Sony Memory Sticks

What Are Sony Memory Sticks?

Back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Sony decided to do their own thing with the Memory Stick, The Memory Stick is a proprietary flash memory format used in Cyber-shot cameras, Handycams, PSPs, and even some Sony Ericsson phones.

Unlike the more universal SD cards, these little sticks of gum (that size and shape is pretty accurate!) were a little pricey. The cards came in several varieties, each with different speeds, capacities, and compatibility.

If you’ve got an old Sony digicam gathering dust, you’ll likely need one of these to bring it back to useful life. There are several main types and it’s important you don’t accidentally buy the wrong one.

Memory Stick (Original)

The original Memory Stick, which launched in 1998, had a maximum capacity of128MB barely enough for a handful of 1MP photos today. The range started at a mere 4MB. This card only works in very early Sony digicams.

If your camera has “Memory Stick” written without “PRO,” this is probably the one you need. Don’t bother with adapters; later cards almost certainly won’t work. These are slow in comparison to modern technology cards so be prepared for that.

Memory Stick PRO

The Memory Stick PRO was the first major upgrade, boosting maximum capacity from 128MB to 2GB which was huge back then!. It was also capable of faster data transfer rates for higher megapixel cameras and MPEG-4 video recording.

Most late-era Sony digicams from 2003 onward use this type. Unfortunately, it won’t work in older devices that only accept original Memory Sticks. If your camera says “PRO” on the label, this is your go to

Memory Stick PRO Duo

The PRO Duo is the same as the PRO but in a smaller, half-size body, perfect for compact cameras, PSPs, and Sony Ericsson phones. Capacities range from 256MB to 32GB (later versions). Most PRO Duo cards come with a simple adapter to fit full-size Memory Stick slots, so they’re super versatile.

Older devices that don’t support “PRO” won’t read these. Also, some very early digicams struggle with cards over 2GB. Like many early cameras using SD cards it is best to use 1 – 2GB for best compatibility.

Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo

The PRO-HG Duo is effectively the speed demon of the range and was designed for high-end Cyber-shots and DSLRs around 2007–2010. The PRO-HG Duos ranged from 8 to 32GB and were capable of 60MB/s transfer speeds which meant they handled RAW and 1080i video easily.

It’s physically identical to PRO Duo and backward-compatible with most PRO Duo slots. There is a caveat , however. The caveat being that older cameras simply cannot use its full potential and will treat it as a normal slow card.

These are also much harder to come by and are definitely pricier. If your camera explicitly says “PRO-HG” support then it might be worth the time and expense of going after one. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Memory Stick Micro (M2)

Literally the size of a fingernail, the Memory Stick Micro (M2) was Sony’s answer to microSD. It was designed for Sony Ericsson cell phones and some PSP accessories. Capacities went up to 16GB.

With an adapter, you can use it in PRO Duo slots, but it’s rarely natively supported in digicams as only a few late Sony cameras took it directly. M2 cards are usually hard to find and often expensive secondhand. On top of that they are also slow and somewhat fragile. What it comes down to is that unless your camera manual explicitly lists M2 support, it’s not a good choice to try.

Memory Sticks Are Worth the Effort

For those old Sony digicams and there still a good number of working models around, tracking down a genuine Memory Stick is worth it. Why? Because they just work. No weird errors and no lag waking up from sleep mode. There some third party options out there (SanDisk for example made an M2 which works without issue) but try and get genuine Sony for most cameras.

Don’t be tempted to try a type of Memory Stick that your camera manual doesn’t explicitly state as acceptable. The camera system might freeze up, refuse to format the card, and even if it does seem to work could corrupt your photos.

It really is critical to check your camera’s manual and see what it will take. More modern Sony digicams can take the bigger capacity sticks but older models will need much lower capacity versions. They will simply refuse to play with more modern Memory Sticks.

If you don’t have a manual for your digicam there is a very useful Sony chart that lists compatibility which can be found here.

Memory Stick® and Memory Stick PRO™ are both trade marks belonging to Sony.