I'm looking to buy a new 64gb card for my Mavic but I'm worried that what I buy won't be fast enough for recording in 4k, 30p. I'm looking at the SanDisk Ultra 64gb however it says "Class 10 for full HD video recording", will this be able to handle recording in 4k? Or do you recommend another card instead?


Thanks,
all help is appreciated

You need the SanDisk Extreme, and it will say 4k recording on it.

Yes, get the SanDisk Extreme series.  I will also recommend getting multiple smaller cards, 16GB should do.  If you swap out the SD card when you swap out the battery, in the event of crashing or loosing the drone, you will not loose all the video files. You will only loose the video on that particular flight.

in the mavic pro quick start guide page 11 the sd card specs provided are : micro sd, max 64 gb - Class 10 or UHS_1 rating.

Many of us though have installed class 10 U3 due to being able to handle higher resolution at better speeds.
see also forum link https://forum.dji.com/thread-71217-1-1.html
also you can type your question to you tube and yu will get a consistant answer from many postings.
I have 32gb scan disk extreme class 10 U3 -

fans1fce1145 Posted at 2017-8-6 10:47
Yes, get the SanDisk Extreme series.  I will also recommend getting multiple smaller cards, 16GB should do.  If you swap out the SD card when you swap out the battery, in the event of crashing or loosing the drone, you will not loose all the video files. You will only loose the video on that particular flight.

Thanks for the tip, can you recommend a 16 gb card that can handle 4k? I tried finding the one that came with the Mavic on Amazon but I couldn't.

I agree with "Bekaru Tree", if you want to record safely 4K clips, you need a class 10 card with U3 grade.
That is a big U with a 3 inside printed on the card.
In some cases the U1 grade might be sufficient, but don't bet on it.

BTW, don't be fooled by the huge read speeds mentioned in the card's specs.
What you need to get is a card with a really fast write speed of at least 30 MB/s.

Look at the SD card provided with the Mavic, its speed is ample enough ! (U 1)

Mgray Posted at 2017-8-6 11:16
Thanks for the tip, can you recommend a 16 gb card that can handle 4k? I tried finding the one that came with the Mavic on Amazon but I couldn't.

i believe scan disk does a 16 32 and 64 gb class 10 U3

SD cards Compatible:

Lexar 633x 16gb class 10 microsdhc
panasonic 16gb  microsdhc
sandisk extreme 16gb microsdhc

those 3 sd cards must class 10 sd card..

Albatros24 Posted at 2017-8-6 12:24
Look at the SD card provided with the Mavic, its speed is ample enough ! (U 1)

I think i agree with you - i have changed my mavic sd with my scandisk U3 and i am not sure i have seen any differance at lower resolution (up to 2.7k) but maybe or maybe not at higher 4k a U3 is better.
I eventually got the U3 because many you tubers and forums users and my local video technician person are in agreement that this is their prefered sd card - and there are not many cases where  users seem to agree much.

I advise caution when choosing an SD card. Take a look at this thread and the problem they mention:

http://forum.dji.com/thread-94403-1-2.html

I saw the same problem, and I strongly suspect that it happens because the Mavic does not like the SD card I used, even though it should have ample speed. The problem happened only with one of the two cards I have, only when recording UHD (not HD) and always after recording about 325 MB of data.  I used a SandDisk Extreme 64 GB.

If I wanted to buy a card again, I would first ask people here for a specific model that they have already used many times for recording in 4K without problems.

Bekaru Tree Posted at 2017-8-6 13:12
I think i agree with you - i have changed my mavic sd with my scandisk U3 and i am not sure i have seen any differance at lower resolution (up to 2.7k) but maybe or maybe not at higher 4k a U3 is better.
I eventually got the U3 because many you tubers and forums users and my local video technician person are in agreement that this is their prefered sd card - and there are not many cases where  users seem to agree much.

Look for a micro SD card that sports a write speed of at least 30 MB/s for 4K recordings.

