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Which SD Cards Can I Use With My Survey Drones?

A slow SD card can result in missing images and GPS data or corrupt files.

SD card quality can vary greatly between models (regardless of the advertised speed). Since the drone is flying quickly with high overlap, the SD card may not be able to save photos fast enough to the card. This may result in missing images or GPS data, which can be problematic.

Because of the importance of which SD card you choose, and the many card options available, we've developed a list of affordable models we've tested and verified can handle drone surveying.

If you can't find these models, your SD card should support a fast write speed of up to 90 MB/s and have a U3 or V30/V60 rating.

For many drones, the maximum supported capacity is 128GB, so check the specifics of your drone before purchasing a card.

Typically, cards 32GB and under must be formatted as FAT32, and cards greater than 32GB need to be formatted as exFAT. We have instructions in our Knowledge Base for more information on formatting SD cards for your drone. If you are using a Phantom 4 RTK and your mission only captures a few photos each time, check the 100MEDIA folder. If this folder has images captured during the mission, you likely have an issue with the card's write speed. A temporary solution is to fly the same mission at a slower speed until you can test another microSD card.

MicroSD cards for Mavic 3 Enterprise

  • SanDisk Extreme Pro 64G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme Pro 128G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme Pro 256G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme Pro 400G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk High Endurance 64G v30 XC I microSDXC
  • SanDisk High Endurance 128G v30 XC I microSDXC
  • SanDisk High Endurance 256G v30 XC I microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme 128G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme 256G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • SanDisk Extreme 512G v30 A2 microSDXC
  • Lexar 667x 64G microSDXC
  • Lexar 667x 128G microSDXC
  • Lexar 667x 256G microSDXC
  • Lexar High Endurance 64G V30 XC I microSDXC
  • Lexar High Endurance 128G microSDXC
  • Samsung EVO Plus 128G microSDXC
  • Samsung EVO Plus 256G microSDXC
  • Samsung EVO Plus 512G microSDXC

MicroSD cards for Phantom 4 RTK

  • Sandisk Extreme 32GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDHC
  • Sandisk Extreme 64GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDXC
  • Sandisk Extreme Plus 32GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDHC
  • Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDXC
  • Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDHC
  • Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB UHS-I V30 MicroSDXC
  • Panasonic 32GB UHS-1 (U3) MicroSDHC
  • Panasonic 64GB UHS-1 (U3) MicroSDXC

Matrice 300 RTK with Zenmuse P1 Camera

DJI recommends the following full-size cards for use with the Zenmuse P1 Sensor. Due to this system's high data rate requirements, we suggest using a UHS-II card for the most reliable operation.
The DJI Zenmuse P1 camera supports a maximum size of 512GB.
  • Lexar Professional 633X 128GB SDXC UHS-I Card
  • Lexar Professional 633X 256GB SDXC UHS-I Card
  • Lexar Professional 633X 512GB SDXC UHS-I Card
  • Lexar Professional 667X 128GB SDXC UHS-I/U3 Card
  • Lexar Professional 667X 256GB SDXC UHS-I/U3 Card
  • Lexar Professional 1066X 128GB SDXC UHS-I Card
  • Lexar Professional 1667X 128GB SDXC UHS-II/U3 Card
  • Lexar Professional 1667X 256GB SDXC UHS-II/U3 Card
  • Lexar Professional 2000X 128GB SDXC UHS-II Card
  • SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card
  • SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card
  • SanDisk 128GB SDXC SD Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Card
  • Samsung PRO Plus SDXC Full Size SD Card 128GB
  • Samsung PRO Plus SDXC Full Size SD Card 256GB
  • Sony E Series SDXC UHS-II Card 256GB
  • Sony M Series SDXC UHS-II Card 128GB

Matrice 300/350 RTK with Zenmuse L1/L2 

The Zenmuse L1 and L2 sensors require an SD card with a sequential writing speed of 50 MB/s or above and UHS-I Speed Grade 3 rating or above.
The DJI Zenmuse L1 and L2 both support a maximum size of 256GB.

DJI recommends the following microSD cards for use with the Zenmuse L1 Sensor.

  • SanDisk Extreme 128GB UHS-I Speed Grade 3
  • SanDisk Extreme 64GB UHS-I Speed Grade 3
  • SanDisk Extreme 32GB UHS-I Speed Grade 3
  • SanDisk Extreme 16GB UHS-I Speed Grade 3
  • Lexar 1066x 128GB U3
  • Samsung EVO Plus 128GB

DJI recommends the following microSD cards for use with the Zenmuse L2 Sensor.

  • Lexar 1066x 64GB U3 A2 V30 microSDXC
  • Lexar 1066x 128GB U3 A2 V30 microSDXC
  • Kingston Canvas Go! Plus 128GB U3 A2 V30 microSDXC
  • Lexar 1066x 256GB U3 A2 V30 microSDXC

I still can't do it!

We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.

If you're stuck, the Propeller hardware support team may be able to help. You can contact them by emailing hardwaresupport@propelleraero.com.au.

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