Canon EOS 1500D SD Card Quick Recommendations
If you just want some quick recommendations on the best SD card for Canon EOS 1500D camera, either of these is a good choice:
- Fast for better pictures and Full HD video(2) | (2)Full HD (1920x1080) video support may vary based upon...
- Great choice for compact to mid-range point-and-shoot cameras
- High-speed, Class 10 performance leverages UHS-I (U1 or U3 depends on capacity) technology for a read...
- Capture high quality images of stunning 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video
- Faster speeds — Class 10 UHS-I speeds up to 100MB/s. *
- Capture in full HD & 4K UHD video (1080P) — the advanced UHS-I interface makes the card ideal for...
Both of these SD cards meet the needs of the Canon 1500D’s features, come from manufacturers with a strong track record of reliability, are readily available, and are usually cost-effective. There’s no reason to get a faster, more expensive card for the 1500D–the camera won’t be able to use it to its full potential.
So either of these SD cards makes for a good choice. If you’re after more detail, you can find it below.
Confusingly, the Canon EOS 1500D goes by several different names. It’s known as the EOS 1500D in India, Australia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, the EOS Rebel T7 in the Americas, the Kiss X90 in Japan, and the EOS 2000D in Europe. They refer to the same camera with the same features, specifications, and capabilities (although warranties and battery charger plugs differ).
What Type of Memory Card Does the Canon EOS 1500D Take?
A memory card is an essential accessory for the Canon EOS 1500D. Without it, you’re not going to be able to take many photos or shoot much video.
But the EOS 1500D does not come with a memory card as standard. As they helpfully put it in the camera’s instruction manual: “The camera does not come with a card for recording images/movies. Please purchase it separately.”
Some retailers put together special deal bundles that sometimes include a memory card. If you happened to get one of those, you’re probably all asset. But chances are it’s something you’re going to have to pick up separately. Or maybe you want something bigger with larger storage capacity—the cards that are included in bundles are often on the small side and might fill up quickly, especially if you’re on a trip.
So which SD card should you get for the Canon 1500D?
That’s where this post comes in—hopefully, to help you get out shooting sooner and taking full advantage of all the features of your new camera rather than spending your time searching the web and trying to make sense of cryptic technical codes. I’ve been buying and testing numerous SD cards for several years and have put many of the most popular SD cards on the market through their paces. You can find my main SD card tests here and, separately, more information about the different SD card types.
Canon 1500D SD Card Requirements
The Canon EOS 1500D is an entry-level DSLR with a cropped APS-C 24-megapixel sensor.
It shoots 1080p HD video at up to 30 frames per second video with a maximum video bitrate of around 45 Mbps. It’s an especially good choice for photographers wanting to upgrade into the DSLR world for more control and better image quality.
The 1500D has a single SD card slot. In other words, it uses one SD card at a time. And it’s compatible with SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards.
Crucially, the EOS 1500D doesn’t have a UHS-I slot, so you’ll get no benefit from using one of the newer, faster cards in it.
So there’s no need to splurge on a top-end SD card for the EOS 1500D. Because of the way that cameras interface with memory cards, once you have a card that meets the requirements of the camera, you don’t get any extra benefit by inserting a card with high specs and performance that exceeds the camera’s capabilities. (Depending on your computer and memory card reader setup, you might get some speed benefit when putting a faster memory card into your card reader and downloading images to your computer.) And, naturally, high-performance cards are more expensive. So why pay extra for high performance that your camera can’t use? By all means, if you already have a fast SD card on hand, you can use it in the 1500D, but it won’t get you any extra performance in the camera (it might when downloading the photos and videos to a computer).
That said, in the recommendations below, most of the SD cards available today are at least UHS-I. And there’s no need to go to extra lengths to find one that’s not. The SD Association has designed the specs so that they fall back gracefully, meaning that you can use a UHS-I card–or even a UHS-II card–in the EOS 1500D, and it will work just fine. It’s just that you won’t get any extra speed benefit if the card is faster than the camera can make use of.
And in these recommendations, I’m factoring in cost-effectiveness as well. And because memory card manufacturers are coming out with newer, faster models all the time, it’s quite possible that the most cost-effective cards are faster than your camera needs. But that’s a case where it makes sense to go with the cost-effective option even if its performance exceeds the requirements of the camera.
