Nikon D810 Memory Slots
Best Memory Cards for Nikon D810. Here is the guide for you to get the top recommended & fastest CF cards and SD cards for Nikon D810 DSLR Camera.
Designed for professional landscape, wedding, portrait and studio photographers, the Nikon D810 is one of the most popular and one of the best-rounded DSLR cameras on the market. Featuring a 36.3MP FX-format CMOS sensor and EXPEED 4 Image Processor, the Nikon D810 is capable of 5 fps burst shooting in FX format and 7 fps continuous shooting in DX format, as well as full HD 1080p video in 60/30/24 fps. And with the amazingly wide dynamic range and low light capabilities, the Nikon D810 allows you to shoot in any lighting situation. Really great camera!
Nikon included two memory card slots with the D810, a smaller SD memory card slot and a larger CF memory card slot. The battery compartment for the Nikon D810 is on the bottom panel of the camera. The battery fits inside the right-hand grip of the camera. The device has a standard memory slot (such as an SD or micro SD card slot) that enables you to extend the built-in internal storage with affordable memory modules, or easily retrieve data, such as photographs, from the memory card.
Want to get the best memory cards for the Nikon D810? In this post, we are going to go through absolutely everything you need to know before buying the best memory card for the Nikon D810.
First off… What kind of memory card do you need?
Before buying a memory card, make sure it complies with your Nikon D810 camera. This is what Nikon D810 requires:
- Memory Card Slot: Dual Slots – 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and 1x CompactFlash (UDMA 7)
- Memory Card Type: SD Card, CF Card
- Memory Card Speed: UHS-I SD, UDMA 7 CF
- Recommended Capacity: 32GB-512GB
So, the Nikon D810 has two memory card slots: 1x SD memory card slot with UHS-I support and 1x CompactFlash memory card slot (UDMA 7 compatible). Dual SD and CF memory card slots allow you to extend your file saving capabilities by permitting overflow recording or in-camera file type separation while shooting.
Why Do You Need a High-Speed SD Card?
Not every memory card will work well with your Nikon D810 camera. If the card is too slow, you may have to wait longer for the buffer to clear or end up with recording errors and loose all your footage. So, buying a fast card is always worth it:
- Fast write speed provides fast buffer clearing time between burst shots optimizing your shooting experience.
- Fast read speed can let large files such as 4K video or a bunch of high-resolution images by continuous shooting transfer to PC in seconds.
Reminder: if you plan to shoot videos, stick to 64GB (or larger) cards for the best video codex.
Best SD Cards & CF Cards for Nikon D810
Here are our top recommended SD cards and CF cards for Nikon D810:
SD Cards:
CF Cards:
Any of these make for a good choice. If you’d like more detailed recommendations, you can find them below.
Best SD Memory Cards for Nikon D810
1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3)
- UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
- Max Read Speed: 170 MB/s
- Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s
Highly recommended! The SanDisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s UHS-I card is the fastest UHS-I SD card and the most popular card out there, and is almost always one of my top recommended SD card, especially for consumer UHS-I cameras. With write speeds of up to 90 MB/s and read speeds of up to 170 MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s UHS-I card is perfect for shooting 4K UHD and full HD video and sequential burst mode photography. In addition, SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I cards feature a speed class rating of V30 and U3 standard, which guarantees minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. Available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB sizes, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170 MB/s UHS-I cards are ideal for professionals recording extreme sports and other fast-action activities.
Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I 170 MB/s (V30, U3) at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
2. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card (250 MB/s, V60)
- UHS-II / V60 / U3 / Class 10
- Max Read Speed: 250 MB/s
- Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s
Affordable UHS-II card with excellent performance. With maximum read speeds of up to 250 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 90 MB/s, the Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II card is great for fast burst shooting and 4K & full HD video recording! This card offers excellent performance with a similar price of UHS-I cards. Although the Nikon D810 can’t take advantage of those extra write speeds with the UHS-II cards, the UHS-II card can work in the Nikon D810 at the fastest write speeds of UHS-I card. And if you are seeking the ultra high read speeds to transfer your images and videos much quicker, a fast UHS-II card will be the first choice. Great value!
Buy Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
3. Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II Card (150 MB/s, V60)
- UHS-II / V60 / U3 / Class 10
- Max Read Speed: 150 MB/s
- Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s
If you can’t afford the Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II card and want to get a budget one with excellent performance, the Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II Card will be a great choice! The Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II SDXC Card can achieve maximum read speeds of up to 150 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 90 MB/s, making it is well-suited for continuous shutter bursts and rapid shooting, as well as 4K and Full HD video. For versatility, the cards also work with UHS-I devices at UHS-I speeds. Whether you’re a professional photographer, videographer, or enthusiast, Lexar Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards make it easy to quickly capture and transfer 1080p full-HD, 3D and 4K video. Great value!
Nikon D810 Memory Card Slots
Buy Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II SD Card at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
4. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)
- UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
- Max Read Speed: 150 MB/s
- Max Write Speed: 70 MB/s
Great value! If you are really on a very tight budget and just want to save some money, this is the card for you! The SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3) supports extremely fast read speeds of up to 150MB/s and write speeds of up to 70MB/s, making it an ideal choice for fast-action or continuous burst mode photography, as well as full HD and 4K video recording – available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB sizes. A built-in write-protect switch helps to safeguard against the accidental erasure of card data.