The Mavic has a MAX write speed of 60 M Bits / s, so LESS than 7 M Bytes / s !
So 30 M Bytes is totally UNUSED !

I brought this one : http://amzn.to/2vd6l0m it is extreamly fast, and has the benefit that transferring the footage from the SD card to the computer is very quick. Had it for about 2 months and is perfect.

Albatros24 Posted at 2017-8-6 22:57
The Mavic has a MAX write speed of 60 M Bits / s, so LESS than 7 M Bytes / s !
So 30 M Bytes is totally UNUSED !

That was my thinking too. Using the Class 1 card that came with the Mavic and other C10 from GoPro all do fine shooting 4K 30fps.

I'd like to hear why people specifically recommend higher specs in case I am making a mistake. I get that transfer rates to PC etc will be quicker but in terms of shooting footage, there should be no difference. Right or wrong?

It is a bit funny that manufacturers label cards that can record 4K.

4K with what device? Mavic 4K might need 60 Mbps and my DSLR 4K needs 500Mbps.

Albatros24 Posted at 2017-8-6 22:57
The Mavic has a MAX write speed of 60 M Bits / s, so LESS than 7 M Bytes / s !
So 30 M Bytes is totally UNUSED !

Where did you find "a MAX write speed of 60 M Bits / s"?
Or are you confusing the Max Video Bitrate of 60 Mbps for video caching mentioned in the Mavic's specs?
This would be 7.5 megabytes per second and not enough to cache 4K video clips on your phone.

My advice therefore still stands: Get a micro SD card for the Mavic with a write speed of at least 30 megabytes per second, if you want to capture 4K video clips in your Mavic.
To avoid any misunderstanding: this micro SD card actually plugs into the Mavic.

Lay Posted at 2017-8-7 02:03
It is a bit funny that manufacturers label cards that can record 4K.

4K with what device? Mavic 4K might need 60 Mbps and my DSLR 4K needs 500Mbps.

That is not true!
You're confusing the video bitrate for video caching on your phone, which obviously does not cache 4K video clips.
For your DSLR, it depends on the size of the image, which is probably bigger than the image size of the Mavic.
At 500Mbps this would be 62.5 megabytes per second and you would need a memory card in your DSLR that at least equals that speed, if you want to capture 4K video clips.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-7 02:29
That is not true!
You're confusing the video bitrate for video caching on your phone, which obviously does not cache 4K video clips.
For your DSLR, it depends on the size of the image, which is probably bigger than the image size of the Mavic.

Hmm... interesting.

I was not talking about my DSLR pictures. My DSLR can record 4K video at 500Mbps which is a data stream of 62,5MB a second. When taking pictures it can benefit from even faster cards (not filling the buffer so fast).

Are you saying that the Mavic Pro Max Video Bitrate of 60 Mbps only applies to chaching to the phone? I just checked one of my 4K video clips from Mavic (not from the phone). It is 59,9 Mbps. 5min and 30s videoclip takes up space 2300MB. So it should need a data Stream of  6,97MB/s.

Did I misunderstand something?

Lay Posted at 2017-8-7 03:00
Hmm... interesting.

I was not talking about my DSLR pictures. My DSLR can record 4K video at 500Mbps which is a data stream of 62,5MB a second. When taking pictures it can benefit from even faster cards (not filling the buffer so fast).

I was of the same understanding as you Lay. Everything else I have read, including other posts on this forum, pointed to a max speed of 60Mbps. This is the first time I've seen that rating actually referred to as the 'video caching' speed. I think DJI actually refers to it as 'video storage bitrate' which points to the base, raw footage on the SD for me.

For all my 4K videos, when I look at the properties, the bitrates are all around the 59nnn kbps.

I posted a similar question on MavicPilots a while back:
https://mavicpilots.com/threads/choice-of-sd-card-class.21984/

UHS-1 (Class 10) card is plenty enough for Mavic's bitrate. See diagram at this site:

https://www.sdcard.org/developers/overview/speed_class/

@Calmari and @allonger : RIGHT !The others -> WRONG !


