Lexar Professional SILVER SDXC UHS-I 256GB Card review

The Lexar Professional SILVER SDXC UHS-I 256GB card is a standard SD card utilizing UHS-I technology. It offers fast transfer speeds, with a maximum read speed of 205 MB/s and a write speed of 140 MB/s. Positioned as a mid-range option in Lexar’s SD card lineup, it is suitable for enthusiasts and provides plenty of capacity and speed for general shooting.

This card is available in several capacities, from 64GB to 1TB, catering to your various needs for photography and videography. With a V30 speed class rating, it comfortably captures high-resolution HD and 4K footage, making it ideal for beginner—and enthusiast-level cameras as well as the photographers that use them. It also serves as a reliable backup card for professionals.

The Lexar Professional SILVER SDXC UHS-I 256GB card follows standard SD card dimensions and is compatible with all devices that accept this format. Constructed from high-quality plastic, it feels robust, with clear labelling for capacity and speed on the front. The card’s UHS-I technology is evident from the single line of contacts on the back, ensuring compatibility with all current cameras and accessories you might use.

The Lexar Professional SILVER SDXC UHS-I 256GB card offers five capacity options; 64GB, 128GB, 256GB that I’m looking at in this review, a 512GB and 1TB. The speeds of the various capacities do vary slightly but the 256GB that I’m looking at provides maximum read speeds of 205 MB/s and write speeds of 140 MB/s, and this is backed with the V30 speed class rating which means that the write speed will never dip below 30MB/s. While UHS-I is older technology, it ensures compatibility with both new and older devices you may own.

Lexar has tested these cards extensively with a range of cameras, ensuring they support continuous shooting and seamless recording of Full HD and 4K video. Though it is aimed at enthusiasts like you, a faster card would be preferable for high-bitrate video formats. However, for most mirrorless cameras, this card’s speed is more than sufficient.

Lexar emphasizes compatibility and durability. The card is tested for waterproofing, temperature resistance, X-ray resistance, vibration, magnetic fields, shock, and drop resistance. Additionally, Lexar includes a free recovery tool to help you recover accidentally deleted files.

One of the great things about SD cards is their speed class rating. As long as it says V30, as with the Lexar Professional SILVER SDXC UHS-I 256GB card, you know that the minimum write speed is going to be 30 MB per second. In real terms, this means that alongside your camera’s buffer, the card should be more than capable of storing multiple files easily.

For example, if we take the Sony A7 IV, with its JPEG files of around 10 MB and RAW files of around 70 MB each, that’s a combined file size of about 80 MB. While 30 MB per second might not sound like a great deal when compared to those large file sizes, in reality, when coupled with the buffer and the actual write speed of the SD card, it should be more than enough to handle general shooting, even in high-speed burst mode.

In real-world terms, this means that if you’re in burst mode on the A7 IV, you can store about 17 combined JPEG and RAW files before the camera starts to slow down. This compares with around 20 combined JPEG and RAW files with a higher-end UHS-II card and an almost unlimited amount when using a CFexpress Type A card.

So, in comparative real-world tests, while there is an increase in performance when you pay extra for a UHS-II card like the Lexar Professional SILVER PRO, the difference when shooting images isn’t that significant. You can save a considerable amount of money by opting for the UHS-I version over the UHS-II version.

In the real-world tests, this card delivered a strong performance. However, if you are shooting sports and wildlife and have a camera capable of higher speeds, upgrading to a UHS-II card for that small amount of additional speed or opting for a CFexpress Type A or Type B card, depending on your camera manufacturer, can be a definite advantage. However, considering the additional cost of those types, this UHS-I card offers pretty decent performance.

The results of this performance are reflected in benchmark tests, which show that the card meets and exceeds both read and write performance expectations, proving that the transfer rates this card is capable of are truly impressive.

Benchmark Results

AJA System Test Light: Read: 198 MB/s, Write: 185 MB/s

CrystalDiskMark: Read: 207.14 MB/s, Write: 184.74 MB/s

AS SSD: Read: 186.19 MB/s, Write: 173.17 MB/s

ATTO: Read: 184.17 MB/s, Write: 176.19 MB/s

Considering the capacity, speed, and price of the Lexar Professional Silver 256 GB SD card, this is a good option for most photographers and videographers like you. It offers a great balance of performance and affordability, making it suitable for a wide range of shooting scenarios, from general photography to standard video recording. For those needing higher speeds for professional-level work, a UHS-II or CFexpress card might be preferable, but for most enthusiasts, this card is an excellent choice.

Overall, considering the performance, price, and capacity, this Silver 256 GB card is a great option for all levels of photographers.