B SD Cards blogbanner

The Definitive Pocket Cinema Camera SD Card Compatibility List

Info - The Definitive Pocket Cinema Camera SD Card Compatibility List
DetailsReferences

UPDATED: Februari 25th, 2018 - Nearly five years ago the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera was introduced. This is the definitive compatible SD card list. And througout the years several SD cards came along. There's a clear recommendation which memory card to get, the guarantees flawless recordings:  as the pricing currently stands, get the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 128GB , or if you're on a very tight budget the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s SDXC cards of 64GB. The 64GB card is cheap, but I believe the 128GB card is the sweetspot when it comes to price/capacity ratio. Don't settle for anything else. During the past years the Sandisk cards have come down from well-over a hundred dollars for 64GB to around $35 nowadays. Now you can even get 256GB for around $120.- The Sandisk cards are the best choice - there's no discussion.

For all most recent prices, I'd like to refer you to my newest addition to my website: the MediaMonitor. It keeps track of prices for and compatibility with all recording media suitable for use with (amongst others) the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera and its siblings. I will no longer be updating the prices on this page, bookmark the MediaMonitor for further updates.

According to the initial reports from Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) users back when the camera was released - the camera was picky when it came to SD cards. And saying it's picky seemed to be the understatement of the decade. The initial release only accepted Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, nothing more, nothing less. But since then BMD have released several updates, so I've tried to keep track which cards have been tested.

The list is sorted alphabetically, with deleted/unsupported cards dropped to the bottom. I stated brand and type, followed by read and write speeds. After that the recording mode(s) that have been tested. If a card is fast enough to record ProRes, but most likely not CinemaDNG - I'll make that clear.

Heads-up! This list is in its definitive version, to get a more recently updated overview head on over to my MediaMonitor. There you'll find a more up to date list of memory cards for many cameras.

 

Recommended Memory Cards

 

  • Sandisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I 95MB/s 64GB (+)
    • Claimed speeds: R:95MB/s W:90MB/s
    • Tested speeds: R:87MB/s W:81.5MB/s
    • I'm keeping five of these in my case, just in case the 128GB card fills up.
    • ProRes all modes
    • CinemaDNG RAW
    • Check MediaMonitor for current prices

 

And for posterity's sake - I've kept the other memory cards on this page as well. These I cannot fully recommend for use with the BMPCC.

  • ADATA Premier Pro SDXC UHS-I U1 64GB
  • Delkin Devices 16GB Elite SDHC UHS-I (+)
  • Delkin Devices 32GB Elite SDHC UHS-I (+)
    • Claimed speeds: R:95MB/s W:80MB/s
    • ProRes modes only

  • Gobe Magic 64GB SDXC UHS-I U3
    • Claimed speeds: R:104MB/s W:90MB/s
    • All ProRes modes

  • Lexar 64GB SDXC Professional Class 10 600x UHS-I
    • Claimed speeds: R:90MB/s W:45MB/s
    • note: one confirmed record at this point
    • ProRes modes only

  • PNY Elite Performance 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-I
    • Claimed speeds: R:90MB/s W:60MB/s
    • note: one confirmed report
    • ProRes 422 LT and ProRes 422 Proxy only

  • PNY Elite Performance 128GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-I
    • Claimed speeds: R:90MB/s W:60MB/s
    • note: one confirmed report
    • ProRes 422 LT and ProRes 422 Proxy only

  • PNY Pro-Elite Plus 32GB SDHC (P-SDH32U2-30-GE)
    • Claimed speeds: R:95MB/s W:80MB/s
    • Source: DiffractedMedia
    • Note: one found successful reference
    • ProRes all modes
    • CinemaDNG up to 25fps
  • Sandisk Extreme SDHC UHS-I 45MB/s 32GB (**)
    • Claimed speeds: R:45MB/s W:45MB/s
    • note: mixed reports, not recommended
    • ProRes modes only

  • Sandisk Extreme SDXC UHS-I 45MB/s 64GB (+) (**)
    • Claimed speeds: R:45MB/s W:45MB/s
    • note: mixed reports, not recommended
    • ProRes modes only

  • Sandisk Extreme SDXC UHS-I 45MB/s 128GB (+) (**)
    • Claimed speeds: R:45MB/s W:45MB/s
    • note: mixed reports, not recommended
    • ProRes modes only
  • Sandisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I 95MB/s 16GB (+)
    • Claimed speeds: R:95MB/s W:90MB/s
    • ProRes modes

  • Sandisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I 95MB/s 32GB (**)
  • Toshiba Exceria Type 2 SDXC 64GB UHS-I
    • Claimed speeds: R:90MB/s W:60MB/s
    • Note: one confirmed report, comment from nov. 9th 2014
    • ProRes all modes
    • CinemaDNG RAW up to 24fps without problems, 30fps drops frames
    • Check MediaMonitor for current prices

Prices updated on July 17th, 2015

Please check the MediaMonitor for the most recent prices. 

