32Gb holds how many pictures
How Many Photos Can 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB Hold?
How many pictures can your SD card hold? Knowing the answer to this question could be the difference between having the ability to shoot all you need and having to make hard choices about which photos are worth keeping.
The five common camera memory card capacities on offer are 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. In this article, we’re going to cover how much space each of these options offers in comparison to one another so that you can make an informed decision about which size suits your requirements best.
But, before we do so, it’s crucial to know the different factors which determine how much space any given photo will take up.
What factors determine image file size?
Several factors determine how large a photo will be. Most notably, there’s the image resolution (pixels), compression settings, and even the shooting conditions.
Resolution
The image resolution describes how many pixels fit in each inch horizontally and vertically on your screen. The more pixels there are in an image, the higher quality it becomes – but this also means it will take up more space.
Quality settings
Most digital cameras have different shooting modes that you can choose between. For example, in professional photography you’ll almost always be shooting in RAW. Images stored in the RAW format will take up significantly more space as this format saves as much data as possible.
JPEG is the most common image file format. These images are compressed, meaning the file size is smaller, but the image quality is reduced.
It’s also worth noting that DSLRs also offer multiple quality options under JPEG, like an extra-fine, fine, and standard, based on which file size will vary. Select cameras can also shoot in sRAW and mRAW which are a middle-point between RAW files and JPEGs.
Shooting conditions
Settings like the ISO and shutter speed can also affect the size of an image. Images with a higher ISO typically take up more space.
Similarly, taking a JPEG photo of a white wall will result in a smaller file size than, say, a scene in a busy city. That comes down to the way the JPEG compression algorithm works by identifying similar areas in the picture.
How did we calculate how many photos each SD card can hold?
As you can see, it can be quite complicated to tell exactly how many images an SD card can save because of how many factors are involved. Not to forget, the device you’re shooting on will also play a part.
To simplify things, we considered the three most common devices that you’re likely to use a memory card to store photos in – a smartphone, DSLR, and a GoPro. Now, each of these devices has a multitude of variants with each offering a plethora of settings that you can change.
So, for smartphones, we used the most common image resolution, which is 12MP. For the DSLR, we considered pictures taken with a Nikon D7200 and averaged out the sizes of multiple pictures (in both JPEG and RAW file formats).
And finally, for the GoPro camera, we used the GoPro Hero 9 Black, but set on 12MP, which is the most commonly used resolution.
Note that these results apply to all types of memory cards, be it SD, Micro SD, CompactFlash etc.
How many photos can a 16GB SD card hold?
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 16GB | 1638 | 400-810 | 3150 | 3810 |
While shooting with the smartphone, we found that the average JPEG image size works out to anywhere between 3.5MB to 7MB, depending on the lighting and what’s in the shot. For the sake of convenience, let’s take the middle point of 5.2MB. So, on a 16GB SD card that results in around 3,150 photos.
Similarly, on a GoPro, the image sizes varied between 3.4MB and 5.2MB; the mean of which is 4.3MB, resulting in about 3,810 photos.
Both the aforementioned examples were with 12MP resolution. If it were to go up to 16MP, the cards would be able to hold only about 2641 JPEG photos.
On the D7200 shooting in Standard, the average JPEG image size was 10MB, meaning a 16GB SD card would be able to store around 1,638 photos. However, if you consider RAW images, which vary between 20MB and 40MB, you’ll be able to shoot only around 400 to 810 images, depending on file size.
How many photos can a 32GB SD card hold?
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 32GB | 3276 | 819 – 1638 | 6300 | 7620 |
Considering the same parameters as before, a 32GB SD card should be able to hold about 6,300 images shot on a smartphone with a 12MP camera. Similarly, on the GoPro, a 32GB SD card will be good for about 7,620 images.
With a DSLR, like the Nikon D7200, a 32GB SD card will hold 3,277 images in JPEG, considering their average size is 10MB. In the case of RAW files, this number can range from between 819 to 1638 images.
How many photos can a 64GB SD card hold?
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 64GB | 6552 | 1638 – 3277 | 12600 | 15240 |
The average size of smartphone images shot in 12MP resolution works out to about 5.2MB. Using that figure, a 64GB SD card will be able to hold about 12,600 JPEG images. On a GoPro, which has an average file size of 4.3MB while shooting in 12MP, that number will be around 15,240 images. That’s a lot!