Buy SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3): at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
Best CF Memory Cards for Nikon D810
1. Lexar Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card (UDMA 7)
- 1066x Speed Rating
- Max. Read Speed 160 MB/s
- Max. Write Speed 155 MB/s
Highly recommended! Available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, the Lexar Professional 1066x (UDMA 7) is the most popular and super fast CF cards with an affordable price – perfect for storing large files including high-quality photos, 1080p Full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. With a 1066x speed rating, this card is capable of achieving data read speeds of up to 160 MB/s and data write speeds of up to 155 MB/s, allowing you to transfer your files via the card-to-computer transfer method via a UDMA 7-enabled card reader. Whether you’re a professional photographer, videographer, or enthusiast, the card provides performance you can trust and lets you quickly capture and transfer high-quality photos and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video.
Buy Lexar Professional 1066x (UDMA 7) CF Cards at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
2. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card (160MB/s, UDMA 7)
- Up to 160MB/s Read Speed
- Up to 150MB/s Write Speed
Highly recommended! Featuring enhanced data read speeds of up to 160MB/s along with data write speeds up to 150MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme Pro (160MB/s, UDMA 7) is another popular and excellent card with almost the same speed. This Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card is designed to support both full HD and 4K video as it is VPG-65 certified. VPG-65 (video performance guarantee) offers sustained data write speeds of 65MB/s ensuring a smooth flow of data keeping video streams crisp and clean. This CompactFlash card is also compatible with both RAW and JPEG file formats and comes equipped with an RTV silicone coating and writable label. And the SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are designed for professionals and come with a lifetime limited warranty.
Buy SanDisk Extreme Pro (160MB/s, UDMA 7) CF Cards at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.
The two CF cards listed here are a little bit faster than the fastest UHS-I SD cards, really great value, highly recommended! In addition, you can get the Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader (UDMA 7) at Amazon.
Read more: Best Lenses for Nikon D810.
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This is my typical non-technical approach to subjects. No math, no graphs just the bottom line on my take on what memory cards work best with the Nikon D810. Keep reading.
I always try to buy the best memory cards I can afford for my Nikon D810. I have been a fan of Lexar memory cards in particular. This goes all the way back to my Nikon D800 when I had a run of bad luck with data corruption on Sandisk cards. I have never had a single issue with Lexar. Of course I understand that there are folks with the exact opposite experience. That’s just how this stuff works sometimes. Unfortunately in 2017 Lexar announced that it’s exiting the highly competitive memory card business with the exception of the CF Express and XQD memory cards. This leaves Sandisk as realistically the only game in town though Lexar cards are still widely available.
I have also learned a few thing along the way with memory cards because I have been doing this a long time. i figure I will share this before moving on to the “Best Memory Cards for the Nikon D810”
- Avoid the no name, off brand and inexpensive memory cards. You get what you pay for. Also keep in mind that excellent marketing of the no name and cheap memory cards does not make them good memory cards. Pictures are memories, don’t miss a single one because you have a really expensive camera and lens and bought cheap memory cards.
- Be wary of the transfer rates listed for memory cards even on manufacturers websites. Think of the listed speeds as levels of performance versus other memory cards in the manufacturers line-up as well as compared to their competitors.
- Good memory cards are expensive.
- The fastest Compact Flash Cards (CF) are still faster than any Secure Digital (SD) cards that can be used in most DSLR’s and the Nikon D810.
- CF cards are more durable than SD cards. I have countless failures with SD cards where the fingers in the contact area wear out and/or break
- If you need faster read/write speeds you need a camera like the Nikon D850 that uses the XQD memory card available from Sony and Lexar. The XQD is the successor to the CF card. It’s exponentially faster ans more durable
- Only buy memory cards from reputable sources. There is a tremendous amount of counterfeiting going on in the memory card area. If you buy from Amazon make certain Amazon is the actual seller or the marketplace seller is a real camera store like Adorama or B&H. Big name retailers are also a safe bet if your buying retail packaging off the shelf. Avoid ebay memory cards like the plague. It’s too risky.
What’s Best Memory Cards for the Nikon D810?
The best memory card is actually a misleading question. The best memory card for one photographer may not be the same for another. If best was based on quality of course it would be a tossup between the brand mentioned above Sandisk and Lexar. Recently I learned a valuable lesson. I ran out the door quickly with just my Nikon D810 to photograph my beautiful niece at a local park before she headed home. When I got to the park I realized my memory cards were still in the card reader. Fortunately my Black Rapid strap carries spare cards. They are older and lower capacity but saved my butt none the less. This shoot was basically my niece and her hyper dog and a hyper dog means a lot of pictures and fast frame rates. That’s when things got ugly. Quite simply the D810 buffer would fill and the writing process to the memory cards was painfully slow. The result was a camera that could not take pictures for a few seconds. If that wasn’t bad enough I had also switched to making the SD card slot as primary. The CF slot according to reports is the faster slot. This brings us to the heart of this post. The Nikon D810 works best when the performance of the memory cards being used meets or exceeds the performance of the camera. The three cards below are my current choices. It’s important to note that I record Large Raw and Fine jpeg which equates to over 100 megabytes of data for each press of the shutter.
Lexar 1066x is the best CF Card for the Nikon D810 – MFR# LCF64GCRBNA1066
Nikon D810 Memory Slots
SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Card for the Nikon D810 – MFR# SDSDXPK-064G-ANCIN
SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s is the Mimimum Best SD Card for the Nikon D810 – MFR# SDSDXXG-064G-GN4IN
The Lexar $75 160/MBs 1066x 64GB CF is still pretty much the gold standard for D810 CF Cards. Sandisk has improved the performance of the SD cards greatly but the improvement comes with a hefty price tag. The $118 300/MBs SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Card is probably the best SD card for the Nikon D810 available today. The $35 95/MBs SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card was the standard for years.
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