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Recommended Memory Cards for the Canon EOS Rebel T6

Here are some recommendations for SD cards for the Rebel T6 that offer a good combination of working well in the T6, reliability, being readily available, and good value for money.

canon rebel t6 front side cropped 1068x437 - Recommended Memory Cards for the Canon EOS Rebel T6

Categories: Memory Cards
Tags: Canon, Canon Rebel T6 DSLR
Last updated about 1 year ago // Originally published about 3 years ago

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 doesn’t, by default, come with a memory card. Some retailers offer bundles that do include a memory card. If you’ve picked up one of those, great–you’re all set to go shooting. But if you don’t have a card, here are some recommendations for SD cards for the Rebel T6.

The good news is that as impressive as the T6 is, it’s not especially demanding on the memory card. That means you don’t need to fork out the big bucks for the latest and greatest and fastest memory cards out there. But you still need to get a good one. Some are more reliable than others, and there’s a surprising number of counterfeits around.

Quick Recommendations on Canon EOS Rebel T6 Memory Cards

For those who just want to cut to the chase, here are some quick recommendations.

  1. SanDisk Ultra C10
  2. Lexar 633x U1
  3. SanDisk Extreme U3

SD Cards for the Canon Rebel T6 – In Detail

The Rebel T6’s manual isn’t especially helpful in recommending which memory card to get. If you take a look at page 5, under Compatible Cards, it says you can use SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. It says to get a card that’s Class 6 or higher. And it also says:

The camera can use UHS-I cards, but since it is not compatible with the UHS-I standard, reading/writing speeds will be equivalent to SD Speed Class 10 at most.

What does that all mean, anyway?

So what I’m trying to do here is cut through the jargon and provide some practical recommendations for what memory card to get so you can get out taking photos and shooting video with your new T6. My priorities here are cards that not only work well in the T6 but are a combination of being reliable, readily available, have a good selection of memory sizes, and are good value. There’s no point buying a high-end, super-fast, and expensive memory card because the T6 can’t take advantage of those–so I’m not including them here. I’m also not including every single card that will work in the camera.

Memory card manufacturers release new models of memory cards all the time. And because of the way the market works, sometimes these newer and faster cards can be cheaper and more readily available than the older, slower versions. That’s why some of the ones I’ve included here are technically faster than you need (many are the UHS-I type the manual mentions, for example)–but they’re likely also a good combination of value and availability. I’ll do my best to keep this list updated.

A natural question is what size to get. Many of these come in memory sizes from 8GB up to 128GB. They’ll all work in the T6, and choosing between them basically comes down to the convenience of not running out of space to take new photos or shoot new video. Personally, I’d be inclined toward the 64GB size. Or, even better, a couple of them–some of these cards come in 2-packs that are good value, and I always like to have a spare on hand if possible. The 128GB and 32GB sizes are also good, but the 8GB and 16GB are much less convenient because they fill up that much more quickly.

So here are some recommendations for SD cards for the Canon Rebel T6.

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 Extreme U3 UHS-I

SanDisk 256GB Extreme SDXC UHS-I Card -...
SanDisk 256GB Extreme SDXC UHS-I Card -...
Check Price at Amazon

The SanDisk Extreme line is a good option when the emphasis is on video recording. They have faster write speeds than SanDisk's Ultra line but still make for good value without getting in the faster (and more expensive) Extreme Plus and Extreme Pro models.

SanDisk recycles its model names. This latest version of the Extreme card is rated for V30/U3 for video recording and uses a UHS-I interface. It's faster than this camera technically needs, but because the Extreme line is so popular, they're generally easy to find and competitively priced.

It comes in sizes ranging from 16GB through 256GB.

Buy at Amazon or B&H Photo.

Lexar 633x U1 UHS-I

Lexar Professional 633x 256GB SDXC UHS-I...
Lexar Professional 633x 256GB SDXC UHS-I...
Check Price at Amazon

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 16GB up through a whopping 512GB.

Buy at Amazon.

PNY Elite Performance V30 UHS-I

PNY 256GB Elite-X Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC...
PNY 256GB Elite-X Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC...
Check Price at Amazon

PNY as a brand 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 32GB through 512GB.

Buy at Amazon or B&H Photo.

