U3

Lexar 633x (95)  SDXC I U3

Lexar 1000x (150) II U3

 

These are what you want. Available most everywhere. Buy online from amazon, b&h photo, adorama will guarantee genuine product.

 

The difference is Lexar 1000's are faster reading off the card.

 

XC = 64GB  II = double pins so faster (no cams support this yet but usb readers do) U3 means guaranteed 30MB sec write speed (needed for 4K).

 

hth

[Tobamory]

i use the Kingston U3 64gb and Sandisks 16GB 280ms, but 64 is the way to go