The EOS 1500D’s instruction manual is pretty unhelpful on the topic of which SD card to get. If you go looking, this is what you’ll find on page 5.
The following cards can be used with the camera regardless of capacity:
– SD memory cards
– SDHC memory cards
– SDXC memory cards
And, further down the page:
When shooting movies, use a large-capacity SD card rated SD Speed Class 6 or higher.
– If you use a slow-writing card when shooting movies, the movie may not be recorded properly. Also, if you playback a movie on a card with a slow reading speed, the movie may not playback properly.
– To check the card’s writing/reading speed, refer to the card manufacturer’s Web site.
There’s also an important note in a callout box:
The camera can use UHS-I cards, but since it is not compatible with the UHS-I standard, writing/reading speeds will be equivalent to SD Speed Class 10 at most.
And if you look at the official specs, you’ll see information that seems to contradict part of that: “Compatible with SD speed class cards. Not compatible with UHS speed class cards.”
In fact, the 1500D is compatible with UHS speed class cards (i.e., cards with a UHS-I or UHS-II on them) in the sense that they will work just fine. The SD Association has designed the specs in such a way that they’re backward compatible. What the manual actually means is that the camera can’t take advantage of the extra speed benefits that UHS-I and UHS-II cards offer. So even if you put in the fastest UHS-II SD card on the market, the camera is going to give you the same speeds as if it was a much older and slower Class 10 card.
Confused yet?
Canon 1500D SD Card Detailed Recommendations
So which SD card should you get for your Canon EOS 1500D?
What I’m aiming to do here is provide some practical recommendations on which SD cards to get for the Canon EOS 1500D so you can spend less time searching online and more time out shooting. I’m not trying to list every SD card that works in the EOS 1500D–there are others that will work just fine as well. I’m focusing here on ones that offer a good combination of meeting the requirements of all of the EOS 1500D’s features, are readily available at major retailers, are cost-effective, and come from major manufacturers with track records for making good-quality SD cards. I’m also basing this on my own SD speed tests.
These aren't necessarily the fastest SD cards on the market, but they're fast enough for this camera. It's also not designed to be a comprehensive list of every SD card that will work.
My emphasis here is on cards that meet these criteria: fast enough for all the features of this camera; from a reputable and reliable brand; readily available at retailers; and good value for money. If you want to use a faster, fancier card you can, but you won't see any extra benefit in doing so while you're operating the camera (but you might see some faster speeds when downloading the photos to a computer, depending on your computer and memory card reader combination).
SanDisk Ultra U1 UHS-I
- Video Speed Class: U1
- UHS Speed Class: UHS-I
- Storage Capacities: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
The SanDisk Ultra line is their cost-effective mid-range option. The latest versions of the Ultra cards are much faster than older versions, and it's a good basic option for cameras that don't demand too much of their SD card. The next level up--the Extreme cards--are also a good option, but the Ultra cards are often priced slightly lower. They're usually very easy to find in stores, too.
SanDisk recycles its model names, and you can still find older, slower versions. This latest version of the Ultra card is rated for U1 for video recording and uses a UHS-I interface.
It comes in sizes ranging from 32GB through 256GB.
Buy at: Amazon
Lexar 633x V30 UHS-I
- Video Speed Class: V30
- UHS Speed Class: UHS-I
- Storage Capacities: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
The Lexar 633x range has been one of the mainstays of Lexar's SD cards for a while now. There are now faster cards available, but this one is again fast enough for this camera while also representing good value for money.
One distinctive thing about this range is that they're available from 32GB up through `TB.
Buy at: Amazon.
Kingston Canvas Select Plus V30 UHS-I
- Video Speed Class: V30
- UHS Speed Class: UHS-I
- Storage Capacities: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Kingston is a brand that isn't as well known as some of the others, but they've been making reliable memory cards for a very long time. As a brand, they don't tend to focus on the cutting edge speeds but rather on reliable and good-value memory cards.
This particular card (model SDS2 Canvas Select Plus) isn't the fastest in Kingston's range, but it's fast enough to work well in this camera. It's available in sizes from 16GB through 128GB.