Delkin Devices Advantage V30 UHS-I

Delkin Devices 256GB Advantage SDXC...
Delkin Devices 256GB Advantage SDXC...
Check Price at Amazon

Delkin Devices have been around for a long time but have been relatively quiet in recent years. But they're freshed 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.

Buy at Amazon or B&H Photo.

Transcend V30 UHS-I

Transcend TS128GSDC500S-E 128GB UHS-I U3...
Transcend TS128GSDC500S-E 128GB UHS-I U3...
Check Price at Amazon

Transcend isn't as well known as SanDisk or Lexar, but they've been making solid, reliable memory cards for a long while now and their SD cards are often competitively priced.

This particular card is faster than this camera needs, but it is still a good option. It's available in sizes from 64GB up through 256GB.

Buy at Amazon.

Sony U3 UHS-I

Sony 64GB High Performance Class 10...
Sony 64GB High Performance Class 10...
Check Price at Amazon

Though not always as readily available as some other brands, Sony memory cards are very good, which won't come as much of a surprise.

This particular card is available in sizes from 16GB through 256GB.

Buy at Amazon or B&H Photo.

Kingston U1 UHS-I

Kingston 128GB SDHC Canvas Select Plus...
Kingston 128GB SDHC Canvas Select Plus...
Check Price at Amazon

Kingston is another 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) 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.

Buy at Amazon.

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 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.

U3? V30? UHS-II? SD Card Jargon?

Memory cards have a bunch of codes and acronyms that are used to describe their capabilities. Here are the main ones relevant to memory cards for the Rebel T6. (I have more details on these ratings and codes on my Fastest SD Cards page.

SD, SDHC, SDXC. While these technically distinguish, at least in part, the filesystem type that they’re formatted in, in practice it’s useful for determining what size card you need. SD refers to cards 4GB and smaller. SDHC refers to cards from 8 to 32GB. And SDXC refers to cards 64GB and larger. In short, you can use any of them in this camera, so you can safely ignore this rating and choose based on the size of card you want. If you want to put in a 32GB, go ahead. If you want to put in a 256GB card, knock yourself out.

Recommendation: Both SDHC and SDXC cards are compatible. There’s no functional difference in speed–just storage space.

UHS-I. This refers to something known as Ultra High-Speed Bus, which is the technology behind how the camera interfaces with the card. So far there’s UHS-I (sometimes written, incorrectly, as UHS-1) and UHS-II.

Recommendation: As the instruction manual says, there’s no harm in using a card that’s rated with UHS-I (or even UHS-II), but it won’t give you any extra benefit in this camera.

U3. This is the speed class rating. U3 is designed to support 4K video recording at a sustained video capture rate of 30MB/s. The other video ratings you’ll see on cards are C10 (Class 10) and U1.

Recommendation: Cards with a U3 rating are the safest bet, especially if you plan to record video, because they’re designed to handle a constant stream of data being written to the card. If you’re solely doing still photos, U1 will work fine too.

Avoiding Fakes

There are a lot of counterfeit memory cards out there, so it’s always a good idea to purchase from a reputable retailer. I buy most of mine from Amazon and B&H Photo. Best Buy, Target, and Adorama are also good options

Basic Precautions

It’s a good idea to format the card in the camera, not in your computer, and to format it regularly. But if that’s not possible or not what you want to do, you can also format cards using a computer. But there are some things to know when formatting SD cards to minimize the risks of your camera having problems with them. 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.

And while memory cards are remarkably resilient, just like any electronic product they can and do fail. So regular backups are very much recommended–here are some ideas.

What If I Accidentally Delete the Photos on a Memory Card?

It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t recover them. There are apps available to help you try to recover deleted photos from a memory card. I’ve put together some recommendations here.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2021-01-19 at 11:29. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on November 21, 2019

Categories: Memory Cards
Tags: Canon, Canon Rebel T6 DSLR

I may earn a commission for purchases using links on this page. Learn more.

News & Deals

With the holidays fast approaching, there’s some great deals on photography gear and services available. I’ve put together a roundup of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 Photography Deals. It’s a running list as new deals are announced, so be sure to check back.

Canon announces new EOS Rebel T8i DSLR. Canon has announced their new T8i DSLR. 24MP APS-C cropped CMOS sensor, 4K24 video, and updated image processing and detection systems. It’s available for preorder from B&H Photo.