On a DSLR, you’ll be able to get away with storing around 6,552 JPEG images and between 1,638 and 3,277 RAW photos.
As you can see, a 64GB SD card can store a lot of pictures, irrespective of what device and settings you’re shooting with.
For a day shoot, most people will find that a 64GB card is more than enough.
How many photos can a 128GB SD card hold?
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 128GB | 13104 | 3277 – 6553 | 25200 | 30480 |
On a smartphone, a 128GB SD card may even be overkill if you’re going to be using it only for pictures. It should be able to hold 25,200 JPEG images and that’s more than what some people will shoot in their lifetime.
Using this card on a GoPro will get you even more images – approximately 30,480 images, and it can be quite cumbersome to have so many pictures on just one card.
A 128GB SD card in a DSLR like the Nikon D7200 will be able to store about 13,104 JPEG images in Standard quality – that number will drop or increase depending on whether you change quality.
It can also store a fair amount of RAW images – between 3,277 and 6,553, depending on how large the file is.
Most professional photographers have a 128GB SD card in their gear bag. It’s perfect for long days of shooting, like a wedding or advertorial shoot, and will also last you more than a few days if you’re not clicking a lot of pictures.
How many photos can a 256GB SD card hold?
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 256GB | 26208 | 6554 – 13107 | 50400 | 60960 |
A 256GB SD card is more than most people will ever require. On your phone, it should be able to capture about 50,400 images. And on a GoPro shooting at 12MP, it will theoretically be able to take 60,960 images. I wouldn’t recommend investing in a 265GB SD card for either of these devices if all you’re going to be doing is taking pictures.
A 265GB SD card may even be too much for a top-end DSLR. You can shoot about 26,208 JPEG images and anywhere between 6,554 and 13,107 RAW images with it, which is more than sufficient for most shoots.
Results Summary Table
| DSLR (Standard) | DSLR (RAW) | Smartphone | GoPro Hero 9 | |
| 16GB | 1638 | 400 – 810 | 3150 | 3810 |
| 32GB | 3276 | 819 – 1638 | 6300 | 7620 |
| 64GB | 6552 | 1638 – 3277 | 12600 | 15240 |
| 128GB | 13104 | 3277 – 6553 | 25200 | 30480 |
| 256GB | 26208 | 6554 – 13107 | 50400 | 60960 |
Calculating a figure for your own camera
I hope the above information helps you decide which size of SD card is best for you.
If you want to do the calculation yourself for your device, you can take a few pictures and see how large they are, and use that number to figure how many images you’ll be able to store per GB (Remember, 1GB = 1,024MB).
A memory card often stores more than just photos
Also keep in mind that with most devices, you’re going to end up storing more than just pictures.
For instance, if it’s a micro SD card for your phone, you might save apps and app data on them. On a GoPro, you’d obviously use the bulk of your memory card for video files. There might be additional files to think about – for example, the GoPro automatically generates THM and LRV files that accompany every MPEG-4 video file.
It’s harder to estimate how much space such files will consume and how much actual usable space you’re left with, so you should err on the side of caution and opt for a larger memory card size.
So, what is the ideal memory card size?
Obviously, if cost is not an issue, the largest capacity card which gives you the most storage space is the best.
However, for most of us price does matter, so you need to have a rough idea of your photographing needs.
Do you go on longer trips or do professional wedding photography where you can’t afford to caught without any remaining storage?
Or do you only take a few photos a day and often offload images to your computer or cloud storage?
Do you only store uncompressed RAW photos, JPEG photos, or a mix of both?
Each situation calls for different storage capacity needs.
Remember, it’s always better to have a little extra space than find yourself having to go through and find photos you can safely delete!
Memory Card considerations beyond storage capacity
While it might seem that more storage = better, there’s actually a bit more to choosing a memory card.
Whether you’re talking about SD memory card, micro SD card or CF card, they all have different specifications when it comes to read speed and minimum write speed. A higher spec card speeds up data transfers and is necessary if you want to record 4k video.
For example, the most popular flash memory brand SanDisk offers SD cards in Ultra, Extreme and Extreme Pro versions which all have different performance specs.
