The FAT32 and exFAT file systems have been around for decades and are commonly used for external storage devices like USB flash drives, SD cards, and external hard drives. GoPro cameras capture high-quality video and photos, which take up significant storage space. For example, the latest GoPro HERO11 Black camera can shoot up to 5.3K video at 60 fps, resulting in large video file sizes.
When choosing a file system for a GoPro camera, you need one that can support the large file sizes while maintaining compatibility with different devices. FAT32 has been the go-to file system for GoPro cameras for many years thanks to its universal device support. But it has a major downside – a 4GB maximum file size limit. This makes exFAT, with its theoretical 128PB file size limit, an attractive option. In this article, we’ll compare FAT32 and exFAT specifically for use with GoPro cameras to help you decide which file system is better suited for your needs.
FAT32 Overview
The FAT32 file system was first introduced in Windows 95 OSR2 as an upgrade to the original FAT16 file system. It was designed to improve upon some of the limitations of FAT16, most notably the 2GB maximum file size restriction [1]. FAT32 raises this file size limit to 4GB while also increasing the maximum partition size from 2GB to 8TB.
FAT32 has wide compatibility and can be read and written to by all versions of Windows, macOS, Linux, game consoles, cameras, and other devices. Its simplicity and universal support are some of its biggest advantages [2]. However, the 4GB file size limit makes FAT32 less ideal for larger media files, and it lacks some advanced features for permissions and performance compared to more modern file systems.
Overall, FAT32 strikes a balance of compatibility and ease-of-use across devices, but can be limiting for larger partition sizes or individual files over 4GB.
exFAT Overview
exFAT was first introduced in 2006 as the next generation of Microsoft’s FAT file systems for flash drives and other external storage devices. It was developed as an improvement over the aging FAT32 file system, which had limitations like a maximum 4GB file size and 32GB maximum volume size (exFAT file system specification).
Compared to FAT32, exFAT brings several key benefits: it removes the 4GB file size limit, allowing for files up to 16EB in size. It also increases the maximum volume size to 128PB. exFAT uses smaller minimum allocation units to improve disk usage efficiency for smaller files. Additionally, exFAT adds timestamps for creation, modification, and access (Reverse Engineering the Microsoft exFAT File System).
In terms of device compatibility, exFAT is natively supported in Windows as of Windows Vista, macOS 10.6.5, Linux since kernel 3.7, and other modern operating systems. It’s commonly used for external storage like USB flash drives, SD cards, and memory cards to enable transfer of large media files across different devices (Microsoft exFAT by Tuxera).
GoPro File Size Needs
When shooting with a GoPro, file sizes can vary greatly depending on the camera settings, resolution, and frame rates used. According to the Underwater Photography Forums, GoPro video file sizes when shooting at 4K resolution and 60fps range from 1.5GB to 4GB per 5 minute video [1]. At 1080p resolution and 60fps, files are approximately 500MB to 1.5GB per 5 minutes. Photo file sizes are much smaller, ranging from 5 to 10MB per 12MP photo.
When it comes to storage capacity, most GoPro cameras today utilize microSD cards up to 256GB in size. At 1080p/60fps video settings, a 256GB card can hold around 5.5 hours of footage total. For still photos, a 256GB card can store thousands of images from a GoPro camera. Having multiple cards on hand for swapping out while shooting is recommended.
So in summary, GoPro video files can range from 500MB to 4GB depending on settings, with photo files being much smaller at around 5-10MB each. And current 256GB microSD cards provide ample storage capacity for hours of HD video and thousands of photos from a GoPro.
FAT32 Limitations
One of the biggest limitations of FAT32 is its 4GB maximum file size limit (WinXDVD). This makes it unsuitable for storing large video files from modern cameras like GoPros, which can produce high definition videos well over 4GB in size. Storing GoPro videos on a FAT32 drive will require splitting the files into chunks under 4GB, which is inefficient and inconvenient.
FAT32’s maximum file size stems from its older 32-bit architecture (ScienceDirect). Newer file systems like exFAT and NTFS use 64-bit architecture to support vastly larger individual file sizes. But FAT32’s age and 4GB file size limit makes it impractical for GoPro users needing to store high definition footage beyond a few minutes in length.
exFAT Benefits
One of the main advantages of using exFAT is that there is no practical file size limit. While the theoretical limit is 16 exbibytes, for most practical purposes this can be considered unlimited. This allows you to store files of any size, which is ideal for GoPro footage. As the Reddit thread points out, exFAT supports files up to 16,000 petabytes in size.
The lack of a file size limit makes exFAT well-suited for working with large video files from GoPro cameras. You don’t have to worry about your GoPro clips exceeding the file size restrictions like you would with FAT32. exFAT is optimized for larger files sizes, giving you the flexibility to store high definition and 4K video footage without issue.
OS Compatibility
exFAT has good support across operating systems, but FAT32 has even broader compatibility.
On Windows, exFAT is supported on Windows 7 and later versions [1]. FAT32 is compatible with Windows 98 and later [2].
On Mac, exFAT requires OS X 10.6.5 or later [3], while FAT32 is supported on all versions of macOS.
For Linux, exFAT requires kernel 3.0 or newer. Many common distros like Ubuntu 14.04+ and CentOS 7+ support exFAT [1]. FAT32 support on Linux is more universal.
Overall, FAT32 has broader OS support, while exFAT is more limited to newer operating systems. But exFAT covers most common OSes today.
GoPro Recommendations
GoPro officially recommends using the FAT32 file system for GoPro cameras and SD cards. As per Darwin’s Data, FAT32 is the file system endorsed by GoPro across all their camera models.
There are several reasons why GoPro suggests FAT32 over other file systems like exFAT or NTFS:
- FAT32 is supported by all GoPro camera models, ensuring compatibility.
- FAT32 allows individual file sizes up to 4GB, sufficient for even the highest resolution GoPro video files.
- FAT32 provides faster read and write speeds compared to exFAT or NTFS.
- FAT32 is an older and more stable file system less prone to corruption issues.
Given GoPro’s clear recommendation and FAT32’s technical advantages for action cameras, it remains the ideal file system choice for GoPro users.
Verdict
In summary, the key pros of FAT32 are its widespread compatibility across devices and operating systems. However, it has a major limitation in only supporting individual file sizes up to 4GB. exFAT addresses this limitation by supporting much larger file sizes, while maintaining solid compatibility across modern devices and operating systems.
For GoPro usage specifically, the ability to record video files larger than 4GB makes exFAT the clear recommendation over FAT32. GoPro’s high resolution and bitrate video modes will frequently generate file sizes over 4GB, which would be problematic to use and transfer if limited to FAT32. Although FAT32 has broader legacy device support, exFAT is compatible with most modern computers, devices, and operating systems that a GoPro user would be transferring files to.
In conclusion, exFAT is highly recommended over FAT32 for use with GoPro cameras due to its support for larger video files over 4GB.
References
GoPro. “SD Card Considerations.” GoPro Support Hub. https://gopro.com/help/articles/block/microSD-Card-Considerations
Wagner, Mitch. “exFAT for SD Cards: How It Could Be Better than FAT32.” How-To Geek, 1 Apr. 2021, www.howtogeek.com/348869/exfat-for-sd-cards-how-it-could-be-better-than-fat32/.
“FAT32.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Feb. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAT32.
“Extended File Allocation Table.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT.