10/05/2024 2:51 am
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I'm considering upgrading my memory cards and have come across the new CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards. I'm wondering if I should opt for these or stick with the original CFexpress Type A cards.
What are the advantages of the CFexpress 4.0 cards compared to the original Type A cards? Will I see a significant performance improvement in terms of read/write speeds and overall reliability?
I've found a few options on Amazon and B&H:
Any insights or experiences with these new cards would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
sonydogg 08/07/2024 6:40 pm
@berry_mu I almost bought the OWC version of this and like the prograde I noticed the 200 in the film clapper icon instead of a 400 (which is even on the old 2.0 sony CF Ex) - this icon is for a min write speed for the Video Performance Guarantee rating. I might try one of these that is rated at 400 to see if it opens up any new options on the A1 such as hi frame rate 4k or 8k shooting modes in S and Q mode as we are about to shoot some B-roll and the ability to slow it down smoothly and punch in would be quite helpful. Im not sure it would help as much for stills, but we do have a strange job as well that requires us to shoot rapid shots for about 30 to 40 seconds straight, since we are limited by our flash recharge times - Im not sure the new speeds would even help. I found one on amazon I may buy today - comparing ExAscend, OWC, and ProGrade prices at the moment.
5 Answers
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11/05/2024 12:43 am
Maybe we should wait Sony a1 II to max use these 4.0 CFexpress Type A cards.
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03/03/2026 3:00 pm
@Reply #4 - good point! Hes absolutely right that no current camera body can actually utilize the PCIe Gen 4 bus. Youll essentially be paying for a speed ceiling that your camera cant reach yet. I have been looking into these for my own workflow and there are several things you might want to consider before making the switch:
- Read and write speeds in-camera will be capped. A card like the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A 4.0 Gold 480GB will perform exactly like a 2.0 card during shooting because of the cameras internal interface limitations.
- You must use a specialized reader to see any benefit. Make sure to factor in the cost of something like the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A & SD USB 4.0 Card Reader if you want those 1800MB/s offload speeds. On a standard USB-C reader, itll be no faster than what you already have.
- I would suggest being careful with thermal throttling. 4.0 cards can generate significant heat during sustained transfers. The OWC Atlas Pro CFexpress Type A 4.0 480GB has decent reviews, but it still gets warm when pushing max speeds during ingest.
- It might be more economical to stick with high-capacity 2.0 cards for now. The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card Gold Series 320GB is often much cheaper and offers plenty of speed for current 4K workflows... just something to think about before spending the extra cash tho.
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19/03/2026 6:12 pm
Exactly what I was thinking
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17/05/2024 12:51 am
Too expensive for me.
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28/09/2024 9:17 pm
No Camera currently need CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards.