For this reason, money may be better spent on a smaller capacity memory card that offers superior performance, rather than simply going for the card that can store the most photos.
Max Hayman
I’m a photographer and the chief editor of Capture Guide. After spending several years in parts of South America with my trusty old Nikon D7100, I’m now back home patiently waiting for borders to re-open.
How Many Pictures Can a 32GB Memory Card Hold?
A side effect of being a lover of photography is finding ways to store the photographs you take.
Thankfully, advancements in tech have made photo storage easier. You can now take thousands of photos with just a memory card.
Buying a 32GB memory card for your camera can sometimes feel like a license to take an unlimited number of photos, but you know that’s not true.
All memory cards eventually fill up.
You probably are now wondering, "How many pictures can a 32GB memory card hold?" That’s what we wrote this article for!
How Many Photos Can a 32GB Memory Card Hold?
A 32GB can carry up to 5,500 photos, but this is not always the case as some factors affect how many pictures a 32GB memory card holds in practice.
Factors such as the quality settings of the camera, file format, camera resolution, and card reliability determine the number of photos a 32GB memory card can hold.
Related: A Complete Guide to the Exposure Triangle in Photography
Let’s look at how each of these factors affects photo file size and the number of photos your memory card can carry.
Quality Settings
Your camera's quality settings determine how much space each photo takes up on the memory card. This holds true whether you’re shooting with a regular camera or your phone.
The higher the quality setting, such as High or Super Fine, the more space is taken up by each photo because they have more pixels and information.
You can find out how much space photos take in each of the formats by shooting in the different modes and checking their file sizes.
File Format
There are two main types of files that you'll come across when it comes to photography: JPEG and RAW. JPEG is the most common file type for images captured by cameras and smartphones because they're smaller in size.
JPEG files are compressed, meaning that the image has been made smaller to save space and make it easier to transmit across devices without taking up too much space.
RAW files, on the other hand, are uncompressed, minimally processed image files. Because they’re uncompressed, RAW files are typically much larger than JPEG files and thus take up more space on your camera's memory card.
Camera Resolution
Another critical factor determining the number of photos that can fit into a 32GB memory card is the camera resolution. The higher the camera resolution, the larger the photo files.
Photos shot with a 20 megapixels camera, in standard settings, have larger file sizes than those shot on, say, a 15 megapixels camera.
Card Reliability
When using memory cards, it’s always best never to use their full capacity, as it could affect their performance. Experts recommend not exceeding 90% of the card’s capacity.
However, some memory cards may malfunction before the 90% mark, affecting the number of photos the card can hold.
How Many Photos Can Your 32GB Memory Card Carry in Practice?
Having listed the different factors that affect the number of photos a memory card can hold, let’s now calculate the number of photos your 32GB memory card can hold in practice.
We’ll use the Nikon D7500 DSLR camera as an example.
- At 5MB per JPEG, a 32GB memory card will contain *5,468 photos.
- At 20MB each, a 32GB memory card will carry *1,367 RAW photos.
*This number represents ideal usage. That's 90% of the actual storage.
But 32GB isn't the only size of memory card available, right? So how many photos do these other card sizes carry? How many photos can a 4GB / 8GB/ 16GB / 64GB / 128GB / 256GB memory card carry?
JPEG | RAW |
|---|
*Data in the table is calculated for a 20.9MP Camera shooting JPEGs at 5MB and RAW files at 20MB.
Related: What Is the Difference Between Mirrorless and DSLR Cameras?
What Size of Memory Card Should You Buy?
When buying a memory card, the size you need is determined by what you want to use it for. If you're a professional photographer or regularly shoot RAW images, the larger sizes will be your best bet.
But if all you need is enough space for your personal photos, then one of the smaller ones will work just fine. Plus, you can always download pictures from your memory card to your computer if the card gets filled.
How many photos can 32 GB hold?
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Saving your images is just as important as taking them. The 32 GB storage device is ideal for storing your images. If you ask how many photos can 32 GB hold? Below you will find answers to your question and learn how to calculate it yourself.
Quick Navigation
- How many photos can fit in 32 GB? nine0008
- What factors affect the file size of an image?
- Quality settings
- File formats
- Camera resolution
- Photo usage
- Memory card types
- Speed
- How do I calculate the number of images that can fit in 32 GB?
