Canon EOS R5 Mark II Corrupted Files and Sandisk Memory Cards – What You Need to Know

Storage Media

by Jeff LochToday

Canon recently stated that if you use certain Sandisk SD memory cards with your EOS R5 Mark II, especially in stills mode, you could suffer from corrupted/abnormal files, which are potentially impossible to recover. So, before you buy a memory card for your brand-new camera and your next holiday/family trip – or even worse, client shoot – read below and see which memory card models you should avoid!

The Canon EOS R5 Mark II was released in July 2024, and the least we can say is that it has impressive features. Indeed, the camera has a new 45MP full-frame back-illuminated stacked (BSI) dual-pixel CMOS AF sensor, it can shoot video internally in up to 8K at 60P in 12-bit RAW, it has IBIS, Canon Log 2/Log 3 picture profiles, a new cooling grip to prevent overheating, a full-size HDMI port, and much more. We recently added the camera to our CineD camera database if you want to learn more about it.

The Canon EOS R5 Mark II features two memory card slots: one CFexpress Type B for the most demanding video recording modes and one standard SD card slot for stills, proxy, and compressed video. However, Canon recently issued a statement that using some Sandisk SD memory cards could result in corrupted/abnormal files, especially for stills shooting.

Canon EOS R5 Mark II – Sandisk Extreme PRO SD card issues

Let’s start with the official statement issued by Canon USA:

Still images taken with Canon EOS R5 Mk II may be recorded as corrupted/abnormal due to incompatibility of certain Sandisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II 64GB, 128GB and 256GB V60 cards.

For more information, please see the link to SanDisk support: Steps to Resolve Sandisk Extreme PRO® SDXC™ UHS-II V60 64, 128, and 256GB Still Image Problem with a Canon EOS R5 Mark II | SanDisk

To learn about compatible SanDisk Memory Cards for EOS R5 Mark II, please visit the below link. Learn About Compatible Sandisk Memory Cards for the Canon EOS R5 Mark II Camera | SanDisk

This information is only for residents of the United States and its five territories. If you do not reside within these areas, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

Service Strategy & Support Group
Canon U.S.A., Inc

When writing this article, only three memory cards were affected by this issue: the Sandisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II V60 64, 128, and 256GB. This particular memory card’s 512GB and 1TB models are unaffected. As a fairly logical move, I strongly advise you to avoid these. Sandisk reports you can contact them “if you have one of the incompatible cards about warranty replacement.” However, the Extreme PRO UHS-II V90 SDHC memory cards are all listed as compatible.

I can never stress it enough, but at the end of the day, all your footage is stored on tiny memory cards. Even though no brand is infallible, buying and investing in memory cards and storage solutions from companies you trust is crucial. Also, with so many different memory card standards, shapes, and ratings, ensuring that the memory card you plan on using or purchasing is officially listed as “compatible” with your camera is crucial nowadays.

Since Sandisk was purchased by Western Digital in October 2015, the company has faced reliability issues, especially with their Extreme Portable SSD V2 drives. The fact that the G-Technology brand was turned into Sandisk Professional doesn’t seem to have stopped these issues, and this new SD card issue surely won’t help.

What do you think about this Sandisk issue with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II? Have you already had issues with Sandisk products? What is your go-to brand when it comes to storage solutions? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!