ImageReasonStorage, Media, and Workflow
What write throughput does my capture plan need?
Enter your still burst or video capture plan to calculate the sustained MiB/s a card must support, with a margin you choose, before you rely on a marketing label.
Answer
Visualize
| Quantity | Value |
|---|
Compare
| Margin | Required MiB/s |
|---|
Plan
Calculate a result to generate a copyable plan.
Capacity and throughput are different questions
Storage capacity and write speed are different questions. A card can hold the full job and still be unable to sustain the way a camera produces files during a burst or a high-bitrate recording mode. This planner starts with the data the camera must write each second, then adds a margin you choose. It does not certify a particular card because camera buffers, firmware, codecs, thermal behavior, and card-controller performance are outside a simple arithmetic model.
For stills, multiply the average written file size by frames per second. A camera producing 35 MiB files at 10 frames per second generates about 350 MiB each second before a safety margin. For video, divide the stated megabits-per-second bitrate by eight to convert to megabytes-per-second scale, then account for the unit convention you are comparing. The page uses MiB/s internally and shows an approximate MB/s conversion so the assumption stays visible.
Add an entered card rate and buffer size only if you have reliable documentation. If the card writes more slowly than the capture generates data, a buffer can delay the problem but not remove it. The simplified model estimates how quickly the declared buffer is consumed. It cannot predict a camera's exact behavior, because cameras can compress differently, slow down under heat, reserve buffer space, or handle files in ways the calculator cannot inspect.
Use the result as a verification plan. Check the camera manual for the required media and mode. Check the card's sustained, not merely peak, write documentation. Then make a long enough test in the actual camera with the same format, resolution, frame rate, and recording duration.
FAQ
- Is a card's capacity enough to know it will work?
- No. Capacity says how much it holds. Capture modes also need adequate sustained write throughput.
- Why add a safety margin?
- File sizes and camera behavior vary. The margin is a planning assumption, not a compatibility guarantee.
- Can this tell me a card's real buffer depth?
- No. Enter a documented buffer only if you have it. The calculator does not inspect the camera.