The Canon EOS Rebel is one of the "hottest" cameras of 2020 on several occasions - and probably also one of the most controversial. The expectations, which Canon had steadily fueled and driven up over the months with small appetizers, ultimately resulted in a divided picture. Some were excited, others disappointed.
The specifications are not only impressive to read, but they are also in everyday life: A 35mm sensor with 45 megapixels, which together with the DIGIC X image processor offers an 8K video mode including internal RAW recording, a very good low-light Autofocus and continuous shooting at up to 20 fps in full quality make the EOS R5 an exciting photo-video hybrid for professional users.
Only the overheating problems with video recordings in 8K and high-quality settings in 4K resolution cause controversy, although Canon was able to achieve significant improvements with the first firmware updates.
However, the combination of high resolution and fast continuous shooting, as well as the option to record RAW videos internally, means that there is an enormous need for memory. This is probably one of the reasons why Canon Rebel uses by far the fastest memory card controllers that we have come across to date.
What kind of SD memory cards suits Canon Rebel
Canon EOS Rebel offers two memory card slots - one each for SD and CFexpress memory cards. The SD card controller with UHS-II support already achieves an impressive 250 MB/s in practice. If 8Kor 4K is to be recorded in the highest quality or if maximum continuous shooting performance is to be achieved, CFexpress memory cards are the best choice.
SD cards are fine for taking photos and recording normal quality videos like 4K/8K IPB. We recommend planning for UHS-II models and at least 128 GB of storage space. Speed class V60 or higher is mandatory for most 4K video recordings - corresponding SD cards are marked with a label.
The fastest memory card currently available for continuous shooting (RAW) is the Sony Tough G (128 GB). Another recommendation is Kingston Canvas Select Plus in the 128 GB version.
Which SD memory card capacity is enough for Canon Rebel?
Of course, you can't say that in general. Due to the current price/performance ratio, it is advisable for everyone to use a 16GB or 32GB SDHC card. Although almost all my cameras can also read SDXC cards, so most photographers prefer to use the very compatible SDHC card.
It is much more important to be able to distribute storage space evenly between two or three cameras. If you only take a 128GB SDXC card with you on vacation, you always have to insert it into the device you are currently using, which shouldn't do the memory card any good either.
Of course, it can always happen that a memory card fails. Again, it can be an advantage to use 4 x 16GB cards instead of a 64GB card. If one of the cards fails, you can still use the images of the other cards, or if you notice the failure on-site, you can immediately fall back on another card. SD cards are also relatively small, so they don't take up much space in your pocket.
The actual size can of course be easily calculated. If you're going on a 2-week vacation and you want to take 2,000 photos that you want to save in RAW format, where a RAW file is about 20MB in size, you just multiply:
2,000 images x 20MB = 40,000MB = 40GB
So e.g. three 16GB SDHC cards (48GB) could do this job.
Which SD memory card manufacturer is the best?
Good quality SD cards come from Samsung, SanDisk, Toshiba, Transcend, Platinum and ExtreMemory and they all do a good job. Most professionals probably swear by the good SanDisk memory cards.
Much more important is not the manufacturer, but the supplier of the SD card. There are dealers on the Internet who offer large memory cards at very reasonable prices. Here mostly counterfeit products with inferior or smaller memory chips are installed. We can only warn against these dealers. Never buy memory cards from an unknown small retailer! It is better to use big sellers like Amazon but not Marketplace sellers.
In any case, it is important to fully test the memory card several times before use.
How fast does the SD memory card for Canon Rebel have to be?
For most, a Class 10 SD card would do a great job, which means, the speed is at least 10MB/sec. Many Class 10 SDHC cards can also read and write much faster. But this is not only dependent on the model, but can also differ greatly from card to card of the same model. Only a minimum speed is always guaranteed.
Do I need any SD memory card accessories?
The storage of the memory chips is at least as important as the capacity of an error-free memory card. SD cards can break or get lost faster than you think. Make sure to always transport your empty cards in their own transparent plastic boxes.