PNY Elite-X V30 UHS-I
- Video Speed Class: V30
- UHS Speed Class: UHS-I
- Storage Capacities: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
PNY is another brand that isn't as well known as some others, but they've been around a long time and make very good memory cards that are usually very competitively priced and good value.
This particular model is available in sizes ranging from 64GB to 512GB.
Buy at: Amazon
Delkin Devices Advantage V30 UHS-I
- Video Speed Class: V30
- UHS Speed Class: UHS-I
- Storage Capacities: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Delkin Devices have been around for a long time but have been relatively quiet in recent years. But they've refreshed their entire lineup of cards recently to simplify the range and bring the cards up to current specs.
The Advantage card is rated to V30 and has a UHS-I interface. It currently comes in sizes up to 512GB.
Other Brands
There are also a lot of smaller, mostly unknown brands. In general, I'd recommend sticking to a brand you know and trust or one of the brands I've mentioned on this page because they have well-established reputations for putting out high-quality cards. Some of the other lesser-known brands might work, but they also might not be all they claim to be. The ones above should give a good selection of ones you can find fairly easily at retailers near you.Faster SD Cards
If you're looking to use a faster card, take a look at the ones that I've subjected to my independent SD card speed tests.Canon 1500D SD Card Storage Capacity
The EOS 1500D is compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards. That means you can use cards from 4GB all the way to the largest cards currently available, which are 512GB and 1TB cards.
There’s really no right answer when it comes to what size, or storage capacity, to get–it’s mostly a matter of convenience so that you don’t keep running out of space. As is probably obvious, you can fit twice as many photos on a 64GB card as on a 32GB card. And with a 128GB card, you can fit four times as many photos as on a 32GB. And so on. And that’s especially handy when you’re traveling; even more so if you’re shooting any video. The most logical sizes for this camera in terms of convenience and price are probably the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB sizes. But if you want to use a larger or smaller one, say 64GB or even 1TB, go right ahead–they’ll work just fine because of the way that the SDXC spec is designed.
When shooting photos, the filesize varies from file to file. Or, more specifically, from scene to scene. That’s due to the way that image compression works. Some scenes, with lots of detail and color tones, don’t compress as well as others (eg. simple, low detail). But it’s actually video that is often the biggest issue when choosing a memory card size. Simply put, video takes up a lot of storage space.
So here’s a simple calculator that shows the amount of video at the 1500D’s maximum video bitrate will fit on SD cards of particular sizes.
Making Sense of SD Card Specifications
You’ll find a range of different acronyms and codes on SD cards. Here’s a quick overview of which ones to look for.
SDHC vs. SDXC
Most of the cards you’ll see available now have either SDHC or SDXC printed on them. The Canon EOS 1500D will work with both SDHC and SDXC cards (and, for that matter, just plain SD cards, but they’re hard to find these days and have impractically small storage capacities).
These aren’t performance categories, as such. An SDXC card isn’t necessarily any faster than an SDHC card, and vice versa. But they’re important for compatibility with the camera and also in terms of storage capacity.
They’re categories assigned by the SD Association, which is the organization that oversees and develops the standards for SD and microSD cards. The difference between those two specifications is in the filesystem they’re formatted with–the SDHC specification uses FAT32 formatting, while the SDXC specification uses exFAT–but when it comes to buying memory cards, the practical difference is that cards 32GB and smaller will be labeled SDHC and cards 64GB and larger will be labeled SDXC.
UHS-I vs. UHS-II
The current generations of SD cards also have UHS-I or UHS-II on them (or often just an I or II). This refers to the type of interface that’s used to connect to the cards. It stands for ultra-high-speed bus.
Aside from whatever is printed on the card or packaging, you can tell UHS-I and UHS-II cards apart just by looking at them. UHS-I cards have a single row of contacts on the back. UHS-II cards have a second row of contacts.
UHS-I is the older, simpler bus interface. UHS-II is newer and potentially faster. The catch is that you only get the extra benefit of UHS-II if the device is also UHS-II. But the spec is designed to be backward compatible, so you can use UHS-II cards in UHS-I devices, but you will only get the speed of UHS-I.
