The Nikon D7100 features two Secure Digital (SD) card slots. In these slots you can use SD, SDHC, SDXC media types. The D7100 supports high speed transfer protocol UHS-1 (also labeled UHS-I). When using an appropriate high-speed card, the D7100 is capable of up to 99 MB/second transfer rate. SD cards are rated by speed and given a Class number, such as Class 10, Class 6 or Class 4. Higher the class numbers are capable of
higher write and read throughput. In order to record HD video or shoot bursts of photos, you should use the highest speed card available. Using a Class 10 UHS-1 card will improve burst shooting by reducing write time. Using high speed cards will also reduce the amount of time it takes to download from the card to your computer. Below is a list of SD cards that have been tested and approved to use in the Nikon D7100. Other cards may work, but have not been tested. To assure maximum
compatibility, please use one of the following cards. Nikon D7100 Recommended SD cards: The Nikon D7100 supports wireless SD cards produced by Eye-Fi. When you insert a compatible Eye-Fi card into an available SD card slot, the D7100 will display an icon to show the status of the Eye-Fi card. To enable the upload option, press the Menu button and select Setup Menu. Before you first use the card, follow the directions provided by Eye-Fi to update the card firmware to the newest version. This will assure maximum performance. The following Eye-Fi
cards have been approved for use in the Nikon D7100:Manufacturer
SD, SDHC and SDXC cards
SanDisk
8 GB, 16 GB,
32 GB, 64 GB
Lexar Media Professional
8 GB, 16 GB,
32 GB, 64 GB,
128 GB, 256 GB
Toshiba
8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB
Panasonic
8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB
- Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 SDHC Wireless Card
- Eye-Fi 16GB Pro X2 SDHC Wireless Card
<p>I hope people understand that traditional computer hard drives that use mechanically spinning magnetic discs is the most vulnerable part of any computer system. However, memory cards, be it CF or SD, are solid-state devices that are much much safter. Therefore, unless you use modern solid-state drives (SSD) on your computer, storing your image on a computer/traditional hard drives is actually much more dangerous (due to hard drive failure) than leaving them on an SD card.</p>
<p>In these days, I use a 64G SD card on my D7100 in conjunction with maybe another 16G or 32G in the backup mode, such that each RAW file is written onto both cards. I take the smaller-capacity card out and upload images from that to the computer, and I backup to 2, 3 different hard drives. The 64G stays inside the camera and once in a while I upload from that also onto a different hard drive. When I travel, I use a couple of 64G cards and they can store all images from the trip. I don't format them until I get home and uploading everything (for a second time). 128G would be even better, but those cards tend to be very expensive.</p>
<p>I would much rather not juggle too many different memory cards, especially when you travel, it is easy to lose or physically damage those small SD cards that are very thin. The card that is inside your camera is the safest one, unless your camera gets stolen. Inside or outside of a camera, a card that is physically lost (no longer in your pocession) essentially means those images are gone forever, and I have seen people losing memory cards a number of times. On the other hand, the chance for an electronic damage on a hard is quite rare, and even when that happens, there is still a chance for recovery (although professional recovery can be expensive, but if you have important images, it is still worth it). When you use the backup mode on the likes of D7000, D7100, D600, D800, etc. to write to two cards simultaneously, it is almost impossible to lose images due to card failures.</p>
SD cards
What’s the best SD card for the D7000, D7100, D7200 or D7500?
I’ve been asked that question quite a few times now. So I’ve spent a fair bit of time researching this and surfing around for test results. I must admit, I’ve not done testing myself – since I don’t have an array of cards, but found sufficient evidence on the Net to substantiate the below results.
The reason most people ask is that there’s a dazzling array of SD cards on the market from a multitude of suppliers. There are also different types/speeds of SD card, a plethora of terminology surrounding cards and lots of different storage capacities (i.e. Gb). Then there’s the speed rating of the card, and the capabilities of the D7000, D7100, D7200 and D7500 to take onboard. And of course things never stay still. So don’t feel bad if you’re unclear what to buy!
NB: I’ll refer to all 4 DSLRs are D7x00 to save ink!
First, a few basics:
- The D7x00 takes “normal/regular” SD cards – not “mini” or “micro”.
- The D7x00 is compatible with SD (Secure Digital), SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) and SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity)
- Max storage capacities; SD=4Gb, SDHC=32Gb, SDXC=2048Gb (2Tb)
- “Class” speed ratings; Class 2 = 2MB/s, Class 4=4MB/s, Class 6=6MB/s and Class 10=10MB/s
- Some cards have a UHS (Ultra High Speed) rating; UHS1=max 50MB/s, UHS104=max 104MB/s, UHS-II=312MB/s
- All 4 DSLRs are rated at UHS-1. You can use UHS-2 cards in the DSLRs but the cards won’t work to their maximum potential.
- The DSLR writes to a buffer before writing to SD card. Each DSLR has a different buffer depth. See “Buffer depth” in this table for the details.
- The time it takes to clear the buffer depends on the speed of the SD card. Faster cards are therefore better if you shoot RAW in high burst mode (CH mode). Faster speeds are also better for HD-video.
- Nikon recommend a minimum of Class 6 for video. If shooting 4K on the D7500 you should consider a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC – 64GB 95MB/s UHS-I.
So, what should you buy?
I’d recommend the following cards:
Card | Capacity (GB) | fps | MB/sec |
SanDisk Extreme Pro 95 MB/s (UK / USA) | 16 | 3.8 | 29 |
Delkin 633 SDHC 95 MB/sec (UK / USA) | 8 | 3.8 | 27 |
Lexar 600x UHS-1 (UK / USA) | 16 | 3.5 | 28 |
SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC 45 MB/s (UK / USA) | 16 | 3.5 | 26 |
Kingston ultimateXX 233x (UK / USA) | 16 | 3.5 | 26 |
SanDisk Extreme HD Video 30 MB/sec (UK / USA) | 8 | 3.5 | 25 |
SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30Mb/sec (UK / USA) | 16 | 3.5 | 23 |
Personally, I’d recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro 95Mb/s – 16GB for photos. SD cards have come right down in price and therefore there’s no great saving by choosing anything else. I’d buy at least 2 if you have a D7000, D7100 or D7200. If you’re using the 2nd slot as a backup you’ll want the same speed out of the second slot as the first.
You’ll want an SDXC card if:
- You shoot 4K on the D7500.
- If you’re a sports photo shooter then you’re typically shooting ISO 400 or 800, possibly around 1/1000s and wide open (e.g. f1.4/1.8/2.8). If you’re shooting JPGs then you’ll be fine with most cards, but if shooting RAW then a fast card is a no-brainer.
You’ll find you’re typically shooting 10-11 shots and find the D7000 (higher on the other DSLRs) start hesitating – as it empties the buffer to card. The faster cards will get you shooting again quicker. The time differences aren’t huge – but could be the difference between getting that all important shot – or not!