Digital Camera Continuous Shooting Buffer and Memory Card Writing: Taking Nikon Z5II and Sony ILCE-1 as Examples

How Continuous Shooting Buffer Affects Shooting

The camera can temporarily store continuous shooting photos in the internal buffer while also writing the photos to the memory card. The Nikon Z5II displays an approximate number of shots the buffer can hold under the current settings; when "r000" is shown, the frame rate will drop. The number of buffered shots, continuous shooting speed, and clearing time depend on the camera model, file format, shooting settings, and memory card, and cannot be calculated from a fixed buffer capacity or a single card speed formula.〔G-BUF-01〕

RAW Format and Specific Camera Model Examples

Different file formats may affect continuous shooting performance. The Sony ILCE-1 help guide lists the number of continuous shots separately for compressed RAW, uncompressed RAW, and lossless compressed RAW; this table is based on the specified L:50M and Hi+ conditions, and the guide also notes that the numbers vary with shooting conditions and memory cards. These values should be considered as references for that model with those settings and cannot be extrapolated to other cameras.〔G-BUF-03〕

Card Selection and Post-Shooting Operations

When selecting a card, first check the camera manufacturer’s compatible card list and recommended write speeds, then test with the planned file format and continuous shooting settings; maximum read speed alone is not enough to predict the camera’s continuous shooting performance. After shooting, do not remove the card if the memory card access light is still on. The Nikon Z5II manual states that when the camera is turned off, if there are still photos in the buffer, the camera will wait until all photos are written before shutting down. Refer to the manual of the camera being used for the specific indicator lights and operational requirements.〔G-BUF-02, G-BUF-04〕