How Many Pictures Will 8GB Hold?

No one can tell exactly how many pictures can be stored on an 8 GB storage because it depends on several factors such as the size of the picture, the format of the file, and the device you are using to capture the pictures.

But don’t worry, we have broken down the techniques of how to calculate the number of pictures that an 8 GB storage can hold in this article. So, let’s explore the capacity of holding pictures according to the memory card size.

How Many Pictures Will 8GB Hold – Showing Calculations How Many Pictures Can Store?

The capacity of a memory card started at 256 MB earlier which is almost distinct. Nowadays, memory cards are measured in gigabytes on the market. 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1000 Megabyte (MB). It means, that if the size of your pictures is 1 MB, then it can hold 1000 pictures in a 1 GB memory card.

However, you will never get exactly 1000 MB from a 1 GB memory card. Almost 900MB out of 1GB is usable in a 1GB memory card. Similarly, on an 8GB memory card, nearly 7500 MB is usable.

So, you have to calculate based on the size of the usable portion of your memory card. Here is the formula to calculate how many images can be stored in a memory card:

Size of the memory card storage / Size of a picture = Number of pictures the memory card can store.

For example, the available storage of your 8 GB memory card is 7.4 GB or 7400 MB and the average size of pictures is 3MB. So, your memory card will hold 7400/3=2466 pictures.

How to Identify the Size of Pictures?

It may be difficult to perform the calculation and identify the exact number of pictures that an 8 GB storage can hold because of the picture size. All pictures are not the same in size and it is hard to identify the average size of the picture.

To rescue you from this problem, we’ve provided some charts that will show the average size of the picture according to the resolution of your camera and the device that is used to capture the pictures.

Here is the chart of average file size according to the Megapixels of the camera:

For JPEG Format Images

Megapixel	File Size (MB)	The number of pictures Can Store an 8 GB Memory Card
4MP	1.2	5722
5MP	1.5	4577
6MP	1.8	3814
7MP	2.1	3269
8MP	2.4	2861
10MP	3.0	2288
12MP	3.6	1907
14MP	4.2	1634
16MP	4.8	1430
22MP	6.6	1040

For RAW Format Images

Megapixel	File Size (MB)	The number of pictures Can Store an 8 GB Memory Card
4MP	12.0	572
5MP	15.0	457
6MP	18.0	381
7MP	21.0	326
8MP	24.0	286
10MP	30.0	228
12MP	36.0	190
14MP	42.0	163
16MP	48.0	143
22MP	66.0	104

You can now see the number of pictures that can be held by your 8 GB memory card from the above chart.

Number of Pictures on an 8GB SD Card Based on Different Factors

Factors like image quality, camera resolution, image compression type, and card reliability have a great impact in this case. Let’s see how these factors influence the picture size and the number of photos on an SD card.

Image Quality

The image quality can be controlled in almost all cameras and phones nowadays. Higher quality settings, such as Fine, Super Fine, or High produces better photos with more pixels and information but uses more space in the card. Lower quality settings such as Normal or Standard takes less space, with a cost of reduced pixels and quality.

Camera Resolution

Camera resolution varies greatly depending on the type and the model of the camera you are using. Cameras that can shoot photos in higher resolution produce images with a higher file size, which allows you to store a smaller number of pictures than a low-resolution camera.

For example, an 8GB SD card can carry about 2861 pictures shot in an 8MP phone camera. Whereas, if the pictures are shot on a 22MP DSLR camera, the same card will carry only about 1040 pictures due to increased file size.

Image Compression Type

There are two types of file formats when it comes to image compression. One is called JPEG, and the other one is RAW.

JPEG Format

JPEG images are compressed and considerably smaller than uncompressed images. A 12MP camera can compress an image to a 3.6MB JPEG file. An 8GB SD card can hold about 1907 images of that size. Higher resolution cameras, such as 22MP DSLRs produce compressed JPEG files of size 6.6MB on average. An 8GB SD card can carry only about 1040 such pictures.

RAW Format

RAW images are uncompressed and have 24-bit color depth per pixel. As a result, RAW images take up more space than JPEG images but come with all the information that has been captured by the camera’s sensor.

A 16MP camera, if shot in RAW, produces pictures sized about 48MB on average. Approximately 143 photos of that size can be stored in an 8GB SD card, compared to 1430 JPEG photos of the same resolution. In the case of RAW photos shot in a 22MP camera, the same card can hold only about 104 photos.

Card Reliability

Using an SD card at its full capacity can affect its performance. According to experts, it is best not to store files on an SD card after exceeding 90% of its capacity. Considering this theory, an 8GB SD card can safely hold approximately 1634 photos shot in a 14MP camera in JPEG format.

Yet, some SD cards may stop working even before the 90% capacity is reached. This reduces the number of photos that can be stored in it.

How Many Pictures Can 8 GB Hold – Depending on Devices

Here is the list of average image sizes varied to devices:

• A Smartphone with 12 Megapixel (MP) camera can capture images at an average size of 3-6 MB.
• A DSLR Camera with 30 MP can capture two types of images at the same time. The average size of RAW images is 27-35 MB and the average size of JPEG format is 12-15 MB.
• A GoPro Camera with 12 MP can capture an image with a size of 7-10 MB on average.

Now according to this specification, let’s calculate the total photos that can be stored by an 8 GB memory card.

Smartphone

An 8 GB memory card can store less than 1,333 images with an average size of 6MB per image.

8000 / 6 = 1333

Again, an 8 GB memory card can store less than 2,666 images with an average size of 3MB per image.

8000 / 3 = 2666

DSLR Camera

In the RAW format, an 8 GB memory card can store less than 228 images with an average size of 35 MB per image and less than 296 images with an average size of 27 MB per image.

8000 / 35 = 228

8000 / 27 = 296

In the JPEG format, an 8 GB memory card can store less than 666 images with an average size of 12 MB per image and less than 533 images with an average size of 15 MB per image.

8000 / 15 = 533

8000 / 12 = 666

GoPro Camera

If the picture is captured on a GoPro camera, an 8 GB memory card can store less than 1,142 images with an average size of 7 MB per image and less than 800 images with an average size of 10 MB per image.

8000 / 10 = 800

8000 / 7 = 1142

The Chart of Total Amount of Stored Picture According to the Size of the Picture and the Memory Card

Devices	Smartphone	DSLR Camera	GoPro Camera
Size	3 MB	6 MB	RAW	JPEG	7 MB	10 MB
27 MB	35 MB	12 MB	15 MB
Total Picture	2,666	1,333	296	228	666	533	1,142	800

A Bonus Tip on ‘How to Estimate How Many Pictures Can 8 GB Hold?’

If you are a Digital Camera user, then you can easily estimate how many photos can be captured on your memory card using that device.

After turning your Digital Camera on, you will find the number that indicates the maximum capacity of captured photos on the upper-right or lower-right corner of your display.

Also, you can press the ‘Playback’ button and it will show the total captured pic out of total space. For example, if the number is 36/5000. It means 36 pictures are captured and you can capture a maximum of 5000 photos on your camera.

You can also see the estimated maximum number of photos that can be stored on your 8 GB memory card, in the same way, as using a GoPro or a DSLR camera.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Storage (GB) Is Needed to Store 2000 Pictures?

Suppose you need to store 2000 pictures which an average size of 3 MB. Then observe the formula below:

2000 * 3 = 6000 MB

6000 MB / 1000 = 6 GB

So, you need a total of 6 GB of storage to store 2000 pictures with the size of 3 MB. As there are no 6 GB memory cards on the market, you need an 8 GB memory card that will easily hold the pictures in it.

How Many Pictures Can A CD Hold?

The total storages of a CD are 700MB. It depends on the size of the file to identify how many files a CD can hold. If you want to store images with an average size of 3 MB, then the CD will hold 700 / 3 = 233 images in total.

If the size of the image is 35 MB, then it will hold 700 / 35 = 20 images.

Is It Safe to Store Pictures on A Memory Card or SD Card?

In my personal opinion, it isn’t safe to store pictures on a memory card or SD card. First of all, it is insecure to keep pictures on a memory card because anyone can find all your picture by having that memory card. On the other hand, your memory card can be damaged at any time and you will lose every data stored in it. I would recommend you store your pictures and important data in cloud-based storage.

How Many Photos Can a 16GB SD Card Hold?

A 16GB SD card can hold about 3269 photos in JPEG format, or 326 in RAW format, both shot on a 14MP camera. In the case of high-resolution DSLR cameras, such as 22MP ones, the same capacity card can hold about 2080 photos in JPEG format or 208 in RAW format.

Conclusion

We have provided all the possible ways to calculate the capacity of holding pictures on an 8 GB storage in this article. Multiple charts are also provided in this article to help you identify how many pictures can your memory card store.

We hope you are now able to estimate the total amount that your 8 GB storage can hold by applying the formula that is mentioned above in this article.

If you have any further questions or personal opinions, then please leave us a comment in the comment section.