Try a test with the original SD card, for example 5 minutes and you will see !

BumblerBee Posted at 2017-8-7 05:50
I posted a similar question on MavicPilots a while back:
https://mavicpilots.com/threads/choice-of-sd-card-class.21984/

I have read both of those previously actually

Watch the spec. right here :

http://www.dji.com/mavic/info#specs



A faster SD card allows you to copy data faster to a computer, that's all!

Albatros24 Posted at 2017-8-7 07:08
Watch the spec. right here :

http://www.dji.com/mavic/info#specs

That's my understanding also.

Lay Posted at 2017-8-7 03:00
Hmm... interesting.

I was not talking about my DSLR pictures. My DSLR can record 4K video at 500Mbps which is a data stream of 62,5MB a second. When taking pictures it can benefit from even faster cards (not filling the buffer so fast).

Look at these video modes of the Mavic: 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p

This shows that the heaviest load will come from the 3840x2160 at 30fps
Therefore 3840 x 2160 x 30 = 248.832.000 bits/s or 31.104.000 bytes/s or 30 MB/s.

Conclusion, if you want to record this particular 4K format, you'll need a memory card that can write at 30 MB/s.
If you never record 4K video clips at 30 fps, you can buy a memory card with a slower write speed.

Could you compare this with the requirement of 500Mbps for your DSLR camera?

I have also found this interesting article:
http://www.scantips.com/lights/cardspeed.html

Pretty much only use Integral Memory cards. Have had zero problems with them. Probably helps I can get these at wholesale cost but performance for pound notes, they are great. Go for these http://www.integralmemory.com/pr ... hs-i-u3-memory-card the read and write speed on th we cards are great. 95/90 Rd Wr.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-7 13:42
Look at these video modes of the Mavic: 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p

This shows that the heaviest load will come from the 3840x2160 at 30fps

An important thing I picked up from the article you linked to, as well as other similar articles, was this

"Write speed also depends on the device (or the specific camera model) doing the writing. "

So in the case of the Mavic Marsan, do you know what the actual write speeds or the limitations put on them actually are?

I would recommend you to check the specs of this SD card: http://store.dji.com/product/sandisk-micro-sd-card-64gb?from=search-result-v2
It has been tested and the performance can be ensured. It might be not available in your current location for now, but the specs will be helpful to choose a new one.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-7 13:42
Look at these video modes of the Mavic: 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p

This shows that the heaviest load will come from the 3840x2160 at 30fps

Sorry but it does not work like that.

For example...

4K 4096 x 2160 30fps Motion JPEG 500 Mb/s (25fps 500Mb/s)
Full HD 1920 x 1080 30fps ALL-I 90Mb/s
Full HD 1920 x 1080 30fps IPB 30Mb/s

It is true what calmari pointed out that write speed also depends on the device. From the link you can see an example how the maximum write speeds are different with USB 3 reader and camera.

https://alikgriffin.com/best-mem ... e-canon-5d-mark-iv/

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-8-7 19:03
I would recommend you to check the specs of this SD card: http://store.dji.com/product/sandisk-micro-sd-card-64gb?from=search-result-v2
It has been tested and the performance can be ensured. It might not be available in your current location for now, but the specs will be helpful to choose a new one.

Edit: I'll write another reply.

Lay Posted at 2017-8-7 23:08
Sorry but it does not work like that.

For example...

Exactly Lay, all 4K is not equal, it depends on many factors. There is also compression to take into account.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-8-7 19:03
I would recommend you to check the specs of this SD card: http://store.dji.com/product/sandisk-micro-sd-card-64gb?from=search-result-v2
It has been tested and the performance can be ensured. It might not be available in your current location for now, but the specs will be helpful to choose a new one.

Thanks for the reply Susan. I fear your info may only have fuelled the fire for others though.

Can you please clarify some of the other queries being discussed in this thread.

1. What is the minimum write speed required for an SD card, to capture full 4K footage from a Mavic?  

2. From the DJI specs it mentions 'Video Storage Bitrate - 60Mbps'. Is this the maximum speed that the Mavic will write video footage to the SD card?

