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As a real estate photographer, you need a memory card to store the images you shoot with your digital camera. The following SanDisk Extreme vs Extreme Pro guide helps you understand the differences between the two memory cards and which might best suit your storage requirements and camera speed.
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SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme Pro are electronic storage devices you can use to store digital data, such as digital images.
They are portable devices in which you can mount them on the camera and store the image files, remove and insert them in your computer's SD slot and transfer the files to your computer.
SanDisk Extreme is one of the most popular SD cards for mirrorless and DSLR cameras due to its high speed and better performance compared to its predecessor, the SanDisk Ultra. However, its performance can be considered in the middle since it is slightly sluggish compared to the more advanced Pro version.
Pro is SanDisk's flagship memory card designed for use with higher-end DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras that capture high-resolution images and video footage, such as 8K or 4K resolution videos.
Keeping in mind that SanDisk is one of the most popular brands for making fast and reliable memory cards for use with digital cameras, its flagship SD card, SanDisk Pro version, is one of the fastest microSD and UHS-I in the world.
Although both the Extreme and Pro versions are products of SanDisk corporation and share some design and performance features, they are different versions with the following similarities and differences.
Keeping in mind that both the Extreme and Pro SanDisk memory card versions are designed for use with modern professional cameras, they have the following speed class, file system support, and performance similarities.
Although you can use both Extreme and Pro with professional cameras, they are different versions in the SanDisk memory card lineup with the following read and write speed differences.
Continuous shooting, also known as burst shooting, is when you take photos in quick succession. In most cases, burst shooting comes in handy when taking photos of a moving subject, and you want to take multiple photos and later choose the photos with the best composition.
Usually, you will want a memory card fast enough to save photos quickly without buffering. Keeping in mind that you might be shooting the photos in RAW format, a single file might have a size of around 45MB.
The Pro version comes with a write speed of around 89.1MB/s, while the Pro has a write speed of around 98.6MB/s. That means the Pro has around 10% higher write speed than its Extreme counterpart, making it a better storage option for burst shooting.
The size of the memory card storage is an essential factor to consider as it determines how many photos you can save. If you are walking around taking real estate interior and exterior RAW photos, getting a card that won’t fill up during the photo shoot is advisable.
Generally, both cards come in a wide range of storage capacities, starting with a minimum of 32GB. The Extreme version comes with options of 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. On the other hand, the Pro version comes with wider storage options of 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
That means the Extreme version is limited to 256GB while the Pro is more flexible, with additional options of 512GB and 1TB.
The major distinguishing factor between the Pro and Extreme versions is the transfer speed, also referred to as the read speed. The read speed is the rate at which the SD card can retrieve the stored data when you want to view the files or transfer them to another device.
If you are shooting RAW photos or recording videos in 4K resolution, there are higher chances your storage will fill up, and you might need to transfer the files to your computer during a photo shoot or video recording. As a result, you need a card that can transfer the files as fast as possible.
The Extreme version comes with a typical transfer speed of around 153MB/s, while the Pro has a typical read speed of around 176MB/s, which is around 15% faster than the Extreme. That means you can empty your videos and photos faster with the Pro version and continue recording.
Keeping in mind that Extreme is the predecessor of the Pro version with a middle performance compared to the Ultra and Pro version, it’s the best SD card to use in the following situations.
Since the Pro is the flagship version and more advanced than the Extreme, it’s the best portable storage to use under the following circumstances.
The Pro is better as it allows you to use the continuous shooting mode more effectively, maximizing the chances of getting the best composition even if the subject is moving fast.
This memory card comes with up to 1TB storage options, making it the best choice if you are planning to capture lengthy real estate videos or a large collection of high-resolution images. It allows you to empty the files much faster in case the card runs out of storage during a photo shoot or video recording.
However, the high speed of the Pro version comes at a cost, and it’s not advisable to invest in the high-speed Pro version if your camera can’t fully utilize the extra speed.
Although you can use both memory cards in professional cameras, the above SanDisk Extreme vs Extreme Pro guide reveals the better read and write speed of the Pro version. Generally, the Pro version is suitable for higher-end cameras and high storage needs, and the Extreme version is for average use.
