SD Card Confusion....

[Ntexguy]

I am in need of a couple of SD cards for my Mavic Air 2 and am confused. I found a thread here indicating a list of cards that were acceptable for the mini while also referring to using them
for the controller. Shouldn't it say for the drone since that where the card goes? Never the less, if the list was for one of the dji minis, would that list
be the same for my MA2? I don't want to take up room on this note, but I'm going to paste the list. Oh I am using the regular RC that came with the MA2.
I would be grateful for some input.
Recommended microSD
Cards for DJI RC Remote
Controller
SanDisk Extreme 64GB V30 A1 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 128GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 512GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 400GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk High Endurance 64GB V30 microSDXC
SanDisk High Endurance 256GB V30 microSDXC
Kingston Canvas Go Plus 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Kingston Canvas Go Plus 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Lexar High Endurance 64GB V30 microSDXC
Lexar High Endurance 128GB V30 microSDXC
Lexar 633x 256GB V30 A1 microSDXC
Lexar 1066x 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Samsung EVO Plus 512GB microSDXC

 

[old man mavic]

that list refers to the cards that go into the new DJI-rc controller with the built in screen, that is used for the new Min3 ,it has the same function as ,Cache to device does ,when a phone or tablet is used to fly the drone,and allows low res pics and videos to be stored in the RC

 

[Ntexguy]

that list refers to the cards that go into the new DJI-rc controller with the built in screen, that is used for the new Min3 ,it has the same function as ,Cache to device does ,when a phone or tablet is used to fly the drone,and allows low res pics and videos to be stored in the RC

so i assume that any on this list should be fine with my mavic air 2
Thanks so much for the quick response!
Mike

 

[old man mavic]

@Ntexguy if you go into the download center on the DJI website you will be able to find the manual for your drone and it will say what SD cards are recommended for your particular drone

 

[Ntexguy]

@Ntexguy if you go into the download center on the DJI website you will be able to find the manual for your drone and it will say what SD cards are recommended for your particular drone

Will be done today!
Thanks.......
Mike

 

[March411]

I use this one in both my UAV's and all my tablets. You can also pick up the card with a portable reader for around $27.

They are super fast and I have had zero issues with delays, stuttering or formatting.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GJF3TXP?th=1

Some good information here:

How to choose an SD card: Class and speed ratings explained | Expert Reviews

We explain every SD card type AND help you pick the right microSD card for your device

www.expertreviews.co.uk

 

[MS Coast]

I use this one in both my UAV's and all my tablets. You can also pick up the card with a portable reader for around $27.

They are super fast and I have had zero issues with delays, stuttering or formatting.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GJF3TXP?th=1

Some good information here:

How to choose an SD card: Class and speed ratings explained | Expert Reviews

We explain every SD card type AND help you pick the right microSD card for your device

www.expertreviews.co.uk

Here's the "pro" version for a few cents less. Other differences? I've had good luck with them and just ordered one for the M3P that finally arrived.

https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-MicroSDXC-UHS-I-Adapter-dp-B07G3H5RBT/dp/B07G3H5RBT?th=1

 

[karlblessing]

The main thing you would worry about with known reputable brands is the video class rating.

V10 = 10MB/s continuous write speed
V30 = 30MB/s
V60 = 60MB/s
V90 = 90MB/s

There are 8 bits in a byte, so those are 80Mbps, 240Mbps, 480Mbps, 720Mbps

The Air 2 does 125Mbps, Air 2S 150Mbps, Mini 1 40Mbps, Mini 2 100Mbps (at 4k).

So a V10 is sufficient for a Mini 1 but not the rest,. V30 is sufficient for every Mavic folding drone (with the exception of the Mavic 3 Cine recording ProRes) since none are above 240Mbps recording to my recollection.

So even the cheaper SanDisk Ultra V30 will cover what you need.

Ignore the advertised ###MB/s on the packaging that's usually advertising read speed and usually only at burst, not continuous write speed which is what matters for recording.

 

[StantonZ]

So a V10 is sufficient for a Mini 1 but not the rest,. V30 is sufficient for every Mavic folding drone (with the exception of the Mavic 3 Cine recording ProRes) since none are above 240Mbps recording to my recollection.

So even the cheaper SanDisk Ultra V30 will cover what you need.

Excellent explanation!
The only thing I would add is: I tend to limit SD sizes (for portable equipment) to 64 Gig if possible for a couple reasons:
1) you don't really want hours and hours of data out there to lose
2) some older hardware readers "choke" on reading memory sizes beyond 64 Gig.

 

[karlblessing]

Excellent explanation!
The only thing I would add is: I tend to limit SD sizes (for portable equipment) to 64 Gig if possible for a couple reasons:
1) you don't really want hours and hours of data out there to lose
2) some older hardware readers "choke" on reading memory sizes beyond 64 Gig.

Indeed on #1, though regarding size, I tend to stay around 128GB (tend to be the best promos for them given the cost per gig) and haven't hard an issue even on my old 8 to 10 year old PC. I don't think any USB 3.0 based readers are going to have an issue, and should be using at least USB 3.0 if you hope to get stuff transferred from a card that size in a timely manner.

Though any drone that supports H265/HEVC will be rather sufficient in space saving in getting cheaper/smaller 32GB And 64GB cards. Can pull them after each day and have less risk losing all of one visit on fewer cards.