New Firmware for the Ricoh GR III. Ricoh has release firmware v1.31 for the GR III. Release notes are: “Corrected — When shooting with the multiple exposure, in rare cases the live view may not display correctly. Improved stability for general performance.” You can download it here.

New Canon 1D X Mark III Pro DSLR Announced. Canon has announced their new flagship model of pro DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. They’re sticking with a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, but it’s a new and improved version and boasts an incredible native ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 102400 and an extended range that goes up to a jaw-dropping ISO 819200. With revamped autofocus, a new image processor, and all sorts of other bells and whistles, it’s no wonder that Canon is billing it as “The Ultimate EOS.”

New Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards. Manfrotto, an Italian probably best known for their tripods and studio accessories, has launched a new Pro Rugged range of high-end SD, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. While they don’t have a huge selection of sizes and speeds, the cards are aiming for very fast cards that can put up with rugged demands. For instance, they claim that their V90 rated SD cards can withstand three times the force (20kg / 45 lbs) of a regular SD card. I’ve ordered some to run through my speed tests.

New Sony Alpha a7 firmware released. A firmware update for the Sony a7R IV now lets you control external Sony flashes from the camera’s own menu system. Up to 15 flashes in five groups can be controlled via the camera. It also applies to the a7R III and a7 III.

Comments

  1. John West says

    November 12, 2019 at 4:37 am

    You say , If you want to get a faster card, but I can’t find in your article or many more of this type, the maximum write speed of the 1300D. Using a faster card than the camera can write to it is spending money you don’t need to for no gain whatsoever!

    Reply
    • David says

      November 20, 2019 at 9:32 am

      It’s not always true that UHS-II cards are faster or more expensive, and many people already have cards on hand and want to know whether they can use those.

      Reply
  2. Arjun Bhargava says

    January 15, 2019 at 1:29 am

    I wanted to know, if my card shows it needs to be formatted before use can I still recover my data or its all gone!! Please let me know.

    Thanks in advance !! Cheers

    Reply
    • David says

      January 15, 2019 at 6:55 am

      Hard to say without looking at it. That error typically means that the card hasn’t been initialized and may not even have a filesystem on it (or is the wrong type). If that’s the case, there’s unlikely to be data there to recover. If there’ some other reason that it’s throwing that error, then it might be possible. The only way to confirm would be to run one of the data recovery scanners to see if it can find anything there. Several of the apps have a free trial version that lets you run the scan. If it finds what you’re looking for, you can then buy a license to do the actual recovery. I have a rundown of various data recovery apps here.

      Reply
  3. Rbud says

    December 6, 2018 at 6:32 am

    I have waited so long to get a feel camera and finally got one. I am really excited to start shooting but need to be educated on all the requirements for the t6. This article was such a gift for me! Written in layman terms so I completely understood all the valuable points. Looking forward to receiving the newsletters..

    Reply
    • David says

      December 6, 2018 at 11:54 am

      Glad it was useful. Enjoy shooting with your new T6!

      Reply
  4. Doug Vickery says

    November 1, 2018 at 2:22 pm

    This whole article was extremely helpful, I’m new to these type of cameras. I have to say you have more info that anserwered my questions than all of the 50 or so sites that I looked at for answers . Thank You, Very Much.

    Reply
    • David says

      November 1, 2018 at 3:13 pm

      Glad it’s helpful!

      Reply
  5. NoviceNerd says

    January 13, 2018 at 8:17 am

    This was educational and helpful. I appreciate the value angle of the memory card should match the capabilities of the camera. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Jim Lloyd says

    December 26, 2017 at 10:46 pm

    I just installed a PNY “P-SDX256U395-GE” (Class 10, UHS-I/U3) SDXC card into my niece’s Rebel T6 (2017 Christmas gift). They are running about $120, right now. It formatted to 241GB, which is correct for a 256GB drive. her pictures are about 6MB and save in less than a second. That works out to some 40,000 photos… I’ll have to get her into backing up!

    I have not come across a site mentioning the maximum memory size, and Canon does not mention memory above 128GB. I hope this helps others in choosing a card.

    Reply
    • David says

      December 27, 2017 at 9:12 am

      Thanks for the tip.

      Reply
      • J Bell says

        December 30, 2017 at 3:02 pm

        Thanks for the tip!

        Reply

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