Congratulations to Javier Sotomayor, November 2023 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Open." Javier Sotomayor - Entry #879 Dave Koch - Entry #877 Peter Wingfield - Entry #874 Here's what Javier has to say: Hello First of all I wa ...
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A smartphone owner today takes more photos than professional photographers some years back. Due to the number of daily pictures being at an all-time high, I need more durable storage options. This space could be in Gigabytes or Terabytes. Below I’ve discussed how many photos can 50GB hold.
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50GB can hold around 13,888 images stored in JPEG format. It can store around 1,190 RAW images at a time. Besides, it can hold around 833 RAW photos and up to 16,000 JPEG images on a cloud storage system. On average, it holds about 12,000 images.
If you ask any long-time photographer, you’ll likely get a reply like “It depends.” They’re right; the number of images you can store on a 50GB depends on several factors. So, you can expect to store double or one-quarter of the estimates given above. Let’s discuss these factors below:
There are a handful of factors affecting the size of each image you shoot. Let’s discuss the effects of some of these factors on the average image file size.
Your camera first captures an image in a format containing lots of data. This process leads to storing images at a very large size. You can reduce this size by compression. Compression is removing data from a photograph to reduce its size.
Here are the two major file formats based on the type of compression:
This method of compression deletes some details from the image, reducing its size. Thus, an image file that undergoes a lossy compression will have a much smaller size. It will also have a lower quality than the original. The most common lossy image file is the JPEG.
This compression method reduces an image's size while retaining the original quality. Instead of deleting data from the image, it rearranges them to reduce size. The RAW file is a very common example of this format.
Your camera resolution refers to the number of pixels on every shot you take. The standard unit of measuring this resolution is the MegaPixel. Many recent DSLRs have a resolution between 10-20 MP.
At each subsequent resolution, there’s an increase in the size of the image. The higher the Megapixels, the more the image quality. Thus, the greater the space required to store that photo.
The bit depth of an image also affects the file size of your image. It’s the storage space that each pixel requires to display the range of different colors. The more colors on your images, the more the bit depth required, and the greater the file size of that image.
You need to carefully consider your options when selecting a memory card. Doing so will ensure that you get the right size. No doubt, when you start, you may easily get confused looking at all the many kinds of memory cards.
Let's discuss the best memory card size for you as a photographer.
You may need to consider the task before selecting a memory card. Higher resolutions and quality settings may not be necessary for all photographs. This explains why some pictures are enormous, and others aren't. Here's what I recommend based on your
The most common aspect ratios for landscape photos are 3:2, 1:1, 4:3, 5:4, 16:9, or 2:1. An image's aspect ratio also translates into the number of pixels. This factor also influences image size.
A 2:1 landscape shot can have 1920960 pixels, which is 1.8MP. This resolution might range from 6.3MB for RAW to less than 1MB for JPEG. Thus, most landscape photographers consider a 50GB storage capacity ideal.
The average real estate photographer takes 25-30 photographs for each client. Most real estate images range in size from 10 to 50 MB, depending on the storage option.
As a result, you should select at least 50GB of storage to meet your urgent storage requirements.
The number of wedding shots you’ll take per client varies. Some clients want only a few dozen images, while others can request up to a thousand images.
You should also remember that the average quality wedding image is at least 10MB. So, you might choose a storage space higher than 50GB, 1TB, or more.
Memory cards come in various capacities and types, so you can quickly find one that meets your needs. A memory card is compatible with nearly any digital camera. Here are the three kinds you can choose from.
The compact flash card offers the quickest read speed compared to others. Due to its quick processing speed, it is widely used by photographers.
The storage capacity of a small flash card can range from 8 GB to 512 GB. So, it supports up to 14,222 RAW files and 142,222 JPEGs.
Like the CF cards, the SD card can quickly read data. It offers between 2 gigabytes and 128 terabytes of storage capacity. This card is compatible with many modern digital cameras. This factor makes it the go-to for most experienced photographers.
Based on its name, this memory card has the smallest dimension on the list. Still, it offers enough storage capacity of up to 128TB, depending on your desired format.
The speed rating of a memory card affects the rate at which it transfers photos. Here’s a table detailing that:
| Type of Memory Card | Speed |
|---|---|
| Compact Flash | Up to 167MB/S |
| Secure Digital | 2MB/S - 10MB/S |
| Secure Digital High Capacity | 10MB/S - 12.5MB/S |
| Secure Digital Extended Capacity | 10MB/S - 12.5MB/S |
| Secure Digital Ultra Capacity | Up to 985MB/S |
| Micros SD | Up to 12.5 MB/S |
To calculate the total images a 50GB can hold, you need to know the average file size at each resolution.
The JPEG comes in much lower quality and smaller size. You can easily fit tens of thousands of JPEGs into 50GB storage. However, that depends greatly on the average image file size.
Here’s a list showing the average size of an image to expect based on the camera resolution you’re shooting at
These are generally uncompressed images that come in high quality. For every camera resolution, there’s an average size to expect your RAW image to have. Here’s a list for that:
Depending on some factors, 50GB can hold between 1 000 to 20000 images. The standard iPhone camera shoots at 12MP, which is about 3.6MB in JPEG and 36 MB in RAW. So, the average number of images you can store is between 1300 to 13000.
For most photographers, 50GB is a lot of storage to save most of their recent work. A 50GB storage has 50 000 000 000 Bytes which is quite sufficient for the average photographer. However, a professional photographer that stores high-quality images can choose more storage space.
Knowing how many images you can fit into your desired storage size is a game changer. However, several factors can affect this estimate. I’ve gone over seral of these factors above. You’ll also discover how many JPEGs and RAWs can fit into this storage.