 

[Deleted member 170721]

The main thing you would worry about with known reputable brands is the video class rating.

V10 = 10MB/s continuous write speed
V30 = 30MB/s
V60 = 60MB/s
V90 = 90MB/s

There are 8 bits in a byte, so those are 80Mbps, 240Mbps, 480Mbps, 720Mbps

The Air 2 does 125Mbps, Air 2S 150Mbps, Mini 1 40Mbps, Mini 2 100Mbps (at 4k).

So a V10 is sufficient for a Mini 1 but not the rest,. V30 is sufficient for every Mavic folding drone (with the exception of the Mavic 3 Cine recording ProRes) since none are above 240Mbps recording to my recollection.

So even the cheaper SanDisk Ultra V30 will cover what you need.

Ignore the advertised ###MB/s on the packaging that's usually advertising read speed and usually only at burst, not continuous write speed which is what matters for recording.

Thanks for the info. Totally agree with 'ignore advertised MB/s'. They usually list best case Read speed. Its important to have sufficiently fast sustained Write speed for non jittery recording HD video at higher frame rates.

 

[karlblessing]

Thanks for the info. Totally agree with 'ignore advertised MB/s'. They usually list best case Read speed. Its important to have sufficiently fast sustained Write speed for non jittery HD video.

The speed of the card will have no impact what so ever in the quality or 'jitter' of the footage. If the card is too slow, the drone will simply stop recording and throw a slow sd error.

Jitter in source footage is most commonly due to using too high a shutter speed. If you are shooting 30fps it's usually best to try to get your shutter speed slowed to 1/60 for a natural looking motion blur between frames and that's usually where ND filters come in when you can't change your aperture or lower the iso any further. Shooting automatic in daytime without an ND filter will usually automatically pick high shutter speeds like 1/1000 and with every frame crystal clear there's no blur to bridge between frames which makes it look jittery or chopping especially with increased motion/turns or being closed to the ground.

 

[Deleted member 170721]

The speed of the card will have no impact what so ever in the quality or 'jitter' of the footage. If the card is too slow, the drone will simply stop recording and throw a slow sd error.

Jitter in source footage is most commonly due to using too high a shutter speed. If you are shooting 30fps it's usually best to try to get your shutter speed slowed to 1/60 for a natural looking motion blur between frames and that's usually where ND filters come in when you can't change your aperture or lower the iso any further. Shooting automatic in daytime without an ND filter will usually automatically pick high shutter speeds like 1/1000 and with every frame crystal clear there's no blur to bridge between frames which makes it look jittery or chopping especially with increased motion/turns or being closed to the ground.

karblessing, Thank you so much for correcting me. If the card is too slow then the continuous stream would stop, and as you mentioned, recording would stop and you get an error message. And indeed, choppiness or jitter can be from too high a shutter speed (no motion blur to smooth it out) or frame rate mismatch between recorded rate and timeline used in editing.

 

[karlblessing]

Other possibilities not related to recording in the drone itself are :

- Playback performance if the reader or drive the footage is on cannot be read fast enough into memory or cannot be processed fast enough. Not as much an issue now days as the h265 files aren't as big as some camera files and a lot of processors have h265 hardware acceleration now days. Essentially footage is fine just hardware is lacking.

- frame rate mismatch in editing: while the settings do say 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps they are actually 23.93, 29.97, and 59.97 , putting a 23.93 file on a 24fps or 30fps timeline or any other mismatching causes retiming issues and can introduce jitters especially if nearest neighbor retime method is used.

 

[shawgod]

If I am correct the 512 gb cards and anything over 256 gb will not work in the drones. Is that correct? Or if they do work it would only recognize 256 gb?

 

[karlblessing]

If I am correct the 512 gb cards and anything over 256 gb will not work in the drones. Is that correct? Or if they do work it would only recognize 256 gb?

Officially according to DJI it's not guarantied to see anything larger than 256GB , so putting in a 512GB card could just see it as unreadable, or it might actually work. But you won't know until you try and DJI can't confirm that it will.

 

[Mave76]

I am in need of a couple of SD cards for my Mavic Air 2 and am confused. I found a thread here indicating a list of cards that were acceptable for the mini while also referring to using them
for the controller. Shouldn't it say for the drone since that where the card goes? Never the less, if the list was for one of the dji minis, would that list
be the same for my MA2? I don't want to take up room on this note, but I'm going to paste the list. Oh I am using the regular RC that came with the MA2.
I would be grateful for some input.
Recommended microSD
Cards for DJI RC Remote
Controller
SanDisk Extreme 64GB V30 A1 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 128GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme 512GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk Extreme Pro 400GB V30 A2 microSDXC
SanDisk High Endurance 64GB V30 microSDXC
SanDisk High Endurance 256GB V30 microSDXC
Kingston Canvas Go Plus 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Kingston Canvas Go Plus 256GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Lexar High Endurance 64GB V30 microSDXC
Lexar High Endurance 128GB V30 microSDXC
Lexar 633x 256GB V30 A1 microSDXC
Lexar 1066x 64GB V30 A2 microSDXC
Samsung EVO Plus 512GB microSDXC

Hi Ntexguy,
I have flown the MA2 for over a year now and have used SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB ever since with no issues whatsoever. Based on my experience, you can go wrong with it.

Mave76