High speed memory cards capture digital images fast. The higher the speed rating, the faster a digital camera writes images to a card, increasing shot-to-shot time, which means fewer missed shots.

However, every digital camera is designed to work at a maximum speed that can be determined by checking the specifications in your camera manual. Using a memory card that has a higher read-write capacity than the camera will not improve performance.

For example, if a digital camera can has a read-write performance of 20MB/second, using a card rated 90MB/second will not make a difference.

Besides fast write-time, high speed memory cards provide maximum performance when using a high-speed continuous (burst) mode and shooting high resolution videos.

Other reasons to buy a high speed memory card

As mentioned, not all digital cameras benefit from the use of a high speed memory card. Still, some purchase high speed cards for other reasons:

• images transfer faster from camera to computer using a memory card reader
• may use the faster card in other electronic equipment
• plan to use the faster card in a camera they anticipate purchasing in the future

The prices of high speed memory cards have dropped significantly the last few years. If you haven’t bought one, seriously consider buying a high speed card if you camera can benefit from it. Check out memory cards in our Amazon Shop.