- Is 32 GB too much for a camera?
- How many photos can be stored in 64 GB? nine0012
How many photos can fit in 32 GB?
32 GB can hold 480 to 26,500 photos.
It can store about 1,780 RAW images taken with a 6 megapixel camera. This figure is about 17,800 JPEG photos at the same resolution. In addition, it can store approximately 6,300 images taken with the iPhone's standard 12 megapixel camera.
The size of each image determines the total number of photos you can save. nine0003
However, other factors may determine how many images will fit in 32GB storage. You will be overwhelmed by how wide the range is for so many images. We discussed below
What are the factors that affect the file size of an image?
It is not enough to assume that all your photos will have the same properties mentioned above. Let's discuss the factors that affect the file size of your image:
Quality settings
Company The ISO settings match the film speed of your camera. Thus, when you increase the ISO value of your camera, the noise in the image increases. As a result, the file size will increase because your photo will be harder to compress.
The bit depth of an image affects the image file size. The amount of memory each pixel needs to display all colors. The more colors in the image, the higher the bit depth and the larger the file size.
File formats
The format you use to take pictures also plays a huge role in determining the size of the picture. The most common formats for photographers are the RAW, JPEG, and PNG file formats.
JPEG image
JPEG files are processed using a technique called lossy compression after the original image is captured. When you compress an image in this way, you save only the data that is needed for the image. nine0003
Thus a JPEG is typically smaller, from a few hundred to a few thousand bytes. The quality will also degrade compared to the original photo.
RAW image
The quality and type of camera used for shooting can affect the file size of the RAW image. It is compressed in a way that results in a smaller file size without sacrificing quality.
Instead of erasing the data from the image, it reorders or stacks it.
RAW files are typically around 30MB in size. These RAW image files are larger than other photos such as JPEGs and PNGs. nine0003
Camera Resolution
Your camera's resolution refers to the number of pixels in the layers in each photo you take. The number of pixels will determine the quality of a particular image. The rule of thumb is that the higher the number of pixels, the higher the quality of the image. Thus, the larger the image size.
What size memory card do you need?
After the appearance of taking a memory card, it is important to pay great attention so that you can choose the appropriate size. Now let's dive into the topic of which memory card is best for you. nine0003
Photo usage
The type of photos you take should determine your choice of memory cards. Image resolution and quality settings can vary greatly from one image to another. This explains why some pictures are huge and others are not.
Depending on your specific photography requirements, we have several suggestions for you:
Landscape photography
The factor that determines how most landscape photos will look is the aspect ratio. Most landscape images have an aspect ratio in the range of 3:2, 1:1, 4:3, 5:4, 16:9or 2:1. This size also affects the size of the image.
Generally, the larger the aspect ratio, the larger the number of pixels. Increasing the number of pixels also increases the size of the image. For example, a 3:2 aspect ratio requires about 24 MP. The size at this resolution is about 4.5 MB for JPEG and 54 MB for RAW.
32 GB of storage is enough to store most of your direct landscape photos. However, if you want to store multi-year photos, you should consider one for 1TB or more. nine0003
Property photos
Standard listing image dimensions are 330 pixels wide by 220 pixels high. This size corresponds to a size between 10 and 50 MB. With that in mind, we only recommend 32 GB for your immediate needs.
However, you may want to consider adding more memory in the long run.
Wedding photography
A minimum of 1 terabyte of disk space is ideal for most wedding photographers. The typical size of a processed JPEG photo from a wedding photo shoot is about 10 MB. Most wedding photographers only need 32 GB of disk space. nine0003
Types of memory cards
real estate photographer, you have a wide range of projects that you could work on. You can rent a commercial building, residential building or interior decoration. Depending on the type of photo you are taking, there are different types of memory cards. Here are the different types of cards you can use:
CF (compact flash)
The company's compact flash card is common among many professional photographers. It is known for having the fastest read speed compared to other memory cards. Compact flash storage capacity ranges from 8 GB to 512 GB depending on several factors. nine0003
This card fits most SLR cameras without any problems. So you can use it for any high resolution photos.
