Photo storage and whole-card capacity
Storage required uses your average combined file size per photograph. Card capacity rounds down to complete photographs. Required cards round up from that count, so a photograph is never split between cards.
For video recorded on the same media, the Video File Size Calculator estimates storage from bitrate and duration.
The formula
This calculator uses decimal MB and GB consistently. Reserved capacity is removed before counting complete files. Card count is based on photographs per card rather than simply dividing total gigabytes, because small leftover spaces cannot always accommodate another full photograph.
Worked example
Two thousand photographs averaging 25 MB require 50 GB. A 64 GB card with 10% held unused has 57.6 GB available, enough for 2,304 photographs at that average size. One card covers the estimate with 304 positions remaining. For 2,000 photographs at 25 MB RAW plus 5 MB JPEG, one set needs 60 GB. A 64 GB card with 10% unused fits 1,920 complete pairs, so two cards are needed. Three stored copies need 180 GB.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the combined average size, or separate RAW and JPEG sizes in decimal MB.
- Set planned photo count, decimal card capacity and reserve percentage.
- Choose stored copies and read one-set card requirements, total archive size and capacity comparisons.
Measure files from the intended settings
Compressed image sizes vary with scene detail, noise, format, bit depth, and quality settings. A camera’s megapixel count alone does not determine its JPEG or RAW file size. Use representative samples from the same settings, or a documented estimate from the camera manufacturer, and allow room for larger-than-average files.
Capacity labels and backup copies
Storage devices commonly advertise decimal gigabytes while some software displays binary units. A GB is one billion bytes; a GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes. Enter quantities on the decimal basis used here. The calculation describes one stored copy only. A second card slot recording duplicates, a backup drive, or sidecar files require additional storage planning.
Estimate photo storage, RAW plus JPEG card capacity and space for backup copies
Split entry adds measured RAW and companion JPEG megabytes for each photograph. Enter zero JPEG size when no companion file is kept. The combined size must be at most one million MB. Stored copies multiply the planned archive size, while card counts and spare positions describe one capture set. Capacity comparisons round complete photographs downward using decimal GB and the same unused reserve. File sizes vary with camera settings and subject detail; no camera-model average is assumed.
Assumptions & limitations
What this calculation assumes
- Every photograph uses the entered average combined file size.
What to keep in mind
- Actual file sizes and formatted device capacity can vary. Copies multiply archive storage; parity, deduplication and separate-device redundancy are not modeled.
Common questions
Can I use this for RAW plus JPEG?
Yes. Choose separate RAW and JPEG sizes, or enter their combined average size in combined mode. Card capacity counts each exposure and its companion file together.
Why can total free space exceed the next photograph size across several cards?
Free space is separated between devices. The count only uses whole photographs that fit on an individual card.
Sources & further reading
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