The picks in detail
What each card is published to do, what it costs in round numbers, and the trade-off you are accepting. Where a manufacturer publishes different figures by capacity, we say which capacity the figure applies to.
SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-II V90
Photo spaceSanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II V90 SD card shown front and back, with the second row of UHS-II contacts visible. Roughly 1200 by 720.
SanDisk publishes read speeds of up to 310MB/s and write speeds of up to 304MB/s at the smaller capacities, with a V90 rating that guarantees a minimum sustained write of 90MB/s. That guarantee is the point of the card. It is what keeps a long All-Intra take or a deep raw burst running instead of stalling once the camera buffer is full.
One thing to check before you order. SanDisk has more than one Extreme PRO V90 family in circulation, an older generation published at up to 300MB/s and the newer one linked here at up to 310MB/s, and several UK camera retailers still list the older version. Both are V90 and both will do the job, so this matters for price comparison rather than performance.
Key specifications
Up to 310MB/s (SanDisk published)
Up to 304MB/s at 128GB and 256GB (SanDisk published)
UHS-II, U3, V90 (SanDisk published)
128GB to 2TB (SanDisk UK site)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
Anyone shooting high bitrate video or long bursts on a body with no CFexpress slot. If your camera tops out at 4K at 100Mbps, this is more card than you need and a V60 will save you money.
Typical UK price
£130 to £200 (128GB)
Kingston Canvas React Plus V60
Photo spaceKingston Canvas React Plus V60 SD card with its packaging, shot flat. Roughly 1200 by 720.
V60 guarantees 60MB/s of sustained write, which covers ordinary 4K and a good deal of 6K without paying for headroom you will never use. Kingston publishes 280MB/s read on the UHS-II bus, so offloading is quick, and a lifetime warranty across the range from 128GB to 1TB.
The one wrinkle is that the 128GB card writes at 100MB/s while the 256GB and larger cards write at 150MB/s, so the cheapest card in the family is also the slowest. If your budget stretches to 256GB you get a genuinely faster card as well as more of it.
Key specifications
Up to 280MB/s (Kingston published)
100MB/s at 128GB, 150MB/s at 256GB and above (Kingston published)
UHS-II, U3, V60, Class 10 (Kingston published)
128GB to 1TB (Kingston published)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
The default choice for most hybrid shooters. If you record 4K in a standard codec and want a card that will not be the weak link, this is the sensible amount to spend.
Typical UK price
£45 to £70 (128GB)
SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I
Photo spaceSanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SD card next to a camera with the card door open. Roughly 1200 by 720.
Not every camera has a UHS-II slot, and in a body that does not, a UHS-II card simply runs at UHS-I speeds. This is the card to buy in that situation, or for the second slot of a hybrid body where the overflow card never needs to be as fast as the primary.
One caveat on the headline figure. The UHS-I bus tops out near 104MB/s in its standard fast mode, so the published 200MB/s read depends on a reader that supports SanDisk’s own faster transfer mode. In the camera it behaves as a V30 card, which is exactly what it is sold as.
Key specifications
Up to 200MB/s at 64GB and above (SanDisk published)
Up to 90MB/s at 32GB to 128GB, up to 140MB/s at 256GB and above (SanDisk published)
UHS-I, U3, V30 (SanDisk published)
32GB to 1TB (SanDisk UK site)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
Owners of cameras with a UHS-I slot, and anyone filling a second slot for backup or overflow rather than for speed.
Typical UK price
£55 to £70 (128GB)
Angelbird AV PRO SE CFexpress Type B v4
Photo spaceAngelbird AV PRO SE CFexpress Type B card beside a camera body with the CFexpress door open. Roughly 1200 by 720.
Most CFexpress marketing quotes a peak write speed, which tells you very little about a fifteen minute take. Angelbird publishes a separate sustained write figure for each capacity, and that is the number that decides whether internal raw or ProRes keeps running. At 512GB the published sustained figure is 1050MB/s, rising to 2100MB/s at 1TB.
Angelbird also lists a three year limited warranty with a data recovery service if the card is registered within thirty days of purchase. That is worth doing at the point of sale rather than after something has gone wrong.
Key specifications
Up to 3700MB/s (Angelbird published)
1050MB/s at 512GB, 2100MB/s at 1TB (Angelbird published)
1100MB/s at 512GB, 2300MB/s at 1TB (Angelbird published)
512GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB (Angelbird published)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
Anyone recording internal raw, ProRes or 8K on a body with a Type B slot. If you shoot compressed codecs, this is money that would do more good elsewhere in the kit.
Typical UK price
£275 to £660 (512GB to 1TB)
Sony CEA-G Series CFexpress Type A
Photo spaceSony CEA-G Series CFexpress Type A card next to a full size SD card to show the size difference. Roughly 1200 by 720.
CFexpress Type A is smaller than Type B and is used almost exclusively by Sony, in slots that also accept SD. Every card in this series carries VPG400, a guaranteed minimum sustained write of 400MB/s, which is the figure that matters for long recording rather than the headline read speed.
Sony also publishes durability testing for the range, including IP57 ingress protection, drop testing to 7.5 metres and rigidity tested to 150 newtons. Note that the 80GB and 160GB cards are the slower parts at up to 800MB/s read, so the step up to 240GB buys speed as well as space.
Key specifications
Up to 800MB/s at 80GB and 160GB, up to 1800MB/s at 240GB and above (Sony UK published)
Up to 700MB/s at 80GB and 160GB, up to 1700MB/s at 240GB and above (Sony UK published)
VPG400, minimum 400MB/s (Sony UK published)
IP57, drop tested to 7.5m, 150 newton bend test (Sony UK published)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
Sony owners whose body has a Type A slot and who need more than SD can sustain. Everyone else should ignore the format entirely, because it is not interchangeable with Type B.
Typical UK price
£260 to £330 (160GB to 240GB)
SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I
Photo spaceSanDisk Extreme microSDXC cards in a small hard case beside a drone controller and an action camera. Roughly 1200 by 720.
SanDisk names action cameras and drones among the intended uses for this card, and the V30 rating is the baseline most aircraft and action cameras ask for. The A2 rating is a bonus if the same card also spends time in a phone or a handheld gimbal camera.
Two practical notes. Check the manufacturer’s own approved card list for your specific drone or action camera before buying, because some models are particular about capacities and brands. And buy from a seller you trust, because microSD is the most heavily counterfeited card format there is.
Key specifications
Up to 190MB/s at 128GB to 1TB (SanDisk published)
Up to 130MB/s at 256GB and above (SanDisk published)
UHS-I, U3, V30, A2 (SanDisk published)
32GB upwards, with 1TB and 2TB listed (SanDisk UK site)
Manufacturer published figures, checked July 2026. This is a Researched guide. Creator Gear has not used these items, so nothing here is our own measurement.
Who should buy it
Every drone pilot and action camera owner. Buy two or three rather than one large card, because swapping in the field is easier than offloading in it.
Typical UK price
£20 to £35 (128GB)