The Canon EOS 1500D doesn’t have a UHS-I or UHS-II interface, so, as a practical matter, there’s no benefit to using UHS-I or UHS-II cards in it (but it’s perfectly fine to do so–the system is designed to fall back gracefully).
Video Speed Classes
The SD Association has come out with various rating systems over the years to help buyers choose a card that’s suitable for use in cameras. Because recording high-resolution video (or, more specifically, high-bitrate video) is often the most demanding operation in terms of a camera and its memory card, it’s known as a video speed class rating system.
As a technical matter, the first system was known Speed Classes (these were Class 2, 4, 6, and 10). The second system was known as UHS Speed Classes (U1 and U3). The third system is known as Video Speed Classes (V6, V10, V30, V60, and V90).
Most cards available now have a mix of old and new speed class codes printed on them. And while it’s helpful, it’s still an imperfect system for judging the speed of an SD card.
As a practical matter in the Canon EOS 1500D, cards that have Class 10 on them will work well. The cards might also have V30 or U1 or U3 on them–they’ll also work but are just rated higher than the camera needs.
There’s a separate rating system that you might also see on some cards. They might have an A1 or A2 on them. You can ignore that when choosing an SD card for a camera. It’s designed for the kinds of operations that gaming devices and smartphones do.
How to Format SD Cards
When you buy a new SD card, you should format it before use and then regularly after that. If you’re formatting a card that you’ve already been using, make sure that you’ve downloaded any photos and videos you want to keep, because formatting deletes everything on the card.
Here’s some information on how to format the memory card.
How to Format SD Cards in the Canon EOS 1500D
It is always best practice to always format memory cards in the camera that you’ll be using them in. That sets the card up with the filesystem, folder hierarchy, and, in some cameras, a database file, so that the card is just how the camera expects. That greatly reduces the risk of unexpected errors and unpleasant surprises.
And be sure you’ve backed up everything you want from the card, because formatting it will wipe everything.
On the Canon EOS 1500D, you can find the memory card format function under:
Settings 1 (first wrench icon) > Format cardThe 1500D has two levels of formatting for memory cards. The standard format is the quickest and most basic. It’s the type that most cameras use. It wipes the file management system, but it doesn’t actually erase all the data from the card. For a more secure wipe that will erase all the data, you can enable the Low-Level Formatting option. It’s more thorough and also takes a bit longer.
How to Format SD Cards with a Computer
While it’s best to format the memory card in the camera, it is still possible to format memory cards using a card reader and computer. You get a lot more flexibility that way, but also some extra risk if things aren’t set up just how the camera wants them. It’s also sometimes a good troubleshooting step if you’re having issues with a memory card.
There are some things to watch out for, particularly when it comes to choosing which filesystem to use. So I’ve put together guides on how to format SD cards on Mac and how to use the free SD Card Formatter app for Windows or Mac.
SD Card Readers
An SD card reader is an accessory that connects to your computer’s USB port and allows you to download the contents of the memory card to your computer. It’s often a much quicker and more convenient method of downloading photos and videos.
Some desktop and laptop computers come with SD card slots built-in. If yours does, great–you’re good to go. But you can also pick up inexpensive SD card readers separately.
You don’t need a particularly high-end or expensive memory card reader to get good results.
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FAQs About Canon EOS 1500D SD Cards
Does the Canon EOS 1500D come with a memory card?
The Canon EOS 1500D does not come with a memory card as standard. Some retailers put together bundles with accessories that might include a memory card as part of a special deal, but in general, you’ll have to buy an SD card separately.
Does the Canon EOS 1500D support UHS-I or UHS-II SD cards?
The Canon EOS 1500D’s memory card slot does not support UHS-I, so you won’t get any extra benefit from using a UHS-I or UHS-II SD card in this camera.
But those cards will still work just fine in the EOS 1500D because the system is designed to be backward compatible. So you can use a UHS-I card in the EOS 1500D–you just won’t see any extra speed benefit in the camera.
What kind of memory cards does the Canon EOS 1500D use?
The Canon EOS 1500D is compatible with SDXC and SDHC memory cards.
How many SD cards does the Canon EOS 1500D use?
The Canon EOS 1500D has a single SD card slot.
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