How Many Photos Can a Memory Card Hold?

Memory cards store less than 100 photos to more than 300,000 photos based on the card capacity, resolution of the camera and the photo file type.

Memory cards are also called storage cards, and the most common type are SD cards, or secure digital cards.

On this informative page about the number of photos that fit on a memory card, you’ll find photo capacities for all common card sizes from 8GB to 1TB memory cards.

Common Memory Card Storage Capacities and How Many Photos They Hold

Common memory card storage capacities are 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB. In secure digital cards, or SD cards, 1GB equals 1,000MB.

8GB and 16GB are still available but are becoming less common because storage cards with more capacity are available at very little extra cost. The most popular memory cards that are compatible with common DSLR and mirrorless cameras are 64GB, 128GB and 256G.

*Note – storage capacity can also be written as 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, etc., with a space between the capacity and the GB.

This chart shows the number of photos that fit on a memory card based on whether the photo is shot in RAW or in JPEG. 24 MP camera sensors are popular, and so columns show the number of photos shot in those file types can be stored on each memory card size.

(1) Image quality is JPEG Fine

The camera resolution covered in the chart ranges from 12MP or 12 megapixels, to 32MP or 32 megapixels. This range covers the majority of older hobbyist cameras to midrange hobbyist cameras to entry-level professional cameras. Pro cameras are available with resolutions of 45MP to 61MP.

Factors That Determine How Many Photos a Memory Card Can Hold

The number of photos that fit on a memory card depends on the card capacity, the resolution of the photos your camera takes, file formats such as JPEG or RAW, and the compression setting.

• Card capacity:Capacity doubles in size with each larger card, from 8GB to 512GB.
• Camera resolution:Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras in current use shoot 12MP to 32MP with 24MP the most popular resolution. Professional cameras and medium format cameras have higher resolution. The higher the resolution, the larger the file, and the fewer photos will fit on a memory card.
• File format:The two most common formats are JPEG and RAW. Depending on the camera and settings, RAW files are 2 to 6 times larger than JPEG files.
• Compression level:Compression settings on most digital cameras include Fine, Standard and Basic/Economy. The more compressed a file is, the smaller it is, and the more photo files will fit on a storage card.

How Many Megapixels Are DSLR Cameras?

DSLR cameras have megapixel ranges from 8 to 60 megapixels.

Most DSLR cameras range from 12MP for discontinued models like the Nikon D700 and models still available like the Canon EOS Rebel to 61MP offered by the Sony Alpha a7R IV professional camera.

The most popular megapixel range for midrange and pro DSLR cameras is 22 to 26 megapixels for models like the Canon EOS 5D and 6D, Nikon Z6, Fujifilm X-T4 and Sony Alpha a7 III.

Differences in Photo File Sizes Between RAW and JPEG

In general, RAW file sizes are 2 to 6 times larger than JPEG files. RAW files are considered to be true lossless files, which means that all the data captured by the sensor is in the file.

When shooting JPEG files, most cameras allow you to select options including Fine, Standard and Economy. The Economy setting is called Basic on some cameras. Fine is sometimes erroneously called “lossless,” but no JPEG file is truly lossless.

How Many Photos Can a 16GB Memory Card Hold?

A 16GB memory card holds 176 to 5,333 photos depending on the resolution of the camera sensor and whether the photo is taken in RAW or in one of the JPEG settings such as Fine, Standard or Economy.

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 16 gigabyte memory card can hold when shooting in RAW (smaller number) or in JPEG Fine (larger number).

How Many Photos Can a 32GB Memory Card Hold?

A 32GB memory card holds 352 to 10,666 photos based on camera resolution and file type – RAW or a JPEG type.

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 32 gigabyte memory card can hold based on file type, whether RAW (smaller numbers) or JPEG Fine.

How Many Photos Can a 64GB Memory Card Hold? 

A 64GB memory card holds 704 to 21,332 photos based on the resolution of the camera sensor file type – RAW or JPEG Fine, Standard or Economy.

This chart gives ranges the number of photos a 64 gigabyte memory card can hold based on RAW and JPEG Fine.

How Many Photos Can a 128GB Memory Card Hold?

A 128GB memory card holds 1,409 to 42,664 photos. The number of photos a 128 GB storage card holds depends on the camera sensor resolution and the file type – whether RAW or one of the JPEG options.  

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 128 gigabyte memory card for photos shot in RAW (smaller numbers) or JPEG Fine.

How Many Photos Can a 256GB Memory Card Hold?

A 256GB memory card holds 2,818 to 85,333 photos depending on the resolution of the camera sensor and file type.

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 256 gigabyte memory card can hold based on file type.

How Many Photos Can a 512GB Memory Card Hold?

A 512GB memory card holds 5,673 to 170,666 photos based on sensor resolution and whether the photos are shot in RAW or a type of JPEG.  

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 512 gigabyte memory card can hold based on file type.

How Many Photos Can a 1TB Memory Card Hold?

A 1TB memory card holds 11,274 to 333,334 photos depending on the camera sensor resolution and whether the photo is taken in RAW or in JPEG Fine, Standard or Economy.

This chart gives ranges for the number of photos a 1 terabyte memory card can hold based on whether the photos are shot in RAW (smaller number) or JPEG Fine.