Best Memory Cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Best CF and SD memory cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera. Here is our full list of top recommended CompactFlash cards and SD cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Offering excellent image quality in all sorts of lighting conditions, superb stills and fantastic videos, the 30.4MP Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (Amazon, B&H, Adorama) is Canon’s top full-frame DSLR camera and a popular choice among professionals and enthusiasts. Featuring a new 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC 6+ image processor and DPAF, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is capable of up to 7 fps continuous shooting and DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution recording at up to 30 fps at 500 Mbps (1.74x crop), along with Full HD 1080p shooting at 60 fps and HD 720p at 120 fps for slow motion playback. Wedding and portrait photographers, nature and landscape shooters, as well as creative videographers will appreciate the brilliance and power that the EOS 5D Mark IV delivers.

Speaking of the memory card, first off… What kind of memory card do you need?

Before buying a memory card, make sure it complies with your Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera. This is what Canon EOS 5D Mark IV requires:

  • Memory Card Slot: Dual Slots – 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and 1x CompactFlash (UDMA 7)
  • Memory Card Type: SD Card, CF Card
  • Memory Card Speed: UHS-I SD, UDMA 7 CF
  • Recommended Capacity: 32GB-256GB

So, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV has two memory card slots: 1x CompactFlash memory card slot (UDMA 7 compatible) and 1x SD memory card slot with UHS-I support. Dual CompactFlash and SD memory card slots allow you to extend your file saving capabilities by permitting overflow recording or in-camera file type separation while shooting.

Why Do You Need a High-Speed Memory Card?

Not every memory card will work well with your Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera. If the card is too slow, you may have to wait longer for the buffer to clear or end up with recording errors and loose all your footage. So, buying a fast card is always worth it:

  • Fast write speed provides fast buffer clearing time between burst shots optimizing your shooting experience.
  • Fast read speed can let large files such as 4K video or a bunch of high-resolution images by continuous shooting transfer to PC in seconds.

Reminder: if you plan to shoot videos, stick to 64GB (or larger) SDXC cards for the best video codex.

So, what’s the best memory cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV?

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV supports up to 7 fps burst shooting and UHD 4K30p video recording (1.74x crop). This requires a fast memory card at least U3 or V30 (writing speed of 30MB/s). UHS stands for “Ultra High Speed”. The chart below can help you figure out what speed class you need for each video format.

Graphic via SD Association

Best CF & SD Cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

If you just want to cut to the chase, here are my top recommended CF cards and SD cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV:

CF Cards:

1. Lexar Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card (UDMA 7)

2. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card (160MB/s, UDMA 7)

SD Cards:

1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3)

2. Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)

Best CF Memory Cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

1. Lexar Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card (UDMA 7)

 

  • 1066x Speed Rating
  • Max. Read Speed 160 MB/s
  • Max. Write Speed 155 MB/s

Highly recommended! Available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, the Lexar Professional 1066x (UDMA 7) is the most popular and super fast CF cards with an affordable price. With a 1066x speed rating, this card is capable of achieving data read speeds of up to 160 MB/s and data write speeds of up to 155 MB/s, allowing you to transfer your files via the card-to-computer transfer method via a UDMA 7-enabled card reader. Whether you’re a professional photographer, videographer, or enthusiast, the card provides performance you can trust and lets you quickly capture and transfer high-quality photos and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video.

Buy Lexar Professional 1066x (UDMA 7) CF Cards at AmazonB&HAdorama.

2. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card (160MB/s, UDMA 7)

 

  • Up to 160MB/s Read Speed
  • Up to 150MB/s Write Speed

Highly recommended! Featuring enhanced data read speeds of up to 160MB/s along with data write speeds up to 150MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme Pro (160MB/s, UDMA 7) is another popular and excellent card with almost the same speed. This Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card is designed to support both full HD and 4K video as it is VPG-65 certified. VPG-65 (video performance guarantee) offers sustained data write speeds of 65MB/s ensuring a smooth flow of data keeping video streams crisp and clean. This CompactFlash card is also compatible with both RAW and JPEG file formats and comes equipped with an RTV silicone coating and writable label. And the SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are designed for professionals and come with a lifetime limited warranty

Buy SanDisk Extreme Pro (160MB/s, UDMA 7) CF Cards at AmazonB&HAdorama.

The two CF cards listed here are a little bit faster than the fastest SD cards, really great value, highly recommended! In addition, you can get the Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader (UDMA 7) at Amazon.

Best SD Memory Cards for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3) – Fastest UHS-I SD Card

  • UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 170 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s

Highly recommended! The SanDisk Extreme Pro 170 MB/s UHS-I card is the fastest UHS-I SD card and the most popular card out there and is almost always one of my top recommended SD card, especially for consumer UHS-I cameras. With write speeds of up to 90 MB/s and read speeds of up to 170 MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170MB/s UHS-I card is ideal for whatever you’re doing: fast burst shooting, 4K video and full HD video at 120fps. In addition, SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I cards feature a speed class rating of V30 and U3 standard, which guarantees minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. Available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB sizes, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 170 MB/s UHS-I cards are ideal for professionals recording extreme sports and other fast-action activities.

Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I 170 MB/s (V30, U3) at AmazonB&HAdorama.

2. Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Card (300 MB/s, V90)

 

  • UHS-II / V90 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 300 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 260 MB/s

Super fast UHS-II card! If you are seeking the highest write speed with a V90 rating as well as extremely high 250-300MB/s read speeds for transferring photos from the card to a computer, this is the recommended card for you. We have to remind you that the Canon 5D mark IV can’t get the extra write speed from UHS-II cards, but the UHS-II cards can also be used in Canon 5D Mark IV in UHS-I mode at the fastest UHS-I write speed, and you can take advantage of the read speed of UHS-II cards, especially when transferring photos from the card to a computer. The Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II card offers the super fast speeds for both writing and reading files: maximum read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 260 MB/s. In addition, you can get a free Lexar SD UHS-II Reader for high-speed file transfer from card to computer, dramatically accelerating workflow. The only downside is it’s a little pricy compared to the UHS-I card.

Buy Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II Cards: at AmazonB&HAdorama.

Read more: Best Lenses for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.