How many photos can 1GB hold? That is actually a pretty good question, especially if you are trying to figure out what size memory card to get. I know you want to have an idea as relates to storage capacity and your digital pictures.
Below, I have crafted a quick little guide that will highlight how much photos you can expect 1 gigabyte to hold.
How Many Pics Can Fit on 1GB?
Before I start, I should let you all know that the information found in the tables are all based off real-world estimates. When it comes to 1 GB of storage, you can safely assume that it will hold a lot more or less pictures, this is dependent on many different factors. Things such as the type of camera used, as well as how many megapixels the photograph was taken in, among other things, are just some of the different factors that will influence picture size.
Estimates used:
1 MP = 1,000,000 pixels
1MB = 1,000,000 bytes, 1GB = 1,000MB
JPEG 100% Quality = Visually lossless JPEG compression with 1:10 ratio of RAW image
Photos – Compressed (JPEG 100% quality) Images per card. (info by Sandisk)
| Megapixels | File size (MB) | 1GB |
| 4MP | 1.2 | 715 |
| 5MP | 1.5 | 572 |
| 6MP | 1.8 | 476 |
| 7MP | 2.1 | 408 |
| 8MP | 2.4 | 357 |
| 10MP | 3.0 | 286 |
| 12MP | 3.6 | 238 |
| 14MP | 4.2 | 204 |
| 16MP | 4.8 | 178 |
| 22MP | 6.6 | 130 |
When it comes to RAW photos, these are going to take up more space than regular JPG’s, simply because raw photos are uncompressed. 1 GB is definitely going to hold considerably less pictures..
Photos – Uncompressed RAW (24 bits per pixel) Images per card
| Megapixels | File size (MB) | 1GB |
| 4MP | 12.0 | 71 |
| 5MP | 15.0 | 57 |
| 6MP | 18.0 | 47 |
| 7MP | 21.0 | 40 |
| 8MP | 24.0 | 35 |
| 10MP | 30.0 | 28 |
| 12MP | 36.0 | 23 |
| 14MP | 42.0 | 20 |
| 16MP | 48.0 | 17 |
| 22MP | 66.0 | 13 |
Hopefully you have a better understanding as to the storage capacity of 1GB as it relates to pictures. 1GB is not really a lot of storage space, but it is a starting point and from here you will be able to tell how much pictures the bigger storage capacities can actually hold.
If you want to look at other storage sizes, I have guides on 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 GB, 1TB & 2 TB.