Which CFexpress Type A card is best for Sony a7R VI?

Question

So my husband got me this Sony a7R VI camera for my birthday to take photos of my daughter's gymnastics meets next month. But I'm completely lost with these memory cards. The manual says CFexpress Type A, but they are so expensive.

I saw the Sony brand ones but my budget is really only around $150. My logic was just to buy the cheapest one I could find on Amazon, but then I read reviews saying cheap cards can fail and lose all your photos. Now I'm scared. I saw ProGrade and Lexar too. Is there a specific card that is reliable but won't break the bank? Sorry if this is a dumb question...

Williamhaush · Accepted Answer

Been thinking about your budget, and you might want to consider these options to play it safe:Sony TOUGH 80GB CFexpress Type A - incredibly reliable and tough, but 80GB is a bit tight for gymnastics.Exascend Essential 120GB CFexpress Type A - gives you more space for the price, though the brand is less famous. Make sure to avoid those random cheap brands, they definitely fail.

GlasgowKiss_ · Answer

Stumbled onto this thread while looking for gear today. To add to the point above, I learned the hard way that write speed is king for burst shooting. I missed some great shots at a wedding once because my card was still thinking...

Aim for VPG200 or VPG400 ratings

ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A Gold 160GB

Exascend Essential CFexpress Type A 180GB These are decent alternatives that shouldnt fail on you mid-meet.

Dread_chEt · Answer

> The manual says CFexpress Type A, but they are so expensive. Wow, an a7R VI for a birthday gift?! That is absolutely amazing, your husband did so good!! Seriously, that camera is such a beast for stuff like gymnastics. I totally get the sticker shock though... those Type A cards are tiny but they definitely bite your wallet. If you want to stay around that $150 mark without getting some random no-name brand that might fail, you should really look at the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card Silver Series 160GB. I've been using a couple of these for my kids track meets and they have been solid as a rock. Honestly, 160GB is usually enough for a whole event unless you are just holding down the shutter for every single flip haha. Another fantastic pick is the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A Gold 160GB. These go on sale all the time and they are super reliable, like honestly just as good as the Sony brand ones but way cheaper. You definitely dont want to go too cheap tho... losing photos of your daughters big moments would be a total nightmare! Just make sure you grab a reader too! The Sony MRW-G2 CFexpress Type A/SD Memory Card Reader is what I use and it makes transferring those huge files so fast. You are gonna love that camera, the autofocus is basically like magic!!