How Many Photos Can 64GB Hold?

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The number of photos we take, store, share, and post online continues to explode. But the storage we have is kind of limited.

To ensure you’re getting the most photos on your smartphone, memory card, or drive, you need to figure out how many photos you can fit into that amount of space.

A 64 GB memory card, drive, or smartphone can hold approximately 6300 photos.

This is; however, an estimate, and the correct numbers depend on the image, device, and a lot of other factors.

Come to a proper decision with these posts:

Let’s start with the reasons that determine the image file size:

What factors determine image file size?

Resolution

Resolution refers to the number of pixels per inch (PPI). If you have a 3,200-by-5,000 pixel image, its resolution is 3,200 × 5,000. The higher the resolution, the more detailed the picture appears, but the larger the file size.

You can also refer to it as the number of pixels per centimeter. The image file size is proportional to the resolution. A 10-by-20-inch photo shot at a resolution of 300 PPI will be about the same size as a 10-by-20-inch photo shot at 600 PPI. 

Quality settings

Many camera settings can affect your photo output. Camera settings include ISO sensitivity, white balance, exposure compensation, shutter speed, etc.

Each of the settings has a specific effect on how your photos appear.

You can choose from JPEG, TIFF, RAW, or several other formats. The format of your file also determines how the image will appear on your computer or another digital device. The most common file type is JPEG. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the standard file format used by most digital cameras. JPEG files are compressed, which means they use fewer data bits than their original RAW file. This results in smaller file size.

Many camera settings can affect your photo output. Camera settings include ISO sensitivity, white balance, exposure compensation, shutter speed, etc.

Different shooting modes determine the size of your photo. For a professional camera, shooting in RAW is the best option. You can always edit your photos later on in editing apps like Photoshop.

JPEG is the most common format for taking photos. It’s a compressed file, which saves space. It also doesn’t provide much flexibility when editing your photos later on. The most popular formats for shooting raw files are the DNG and EXIF formats. These files are usually more significant than a JPEG, but they provide more flexibility when editing the photos later.

Shooting conditions

One of the most important factors determining the size of the images captured by digital cameras is the shooting conditions. These include, but are not limited to, the ISO sensitivity, aperture, and shutter speed. A good rule of thumb is that the higher the ISO sensitivity, the larger the file size. Similarly, depending upon the conditions, the size of the picture varies from place to place.

How many photos can 64GB hold?

On average, 64GBs can hold about 6300 pictures. But the size greatly varies according to the capabilities and functions of your camera’s sensor.

A smartphone camera with a 12MP shooter can shoot up to 12600 JPG images (average size of 5.2MB).

When using a GoPro, a 64 GB storage can hold in about 15000 images approximately.

If you are into shooting RAW photos, you can capture about 1600 to 3300 RAW pictures.

So, if you are a photographer thinking of taking a lot of pictures in a single day shoot, for the most part, you would find a 64GB card to be more than sufficient.

How many photos can a 64GB SD card hold?

On a camera with a 30MP sensor, a 64GB SD card can hold about 2200 photos. This is when considered shooting in JPG file format. If you plan to shoot RAW, it can keep about 300 photos.

How Many RAW Images?

As discussed above,

On a 12MP sensor, you can get about 3000 RAW pictures. With a larger camera sensor like 30MP, you can still manage 300 to 400 photos easily.

Calculating Your Camera’s File Size

You need to take a picture of a uniform scene, such as a wall or ceiling, and take it at the lowest ISO setting, underexposed with 1 stop, and then underexposed at the highest ISO setting with 1 stop. Repeat this twice, but first take photos with correct exposure, then with the photos overexposed with 1 stop.

This should give you a representative range of file sizes. Then, look at the individual file sizes in your camera or once transferred to your computer. Average them all together, then divide by six for an average.

Have a Look and compare the data range to get a better idea:

File Size64 GB Memory Card
2 MB29700
4 MB14850
8 MB7425
16 MB3713
32 MB1856
64 MB928

How many GB is 1000 pictures?

If you consider an average photograph size of 2MB, 1000 pictures will need about 2GB of storage.

Wrap up

In conclusion, it would depend on the photos, but at a minimum, there should be enough space for at least 5,000 photos.

If you’re taking more than that, you’ll need a bigger card, which is one reason to consider going with a larger storage capacity, such as 128GB, to be safer. If you’re using the SD card for only a couple of days at a time, 64GB is more than enough to accommodate your photos.

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