VarBinary vs Image SQL Server Data Type to Store Binary Data?

Since image is deprecated, you should use varbinary.

per Microsoft (thanks for the link @Christopher)

ntext , text, and image data types will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using these data types in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use them. Use nvarchar(max), varchar(max), and varbinary(max) instead.

Fixed and variable-length data types for storing large non-Unicode and Unicode character and binary data. Unicode data uses the UNICODE UCS-2 character set.

varbinary(max) is the way to go (introduced in SQL Server 2005)

There is also the rather spiffy FileStream, introduced in SQL Server 2008.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/data-types/ntext-text-and-image-transact-sql

image

Variable-length binary data from 0 through 2^31-1 (2,147,483,647) bytes. Still it IS supported to use image datatype, but be aware of:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/data-types/binary-and-varbinary-transact-sql

varbinary [ ( n | max) ]

Variable-length binary data. n can be a value from 1 through 8,000. max indicates that the maximum storage size is 2^31-1 bytes. The storage size is the actual length of the data entered + 2 bytes. The data that is entered can be 0 bytes in length. The ANSI SQL synonym for varbinary is binary varying.

So both are equally in size (2GB). But be aware of:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/deprecated-database-engine-features-in-sql-server-2016#features-not-supported-in-a-future-version-of-sql-server

Though the end of "image" datatype is still not determined, you should use the "future" proof equivalent.

But you have to ask yourself: why storing BLOBS in a Column?

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/blob/compare-options-for-storing-blobs-sql-server