Will a 32GB SD card hold Nikon D5100 RAW+JPEG and some Full HD video?
Asked 6/30/2012
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2 answers
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I have a Nikon D5100 and want to shoot NEF (RAW) + JPEG Fine. I'm estimating around 60–100 photos per day for two weeks, roughly 1,400 shots total, plus up to about 100 minutes of Full HD video. Will that fit on a 32GB SD card, or should I buy a 64GB card instead?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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38 GB is what is needed for the photos alone. This is based on the largest JPEG and NEF files I have from the Nikon D5100. Add video and you are over, so much so that I think you would be tight with 64GB and should go with the a 128 GB version. I have both a 400X and 133X version of the Lexar 128GB SDXC professional and they worked flawlessly until now. Sandisk also makes a 128GB Extreme but I do not have it. I do have some Sandisk 16GB cards in Extreme and Extreme Pro version which also worked without trouble so far.
Now I have never filled either one but there are reasons to have two. Personally, I do not by the you might lose because when you have only one card, it is hard to lose since it always stays in the camera except for downloading and goes right back. What I do buy is that some cards fail and I know they do. You may be one day the unlucky one in a million which has a flawed top-of-the-line card. If you buy a cheap card of course, your odds are much worse. The bigger your card, the more you stand to lose in one go. Also, if one break while you travel you will be sad about what you lost but you can still go on.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Based on the file sizes mentioned in the community answers, about 1,400 RAW + 1,400 JPEG images from a D5100 would need roughly 38GB for stills alone. That means a 32GB card is not enough.
Once you add up to 100 minutes of Full HD video, total usage will go higher still, so 64GB is the safer choice over 32GB. One answer even suggested that 64GB could feel tight depending on actual file sizes and video use.
A practical note: relying on only one card for a long trip is risky. Memory cards can fail, and using more than one card or regularly backing up your files is safer than keeping everything on a single card.
So, for your planned usage, 32GB is too small; 64GB is the minimum sensible option, with extra capacity or backup cards being a better safety margin.
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