Different type of memory cards information needed..

Cameras haven't had a memory card included for years, even when they did the cards were very low capacity ones.

The cards are different in maximum memory size and go up in the order you listed.
Speeds will also differ, faster cards are more expensive and yes they will all work via your laptop if it has a compatible card reader.

One tip format the card in your camera not the computer and don't delete files via your computer either.

My choice of card is Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb 95mb/s.
Only buy from trusted sources, so many fakes on Ebay
 
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HC refers to "High capacity" i.e. more capacity than a standard SD card. XD stands for "extended capacity" which is even larger still. How much you will need will depend on how much you want to shoot before copying the files to your computer.

Speed, is something that depends on what you want to do. If you need to get the files from the card to the computer quickly (e.g. to meet a deadline), you need a faster one. Also if you are shooting a lot of video, or large bursts of photographs e.g. sport, speed is also important. If it is just for hobby use, this may not be as much of an issue for you (faster generally costs more).

As far as what will connect to your computer, you will need to check its documentation. Some computers have built in card readers, some do not. If it doesn't, buy a usb card reader and plug in when you need it.
 
Thanks guys. It's basically going to be used for holiday use next week, hopefully alot of photos. A few videos etc just want to. Make sure I have enough memory and it doesn't effect the picture quality
 
Too many standards not fully aligned for ease of understanding.

In general:
(And it’s not all about card capacity only)
SD: up to 2Gb (some rare 4Gb)
SDHC: 4Gb to 32Gb
SDXC: 64Gb to 2Tb

Pretty much everything these days is class 10 which is a redundant standard now. It basically states a minimum write speed of 10Mb/s. This is a circle with a 10 in it.

Nowadays manufacturers marketing departments have taken over so you can get “60Mb/s” but that could be read or write speed.

Unless you are only ever doing single shots you want fastest write speed you can get and you need to dig into the product description to get that.

Now we get to UHS Class. There is a physical difference to to cards. UHS-I (Roman numeral I) have a single row of gold contacts like most cards and covers up to 95 Mb/s - that’s plenty for most uses. UHS-II have 2 rows of gold contacts so only benefit camera hardware that supports the 2 rows.

Now, to mess with your mind you can get UHS class 1 but UHS-3. This is a U logo with a 3 in it. To confuse further, UHS with Roman numerals II is faster than UHS-3 as it has the 2nd row of contacts.

Confused? That’s because the standards were clear 10 years ago but now are a mess.

Avoid ebay and avoid Amazon Marketplace as recommended by previous post - too many fakes. Amazon & reputable dealers ok.

Bottom line: get a branded UHS-I or UHS-3 (single row of gold contacts) with a quoted speed of at least 60 Mb/s (max 95Mb/s but that’s overkill) and that will be faster than your camera.
 
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Too many standards not fully aligned for ease of understanding.

In general:
(And it’s not all about card capacity only)
SD: up to 2Gb (some rare 4Gb)
SSHC: 4Gb to 32Gb
SDXC: 64Gb to 2Tb

Pretty much everything these days is class 10 which is a redundant standard now. It basically states a minimum write speed of 10Mb/s. This is a circle with a 10 in it.

Nowadays manufacturers marketing departments have taken over so you can get “60Mb/s” but that could be read or write speed.

Unless you are only ever doing single shots you want fastest write speed you can get and you need to dig into the product description to get that.

Now we get to UHS Class. There is a physical difference to to cards. UHS-I (Roman numeral I) have a single row of gold contacts like most cards and covers up to 95 Mb/s - that’s plenty for most uses. UHS-II have 2 rows of gold contacts so only benefit camera hardware that supports the 2 rows.

Now, to mess with your mind you can get UHS class 1 but UHS-3. This is a U logo with a 3 in it. To confuse further, UHS with Roman numerals II is faster that UHS-3 as it has the 2nd row of contacts.

Confused? That’s because the standards were clear 10 years ago but now are a mess.

Avoid ebay and avoid Amazon Marketplace as recommended by previous post - too many fakes. Amazon & reputable dealers ok.

Bottom line: get a branded UHS-I or UHS-3 (single row of gold contacts) with a quoted speed of at least 60 Mb/s (max 95Mb/s but that’s overkill) and that will be faster than your camera.


Thanks guys. I did try to quote the other 2 posts above... Is something like this suitable?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3438947.htm?cmpid=APP003

Or this one I think
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3386312.htm?cmpid=APP003
 
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Look in the manual. That is not meant as a dig at you. Every camera has a list of what it can take so then you can look up a few products and see what fits the budget and performance you want.
Nobody can tell you what size or speed to get, its like telling someone what engine to use in a car, its ridiculous
 
I was given a good tip when I asked about cards a couple of months ago before a big holiday. If you know you are not going to be taking loads of pictures in one go and have time to change the card between sessions, it is sometimes better to buy several smaller cards than going for larger capacity and change them regularly whether they are full or not. This guards against losing everything if the card or camera develops a fault. If it is a holiday you probably won’t get the same photo opportunities again and, heaven forbid that you have a problem, it is better to lose a few pics than lose the lot.
 
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