We know that the right memory card can make all the difference. Whether capturing fast-paced action or shooting in extreme conditions, having a reliable and high-performance card is essential. Enter the T-Create EXPERT UHS-II SDXC Card.
It’s a card that promises impressive specs and robust build quality. Here are my firsthand experiences with this memory card to see if it meets my expectations.
If you are unfamiliar with them, Team Group and their brand T-Create are possibly best known for their solid-state drives and computer memory modules. Hailing from Taiwan, they have recently extended their range to include a first-class memory card reader that I reviewed recently, and they now produce high-quality memory cards too. Here's how the T-Create EXPERT UHS-II SDXC performed.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The card arrives in a neat cardboard box, immediately earning points for its environmentally friendly packaging. There's no metallic finish typeface here, just clear, practical labeling. Inside is a slide-in plastic tray with a lid (I’d prefer recyclable cardboard) that holds and protects the card. Although that could be used for long-term storage, I prefer a cardboard tray and a small, standard-sized card holder.
The card’s construction feels solid, and the gold and silver-on-black typeface indicates storage size and speed; I can read it even without my glasses. Notably, the locking switch is firm and won’t accidentally engage, which is a common issue with lower-end cards. Beneath the card's specifications is a white area for the photographer to write card identification details.
About the Card
The T-Create EXPERT cards utilize Advanced pSLC Technology. That pSLC (pseudo-single-level cell) technology ensures stable data writing without speed reduction. Essentially, it emulates the reliability of SLC (single-level cell) memory but uses a more cost-effective design.
Nevertheless, the performance of these cards makes them suitable for 4K Ultra HD and 8K video, plus high-speed shooting. My camera can shoot up to 120 RAW frames per second, so having fast writing speeds is important to me.
The cards are dust- and waterproof to IP67. That’s something I find essential because I often shoot in challenging conditions. They also have X-ray protection.
The Performance Icons Decoded
Let’s break down the performance icons on the SDXC card’s label:
- SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) refers to a specific type of memory card format that offers extended storage capacity compared to its predecessors. By default, it uses the exFAT file system, which allows the cards to handle large files efficiently.
- Card Capacity: The card I tested was 256 GB.
- UHS-II Speed: UHS-II cards are faster and more reliable than their UHS-I counterparts. The T-Create EXPERT boasts an impressive write speed of 260 MB/s.
- Video Speed (V90): This card can handle 8K video without dropping frames, with a minimum write speed guaranteed not to drop below 90 MB/s. That exceeds the needs of any mirrorless camera, as that is cinematography-level performance.
- Temperature and Resilience: Unlike some other brands, the card isn’t covered in icons proclaiming how it performs in other areas. For example, there’s no thermometer icon indicating its operating temperature range. Nevertheless, it is usable from -13 °F (-25 °C) to 185 °F (85 °C). It also has IP67 ingress protection.
Compatibility Considerations
The rear of the card reveals the UHS-II’s extra row of terminals. Before purchasing, ensure your camera supports UHS-II; mine does, but older cameras might not. Although it is backward compatible, meaning it should work in cameras with lower bus speeds, you won’t fully exploit its capabilities. So, while you could slot it into an older camera, there would be little point in buying a UHS-II card specifically for a device incapable of working at those speeds.
Real-World Performance
Writing Speed
How does the card perform? I’ve been using the card for several weeks and am impressed with its performance. With it fitted in my OM-1, at the camera’s fastest rate of 120 raw frames per second (fps), the buffer was full after ¾ second. In other words, the camera’s buffer didn’t bottleneck until I had shot over 90 raw frames. After that, a slowdown occurs, but the buffer empties swiftly, and I can start shooting at full speed again.
At about 20 rfps at 1/1000th second, the buffer didn’t fill until I had shot nearly 30 seconds of RAW frames. The frame rate slowed after that, but the camera continued shooting.
Environmental Tests
After running thousands of high-speed frames, I checked the card’s temperature. It remained around room temperature. Uploading and downloading photos showed no significant heat buildup.
Throwing the card in my freezer at -18 °C for an hour did not adversely affect the performance. Neither did submerging the card in a glass of water for 30 minutes cause it to fail.
What I Like and What Could Be Improved Next Time
What I Like
- Quality Build: Team Group delivers a robust construction with this card.
- Generous Capacity: With 256 GB capacity, I can shoot over 10,000 RAW frames before needing to swap cards.
- Consistent high performance.
- Space on the label to write personal card details.
- Human Rights Perspective: Team Group is a Taiwanese company, a country known for its commitment to civil liberties.
What I Would Change Next Time:
- More Eco-Friendly Packaging: The plastic storage compartment could be made smaller and mostly replaced with a recyclable cardboard tray.
The Price Tag
When I wrote this review, it had sold out. It is available again now, but there is high demand for them.
The cards vary in price. At the time of writing, the smallest 64 GB version of this card is a very reasonable $42.99. Then there is the 128 GB at $78.99. The 256 GB version is $154.99, and the 512 GB is $369.
The slower, but perfectly adequate, V60 versions, suitable for most purposes, cost far less, ranging from $25.99 up to $178.99 for the 1 TB card.
This card has a generous five-year warranty, and my initial testing impressed me.
You can find the full range of cards on a single page at Amazon.
In Conclusion
There’s one popular SD card that is regularly for sale on Amazon. Come Black Friday, they are guaranteed to be reduced by a large percentage. Reading comments online, lots of people say that brand is what they always use. However, my experience is that they are flimsy and invariably fail after a couple of years of use, either by losing data or falling to bits. I need reliability, so I moved away from that popular brand.
Investing in a better quality card from a different brand is a far better choice. All my tests showed the T-Create UHS-II SDXC Card is a better quality card I will use it in the future. So, if you’re ready to invest in top-tier performance, this might be your next memory card of choice.
I also bought this 128gb version of this T-Create V90 card. I actually did have a failure with it, but was able to recover everything using "EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard" that I have a subscription for. That's an essential tool that has come in handy a couple of times in my life. So is this purchase reliable? Maybe, it's possible that maybe it was pulled out incorrectly, or maybe I have a bad card. Things happen. It's not a great idea for me to reformat and reuse... but against my better judgement, I might. Just because I'm cheap. That said, when I purchased again, I didn't buy from T-Create: I went with PNY 128GB EliteX-PRO90 UHS-II for a little more cost.
Edit: You reminded me of the 5-year warranty. I might go that route.
Unplugging any card while it is being written to can cause issues, and I know someone who has cards failing and it was their camera causing it. T-Create are a good company so it's worth getting in touch with them to see what they say.
you do have to admit T-Create is the cheapest I ever found of the V-90 assortment of cards. I don't think there is a cheaper V-90 card, maybe something on a black-friday deal. At first, I was worried I got what I paid for.