While any kind of standard data can be written to memory cards, I’m most concerned here with photos and videos. And of those, high-bitrate video footage consumes by far the most storage space. Video at 4K, 5K, and 8K uses a lot of data, and it has to be written to the memory card quickly.
So I’ve put together this simple calculator to work out how much video footage you can fit on a memory card. It’s calculated using the video bitrate (in Mb/s).
Notes on the Calculator
- This calculates the amount of video data that can be saved to a memory card of a specified storage capacity, but it doesn’t account for any extra files the camera might write to the card. So it should be read with an implicit “up to.” For instance, some cameras will simultaneously save a low-bitrate proxy video file that’s used as a preview version or for use by mobile apps. Those files take up much less space–that’s why they’re created, after all–but they do still take up space. And, obviously, any other data that’s on the card will reduce the available free space, including files the camera puts on there when it formats the card or any photos or frame grabs.
- Most cameras use a variable bitrate encoding method with a target bitrate. Over long segments, it’s more likely that it will average out very close to the target bitrate, but ultimately the variable bitrate encoding is affected by the scene being captured and how efficiently it can be encoded.
- I’ve included common memory card sizes, but not every format has every storage size available. For instance, there are no SD cards available that I know of in 320GB or 165GB or 650GB sizes, but those are available in CFexpress cards. But this calculator is otherwise designed to be agnostic on the form factor of the memory card (or thumb drive or external hard drive, for that matter).
Memory Card Tools
Here are a few other related tools I’ve put together that can be useful when working with memory cards and data rates.
Converting Mbps to MB/s & X Speed Rating to MB/s
Another related and common calculation that often needs to be done when working with memory cards is converting the convention for measuring video bitrate (Mbps, Mb/s, or megabits per second) to the convention for measuring the speed of memory cards (MBps, MB/s, or megabytes per second).
So I’ve put together a simple calculator for that separately. You can find it here:
- Convert Megabits Per Second to Megabytes Per Second Calculator
- Convert Memory Card X Speed Rating to MB/s
Memory Card Size Calculators
If you’re trying to figure out what size memory card to buy, it can be useful to know how much video footage from the camera you can fit on a card. Here are a few tools that can be useful for that:
- Video Bitrate vs Memory Card Size Calculator
- How Much 4K Video Can 128GB Hold?
- How Much 4K Video Can 256GB Hold?
- How Much 4K Video Can 64GB Hold?
Working with Memory Cards
Here are some related posts for making sense of memory cards and working with them.
- Fastest SD Card Speed Tests. With cameras getting improved 4K, 5K, and even 8K video recording and burst shooting features all the time, some of them need the write speeds that only the fastest SD cards provide. So here’s a roundup of the fastest SD cards based on my independent tests.
- Fastest MicroSD Card Speed Tests. Need a fast microSD card? If you’re shooting 4K, 5K, or 8K video, high-speed burst-mode photos, or some other demanding use, speed matters. These are the results from my independent speed tests of the fastest microSD cards.
- Types of SD Cards Explained. There are several different types of SD cards, as well as multiple speed rating systems and cryptic codes. Here’s a rundown of what the differences are.
- UHS-I vs UHS-II on microSD & SD Cards. Wondering what the difference is between UHS-I and UHS-II with SD and microSD cards? Here’s an explanation.
- What are the A1 and A2 Ratings on SD and microSD Cards? You might have seen new A1 and A2 speed ratings on some of the newer SD and microSD cards. So what do they mean? And when should you take notice of it?
- SD Card Formatter App for Formatting, Wiping & Repairing SD & microSD Cards. Here’s a guide to using the SD Association’s official SD Card Formatter for preparing your SD and microSD cards for use.
- How to Format SD Cards on Mac. Here’s a step-by-step guide for formatting both SD and microSD cards.
- Best Free Data Recovery Software for SD Cards. Here’s a rundown of the best free data recovery software to use if you’ve accidentally deleted photos or videos from your SD card.
- How to Rover Deleted Photos from SD Card: SD Card Recovery Options. All those photos you took have disappeared from the SD card. The good news is that there’s still a good chance you can recover photos from the SD card. Here’s what to do. Includes free and paid SD card recovery options.
