We take a look at the latest 256GB SDXC UHS-I U3 memory card from Transcend...

Currently retailing for around $200 / £160, the latest UHS-I Speed Class 3 SDXC memory card from Trancend is available in a range-topping 256GB capacity.

Yes, for a relatively modest amount, you can now buy a memory card that is bigger than the internal hard drive found in some laptops.

The Ultra High Speed Class 3 specification guarantees a minimum constant write speed of 30MB/s to facilitate cinema-quality video recording.

For stills the UHS-I card offers blazing-fast read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 60MB/s, which should be more than enough speed to hit the limits of most (but not all) cameras.

In reality, it's difficult to imagine ever being able to fill this card. The Transcend 256GB SDXC UHS-I U3 card can store more than 40,000 high-resolution JPEG images (12 megapixel camera, 6MB file size), over 16,000 RAW images (based on 14MB file size), or a full 16 hours of 4K Ultra High-Definition footage (4096x2160 35Mb/s H.264 AVC compression).

We discovered that you can fit 1,999+ RAW+JPG files from the 22.3 megapixel Canon EOS 5D MK III DSLR onto this new 256Gb Transcend SD-XC card!

Contrast that with this 256Mb ATP card that we found at the back of the Photography Blog store cupboard...

Transcend's new card isn't even the biggest on the market - that title goes to the SanDisk 512GB Extreme Pro UHS-I U3 SDXC - but we can't imagine why you'd want to pay $400 more to double the capacity.

With a Lifetime Warranty, built-in ECC which automatically detects and corrects potential transfer errors, a write-protection switch, and Transcend's RecoveRx software on hand in case you accidentally delete all those 1,000's of photos, the Transcend 256GB SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 could literally be the only memory card that you need.

The key question is - would you put all of your eggs into one basket, or do you prefer to use several smaller cards? Or do you want an even faster UHS-II card? Leave a comment below...

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