 

The Delkin Elite cards have now been added to the official supported for recording with ProRes on the BMPCC SD cards list on Blackmagic's site. Which currently only counts 7 SD cards.

I'll update this post as more cards have been tested - and of course if people post about it, I can't do all the testing myself.

 

UPDATE 2013, October 1st - Added the Delkin cards that are mentioned on the official list of BMPCC supported cards for ProRes recording. Also added a Sony 94MB/s card, which has been reported by Brandon Lee as working fine.

UPDATE 2013, October 16th - Added the Transcend 32GB card, Keiko Alingas from the Gear Addix video channel ran extensive tests with it and it worked like a charm.

UPDATE 2013, October 25th - I just got reports that the Sony 32GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-I 94MB/s card will not work without dropped frames. This was tested on two different cards. The 64GB SDXC version of this card however will work. This is because with solid state memory the rule goes that higher capacity will result in higher speeds. The 64GB card looks to have just that extra bit of headroom it needs for the ProRes recording. That will work, but only just.

UPDATE I 2013, October 29th - I've removed the Transcend 32GB 600x Class 10 UHS-I card. Gabriel HH has tested it and had dropped frames on two out of four cards. That's too much risk to be a recommended/compatible card. Due to this card having too little headroom, I've changed the status for the 64GB model to ProRes only. Even though it might work fine, the Transcend will be recommended by me, as it most likely doesn't have much headroom when it comes to ProRes recording.

UPDATE II 2013, October 29th - Added the PNY card that's now listed on the official Blackmagic Design site. Also added markings in the list (+) to mark those cards which come recommended by BMD themselves. Also added the finding that exFAT seems to perform noticeably better than the HFS+ (MacOS) format.

UPDATE 2013, November 14th - A few days ago the CinemaDNG update for the BMPCC came through. And cards are being tested for CinemaDNG RAW recording. Just got word that the Sandisk Extreme 80MB/s card drop frames consistently - so these cards will only work for ProResHQ. The only officially confirmed card is the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB SDXC card. Also, the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 32GB has been demoted, this one will not record CinemaDNG, and can even have dropped frames with ProRes. Also worth noting is that the Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s cards have been marked End-of-Life, since they're soon to be replaced with a next generation series.

UPDATE I 2013, November 18th - I've added the Toshiba Exceria Type 2 64GB SDXC card. This one works flawlessly with the ProRes and initial tests have shown that it might just be the Sandisk-killer ;-) ... A locked-down shot of 5 minutes in CinemaDNG RAW recording was done without any dropped frames. So it's looking good for this card. If it'll pass further tests, it'll be the new recommended card. Since it is (in the Netherlands) on average only 66% of the price of the Sandisk.

UPDATE II 2013, November 18th - I've removed the Transcend SDXC Class-10 UHS-I 600x 64GB alltogether. I've gotten word from Gabriel Hadarean that he bought four of these from Amazon and none of them worked properly. In combination with the October 29th update, that's just too much failures for the Transcend to be even considered.

UPDATE 2013, November 27th - I've placed a (**) warning at the Toshiba card. Just got a very bad report on these with ProRes as well as with CinemaDNG. However, I also got a very positive message about these. So use at your own discretion.

UPDATE 2013, December 3rd - There have been too many reports of the PNY Elite 32GB 90MB/s cards not working correctly with the BMPCC. I've decided to take it from the list alltogether, despite it being on the officially supported list at BMD.

UPDATE 2013, December 5th - Taken down the Toshiba Exceria from the list. Testing by several users has given too much variation in results. From not-working-even-for-ProRes to pretty good result. Too much variation to gamble serious money on. Too much inconsistancy for any serious consideration. Let's hope the upcoming UHS-II cards from Toshiba will prove more useable in due time.

