Best Memory Cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Searching for the best memory cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II? Here is our full list of top recommended CF cards and SD cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR camera.

So you are now here, that means you have picked up a Canon EOS 7D Mark II recently. The Canon 7D Mark II is still one of the best all around cameras on the market, especially for sports/action shooters and wildlife photographers. Designed with a penchant for speed, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II (Amazon, B&H, Adorama) is characterized by its APS-C-sized 20.2MP CMOS sensor, dual DIGIC 6 image processors, and a top continuous shooting rate of 10 fps. Both a 65-point all cross-type phase-detection AF system and Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology benefit fast, accurate focusing performance for both optical viewfinder and live view shooting. In addition, full HD 1080p video recording is supported in multiple frame rates, up to 60 fps, in both the MOV and MP4 file formats. And the Canon EOS 7D Mark II achieved an excellent 84% overall score and Silver Award from the experts at DPReview.

Want to get the best memory cards for the Canon EOS 7D Mark II? In this post, we are going to go through absolutely everything you need to know before buying the best memory card for Canon EOS 7D Mark II.

First off… What kind of memory card do you need?

Before buying a memory card, make sure it complies with your Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera. This is what Canon EOS 7D Mark II 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-512GB

So, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II has two memory card slots: 1x SD memory card slot with UHS-I support and 1x CompactFlash memory card slot (UDMA 7 compatible). Dual SD and CF 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 7D Mark II 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) cards for the best video codex.

Recommended CF Cards & SD Cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II

If you just want to cut to the chase, here are our top recommended CF cards and CF cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II:

CF Cards:

  1. Lexar Professional 1066x (UDMA 7)
  2. SanDisk Extreme Pro (160MB/s, UDMA 7)

SD Cards:

  1. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Card 170 MB/s (V30, U3)
  2. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card (250MB/s, V60)
  3. Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II Card (150 MB/s, V60)
  4. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)

Best CF Memory Cards for Canon EOS 7D Mark II

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 – perfect for storing large files including high-quality photos, 1080p Full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. 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.

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 7D Mark II

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

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

Highly recommended! 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 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. Designed for SD devices that can capture Full HD, 3D, and 4K video, as well as raw and burst photography, the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I card is compatible with the UHS-I bus, and features a speed class rating of V30, 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 card is ideal for professionals recording extreme sports and other fast-action activities, you can rely on uncompromising performance without dropping frames.

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

2. Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card (250 MB/s, V60)

 

  • UHS-II / V60 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 250 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s

Affordable UHS-II card with excellent performance. Although the Canon EOS 7D Mark II can’t take advantage of those extra write speeds with the UHS-II cards, the UHS-II card can work in the Canon 7D Mark II at the fastest write speeds of UHS-I card. So, if you are seeking the ultra high read speeds to transfer your images and videos much quicker, a fast UHS-II card will be the first choice. With maximum read speeds of up to 250 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 90 MB/s, the Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II card is great for fast burst shooting and 4K & full HD video recording! This card offers excellent performance with a similar price of UHS-I cards. Great value!

Buy Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II SD Card at AmazonB&HAdorama.

3. Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II Card (150 MB/s, V60)

 

  • UHS-II / V60 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 150 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 90 MB/s

If you can’t afford the Lexar Professional 1667x UHS-II card and want to get a budget one with excellent performance, the Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II Card will be a great choice! The Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II SDXC Card can achieve maximum read speeds of up to 150 MB/s and maximum write speeds of up to 90 MB/s, making it is well-suited for continuous shutter bursts and rapid shooting, as well as 4K and Full HD video. The cards leverage UHS-II technology (UHS Speed Class 3 (U3)) to deliver high-speed performance – up to 150 MB/s (1000x). For versatility, the cards also work with UHS-I devices at UHS-I speeds. Whether you’re a professional photographer, videographer, or enthusiast, Lexar Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards make it easy to quickly capture and transfer 1080p full-HD, 3D and 4K video. Great value!

Buy Lexar Professional 1000x UHS-II SD Card at AmazonB&HAdorama.

4. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3)

  • UHS-I / V30 / U3 / Class 10
  • Max Read Speed: 150 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 70 MB/s

Budget option! Designed for SD devices that can capture Full HD, 3D, and 4K video, as well as raw and burst photography, the SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3) supports fast read speeds of up to 150MB/s and write speeds of up to 70MB/s, and it features a speed class rating of V30, which guarantees minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. Its 150MB/s transfer speeds mean you can quickly move your photos where you want them. A built-in write-protect switch helps to safeguard against the accidental erasure of card data.

Buy SanDisk Extreme UHS-I SDXC Card (V30, U3): at AmazonB&HAdorama.

 

Read more: Best Lenses for Canon EOS 7D Mark II.