Nikon Unveils Its Own XQD Memory Cards

Sony sells both mirrorless cameras and memory cards, and Nikon wants in on the party. In addition to announcing its Z Series full-frame mirrorless camera system, Nikon today also unveiled its own Nikon-branded XQD memory cards for use in those cameras.

News of Nikon-branded cards emerged in a leak shortly before the official Z Series announcement.

本日発表されるニコン新製品の発売予定日は、Z7と24-70mmと35mmが9月下旬、50mmが10月下旬、Z6が11月下旬、500mm PFは9月14日になるらしい。あとニコン純正XQDカード「MC-XQ64G/MC-XQ120G」は64GBが17,820円、120GBが29,160円で用意される。#噂

— 軒下デジカメ情報局 (@nokishita_c) August 23, 2018

The Japanese camera rumor site Nokishita reported that Nikon will be selling its own “genuine” XQD memory cards, with a 64GB priced at ¥17,820 (~$160) and a 120GB one with a price tag of ¥29,160 (~$262).

Both memory cards were officially announced by Nikon today. They boast a maximum read speed of 440MB/s and a max write speed of 400MB/s.

The Nikon Z6 and Z7 cameras feature a single XQD memory card slot — a strike against them for many photographers — and those card slots will one day be upgradeable to support CFexpress memory cards of the future through a simple firmware update.

While it’s unclear what the exact pricing in the United States will be, Nikon says the cards are scheduled for release in late September 2018.