When shooting with a 20-megapixel camera, you can fit around 21,330 pictures on a 128GB memory card. However, that number can end up higher or lower if you use a camera with a different resolution or if you shoot in RAW format.
I’m Caleb, and I have more than five years of photography experience. My specialty is sports photography, and I’ve covered numerous college and semi-pro-level games.
In this article, I’ll explain how many pictures you can fit on a 128GB memory card and what factors can raise or lower the number. If you’re unsure how much storage you’ll need, read ahead for a clear explanation.
Contents
How Many Pictures Can 128GB Hold?
A memory card or hard drive with 128GB of storage can hold about 21,330 pictures.
However, that number comes with some caveats. The estimate assumes the pictures have a 20-megapixel resolution, and you save them in JPEG format.
The camera determines the resolution. Twenty megapixels is a fairly average middle-range resolution, but many newer cameras have higher ones. Older cameras, or cameras that are video focused, on the other hand, may have a lower resolution.
With that being said, 128GB is a lot of storage. Even if you’re shooting with a high-resolution camera, you’ll probably have enough storage space to avoid running out anytime soon.
How Many RAW Pictures Can 128GB Hold?
The file size is determined not just by resolution but by format too. Even though JPEG is the most popular format for shooting pictures, the RAW format is also widely used as it allows for greater editing.
RAW files are significantly larger than their JPEG counterparts. If you’re shooting in RAW format, you’ll only be able to fit around 2,130 pictures on the same memory card, even if the resolution remains the same.
This is the main reason why larger memory cards are preferable when shooting in this format.
RAW files also increase in size at higher resolutions, just like JPEGs do, which means if you’re shooting high resolution and RAW format, you’ll really need a large memory card to avoid running out of space.
FAQs
Here are some other frequently asked questions about storage devices.
How Many Pictures Can 128GB Hold On iPhone?
If you have a 128GB iPhone model with a 12-megapixel camera, like the iPhone 14, you can fit around 35,560 photos in your storage. However, that would assume you were exclusively using your storage space for pictures.
Is 128GB Enough Storage?
For most photographers, 128GB is more than enough storage. For the most part, only photographers shooting many high-resolution RAW photos would have to worry about running out of space.
Conclusion
You can fit about 21,330 pictures on a 128GB memory card, assuming each one of them is 20 megapixels, and they’re in JPEG format. But the number will go down dramatically if you’re shooting in RAW format.
Is 128GB too much storage for you, or is it just right? Let us know in the comments!