3. Are there different write speeds for still images?
Many thanks, I look forward to your reply.

Lay Posted at 2017-8-7 23:08
Sorry but it does not work like that.

For example...

Just a minute, don't bring USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 into the discussion, because that has nothing to do with the memory card in the Mavic.

The problem is that we don't know exactly how the data is transferred from the Mavic's camera to the its memory card.
Data compression obviously takes place, because the video file format is either MOV or MP4, which are virtually the same thing. The MP4 format was derived from MOV without almost no modification.
The thing is that the camera is pumping the data into the Mavic's hardware. Therefore this data will have to be buffered first before it is converted to MP4 or MOV, unless there is a ultrafast processor on board of the Mavic.
In other words, the data is there and keeps coming and needs to be stored.

When you look at the table supplied by DJI Susan in this thread, you'll see that a memory card with a write speed of at least 30 MB/s is recommended, which I have already been recommending all along in this thread.

The example card given in DJI Susan's table has a write speed of 60 MB/s for 4K clips at 60fps, which is 3840 x 2160 x 60 = 497.664.000 bps or 62.208.00 bytes per second or 60 MB/s.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-8-7 19:03
I would recommend you to check the specs of this SD card: http://store.dji.com/product/sandisk-micro-sd-card-64gb?from=search-result-v2
It has been tested and the performance can be ensured. It might not be available in your current location for now, but the specs will be helpful to choose a new one.

Thank you, Susan, for that table.
The thing that puzzles many people here is: What is precisely meant by "Max Video Bitrate"?

If the Mavic has a bitrate of only 60 Mbps or 7.5 megabytes per second, then why does DJI recommend a memory card with a write speed of at least 30 MB/s?
And why must that SanDisk - Extreme microSD Card 64GB in your table have a write speed of 60 MB/s if the Mavic's maximum bitrate is only 7.5 MB/s?
Or is that "Max Video Bitrate" the speed of the data transfer between the Mavic and the phone connected to the RC?

Read speed IS important if you don´t want to spend hours transferring your recordings.
I use the Sandisk Extreme PRO 64 and a Sandisk Extreme PRO USB reader.

MARSAN Posted at 2017-8-8 01:01
Thank you, Susan, for that table.
The thing that puzzles many people here is: What is precisely meant by "Max Video Bitrate"?

In the DJI documentation that comes with the Mavic they say two things. One, that they support both Class 10 and UHS-I cards(both 10MB/s) and two, they recommend a UHS-I card.

I think the reason the only cards they sell on their site are UHS-I class 3 may be because they are compatible for all DJI products.

Just my observations. I'd love to see something from DJI on this to clear up all of the ill-informed garbage being spouted on forums.

calmari Posted at 2017-8-8 01:50
In the DJI documentation that comes with the Mavic they say two things. One, that they support both Class 10 and UHS-I cards(both 10MB/s) and two, they recommend a UHS-I card.

I think the reason the only cards they sell on their site are UHS-I class 3 may be because they are compatible for all DJI products.

There seems to be contradiction.
The SanDisk memory card shown in DJI Susan's table can write data at a whopping speed of 60 MB/s, yet the Mavic has a "Max Video Bitrate" of only 7.5 MB/s (60 Mbps).
That is a huge difference of 8 to 1.
What is going on here?

Swedrone Posted at 2017-8-8 01:24
Read speed IS important if you don´t want to spend hours transferring your recordings.
I use the Sandisk Extreme PRO 64 and a Sandisk Extreme PRO USB reader.

Provided your devices are running USB 3.0 and not USB 2.0.

@MARSAN
"soit 3840 x 2160 x 60 = 497.664.000 bps ou 62.208.00 octets par seconde ou 60 Mo./s."
This is at the output of the sensor ! But ALL is compressed in MOV or MP4 and then obtains a bit rate of 60 M bits /s.
Watch your movies saved on the SD card !