SD (Secure Digital)
This card is suitable for medium to small size cameras such as Pentax and Hasselblad. It is portable and ideal for most home interior shots. You can also use it for many other low resolution photos. Below is a table showing the various characteristics of this card:
MicroSD
As the name suggests, it is much smaller than an SD card. You can easily insert it into small and mini cameras. the most common micro SD cards store up to 2 TB. However, super-capacity versions can store up to 128 TB.
Speed
Memory card speed is measured in megabytes per second (MB/s) and can be divided into several categories. Both the capacity of the memory card and the size of the image file determine how fast the card will read or write data. Here are the four general speed classes:
- Class 2 (C2), minimum speed 2 MB/s.
- Class 4 (C4), 4 MB/s minimum
- Class 6 (C6): 6 MB/s minimum
- Class 10 (C10): Minimum 10 MB/s.
How to calculate the number of images that can fit 32 GB?
Counting the number of photos for your vault is not a difficult process. All you need to know is the average image file size of the image format. Then divide the available space (32 GB) by that number. nine0003
Average image file size for JPEG
- 4 (megapixels) = 1.2 MB
- 5 (megapixels) = 1.5 MB
- 6 (megapixels) = 1.8 MB
- 7 (megapixels) = 2.1 MB
- 8 (megapixels) = 2.4MB
- 10 (megapixels) = 3.0 MB
- 12 (megapixels) = 3.6 MB
- 14 (megapixels) = 4.2 MB
- 16 (megapixels) = 4.8 MB
- 22 (megapixels) = 6.6 MB
Average image file size for RAW
- 4 (megapixels) = 12 (MB)
- 5 (megapixels) = 15 (MB)
- 6 (megapixels) = 18 (MB)
- 7 (megapixels) = 21 (MB)
- 8 (megapixels) = 24 (MB)
- 10 (megapixels) = 30 (MB)
- 12 (megapixels) = 36 (MB)
- 14 (megapixels) = 42 (MB)
- 16 (megapixels) = 48 (MB)
- 22 (megapixels) = 66 (MB)
Related questions
Is 32 GB too much for a camera?
32 GB for a camera is not that much. The average professional makes thousands of high quality images a year. Many photographers opt for more storage, perhaps terabytes. This decision is due to the large volume of images and their required size.
How many photos can be stored in 64 GB?
64 GB can hold up to 12,000 photos when shot with a 12 megapixel camera with an average image size of 5.2 MB. It can also store about 2,460 RAW images and 6,500 JPEG images on a single storage medium. standard reflex camera. nine0003
Conclusion
The 32GB memory capacity is ideal for the urgent needs of many photographers. It can store up to tens of thousands of high quality images. However, several factors affect the size of your images. We've broken down everything you need to know about it.
How many photos can fit on a 32 and 64 GB memory card
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Do you know how many photos can actually fit on your 32 or 64 GB memory card? Here you will find the answer
Photography enthusiasts are always looking for the safest and most reliable way to store their images. Fortunately, thanks to the development of technology, there are now very easy ways to do this either in the cloud or on storage devices.
Memory cards are one of the most popular storage devices. Having one might be the ultimate solution when saving your images, but, Will they have enough space for it to work? To help you answer this question, today we will tell you how many photos fit on a 32 and 64 GB memory card.
Things to know before storing photos on a memory card
Before you know how many photos can be stored on a memory card, there are a few things to consider.
There are several factors that directly affect the number of photos you can store on a memory card. Here are some of the most important:
- Quality settings: The camera's quality settings determine how much space each photo takes up on the memory card. The higher the quality setting, the more space each photo will take up because it contains more pixels and information.
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- File Format: The two most popular photo file formats are JPEG and RAW. JPEG is the most common file type because images are smaller because they are compressed. RAW files, on the other hand, are uncompressed and minimally processed, so they are larger.
- Camera resolution: The higher the camera resolution, the larger the photo files.
- Card reliability: It is best not to use the full capacity of the memory card as this may affect its performance. Ideally, the capacity should not exceed 90%, but some memory cards may malfunction before reaching this limit, which affects the number of photos you can save.
So, how many photos can a 32 GB memory card hold?
A 32 GB memory card can theoretically hold 5,200 to 5,500 photos, but this is not always the case. Everything will depend on the factors described above. For example, if we use a 20 megapixel camera, we can save approximately 5468 JPEG images and 1367 RAW photos.
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