Canon SX20 IS Memory Card Advice

Ok, so you just got your brand new Canon PowerShot SX20 IS and you realized that you still need to get a memory card…but which one? SD? SDHC? MMC? In this post I’ll answer all your questions about the different types of memory cards for the SX20 IS.

If you’d like to skip straight to my memory card recommendation for the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, click here.

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Memory Card Types

• SD Memory Cards
• SDHC Memory Cards
• MMC Memory Cards

SD cards can hold up to 4GB worth of images and video.

SDHC cards can hold up to 32GB worth of images and video.

MMC cards are 1st generation SD cards. I wouldn’t recommend getting an MMC card as they are nearing the end of their life. SD cards are the way to go, if you plan on using them in newer digital cameras.

Image Capacity on the Canon SX20 IS

Now that you know the different types of memory cards that work with the SX20 IS, I wanted to give you an idea of the image capacity depending on which card you choose.

• A 4GB SD card will give you approximately 1,252 photos using the Fine image quality setting.
• A 16GB SDHC card will give you approximately 5,008 images using the Fine image quality setting.
• A 32GB SDHC card will give you approximately 10,016 images using the Fine image quality setting.

HD Video Capacity on the Canon SX20 IS

In this list you’ll see me mention Class 4 a few times. In order to shoot HD video on the Canon SX20 IS, you’ll need to use a memory card with a Class 4 rating or higher. The term Class 4 basically refers to the minimum write speed, which is 4 megabytes per second. Canon specifically states that with anything less than a Class 4 memory card, you’ll experience issues with video recording and playback.

• A 4GB SDHC (Class 4) card will give you approximately 21 min of HD 1280×720 video.
• A 16GB SDHC (Class 4) card will give you approximately 84 min of HD 1280×720 video.
• A 32GB SDHC (Class 4) card will give you approximately 168 min of HD 1280×720 video.

Best Memory Card for the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

The best memory card for the Canon SX20IS based on both price and performance is the Transcend 16GB SDHC class 6 memory card.
This card is great for everyday photos, while giving you the performance needed for recording HD video.

• It has a good amount of storage space allowing you to take 5,008 photos or 84 minutes of HD video using the highest quality settings on the PowerShot SX20 IS.
• It’s a Class 6 memory card which is above the requirement for shooting HD video on the SX20IS.

Click Here to see the lowest price for the Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC memory card!

Make sure your computer can accept sdhc memory cards

If you’re at your computer, take a quick look at the memory card reader and see if it says SDHC anywhere. If it doesn’t, then your computer won’t be able to read SDHC memory cards using the SD slot. For those of you in this category, I recommend getting a memory card reader that can accept SDHC cards, like this one.

Happy Shooting!