UPDATE 2013, December 17th - I've contacted Sandisk about the End-of-Life status of the Extreme Pro Cards, and the representative guaranteed me that this is incorrect and they'll remain in production until a possible predecessor is released, of which nothing is known at this point in time. Because of this, I've removed the (worrying) EOL status for these cards.

UPDATE 2013, December 18th - I've added the Sandisk Extreme PLUS 80MB/s 128GB SDXC card. Ran into a report that it works fine with ProRes. So it's on the list now. Also modified the Sandisk 80MB/s SD entries to now reflect the rebranding of the Sandisk Extreme 80MB/s to Sandisk Extreme PLUS 80MB/s. Also did a slight cleanup of the list, re-sorted cards alphabetically (as I initially said I would) and processed some data I got back from Sandisk.

UPDATE 2014, January 6th - Added the Lexar 600x 64GB SDXC card. The 400x also seems to work with ProRes, but only at 24p, more fps and it hangs - so I decided to exclude it from the list, too little headroom to be 100% reliable I guess.

UPDATE 2014, April 8th - Did a complete clean up of this post. A revised list will be posted later tonight, or at least I expect/plan to do so.

UPDATE 2014, July 20th - It's been a while since a update. In the past week new recording modes were added to the BMPCC with firmware v1.8.2: ProRes 422, ProRes 422 LT and ProRes 422 Proxy. These were added to the already existing modes: ProRes 422 HQ and CinemaDNG RAW. This means all SD card will have to be re-tested for these new recording modes. I've already updated the list as much as I could right now - hope to do a more extensive update soon.

UPDATE 2014, December 3rd - I've got one confirmed report on the 128GB Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s card. Clinton Vadnais was abled to fill 'r up in one big DNG take without dropping a frame! He used Firmware 1.9.10 and formatted the card as HSF+.

UPDATE 2015, June 17th - Updated the list with a few cards which have been added to the official supported SD card list from Blackmagic Design Support.

UPDATE 2015, June 19th - I've done a quick update on the list. Added prices to the 256GB and 512GB Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, as well as to the Extreme Plus series. Updated all other price indications. Also removed the one Sony SDXC UHS-I 64GB card from the list. I cannot keep it on the list at its pricepoint, there are just too many way better alternatives on this list.

UPDATE 2015, June 25th - Small update. The European prices at Amazon.de have dropped slightly on the 64GB and 128GB Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, the 256GB went up a little. Also noteworthy drops in price of the Extreme PLUS series of 64GB and smaller. USA prices went up a little with the Extreme PLUS series.

UPDATE 2015, July 9th - Small update. But a major milestone. The Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB card just dipped below the $100 mark, and the €100 as well. I remember writing a post on the Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB hitting the $100 mark, a memorable day in 2013. 

UPDATE 2016, January 9th - A concluding update. The prices for SD media have now stabilized and I don't expect them to be lowering much further. The once $100+ Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB card now sells for around $35 - and has been doing so for months on end. This card is the ultimate companion memory card for the BMPCC. 

UPDATE 2017, September 26th - An update to the concluding update you might say. Seeing as this is still a highly visited article, it seemed wise to update it a bit here and there. Prices have come down even further. The Sandisk 64GB seems stable now at $35, but the larger capacity cards are still slowly creeping down in price. Still the best match for the BMPCC by the way. I also replaced several retailer-links in the article with links to my MediaMonitor webpage, which keeps track of current prices for recording media. 

UPDATE 2018, Februari 25th - So much for a 'concluding' update two years ago. I've cleaned up the article a bit and optimized the readability for new visitors. 

 

Thanks to Philip Bloom, Matt Uhry, Brandon Lee, Keiko Alingas, Gabriel HH, Ultra Racing Philippines, Gabriel Hadarean, Paul Angers and Clinton Vadnais.

 

Disclaimer note: I am in no way affiliated to Sandisk. I have never received anything from them, nor have they ever contacted me. I endorse their SD cards purely based off of my experiences with the Pocket Cinema Camera. I do get a small reference fee from Amazon when you choose to buy from them via one of my links, but that's merely to maintain this site.



(+) - On the officially supported SD card list from Blackmagic Design

*EOL - End of life, these cards are about to be discontinued.

** - I'm getting mixed reports on these. Some say these work fine, others have dropped frames like mad. I think this means these cards only just can cut it - too little headroom. Avoid if you can.

*** - Initial tested seems to point that this card will work with CinemaDNG RAW recording. Further tests need to be done before this card can be a recommended card. 

If you found this interesting, you might also want to take a look at these posts