TL;DR: Grab the Exascend Essential CFexpress Type A 180GB to save cash without losing performance. In my experience, the Sony tax is mostly marketing. Like someone mentioned, reliability matters, but Ive found Exascend cards are bulletproof for high frame rates. They run cooler than some others and cost way less. Definitely the best budget-focused play before your London trip. More money for lenses, right?

> Are they actually reliable or should I just pay the Sony tax? I totally get being spooked, honestly. Over the years I've tried many different setups, and I learned the hard way that pricey doesnt always mean perfect. Last year I was doing a big theater shoot and my old cards just choked during a crucial scene... it was a complete nightmare and I almost lost the client. I eventually swapped to the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A Gold Series 160GB and theyve been solid ever since without any errors on my a7S III. In my experience, you dont really need to pay the Sony tax unless you've got money to burn. I found that the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Gold Series 320GB is often way cheaper per gig during sales, and it handles the 120p on my a1 without any lag at all. Honestly, saving that cash for a better lens or extra batteries is a much smarter move. Just run a stress test before London so you can sleep easier.

I've been following this discussion and honestly, I share your total frustration with this whole situation. In my experience over the years, the way these storage requirements keep shifting is just exhausting. It's incredibly disheartening when you've invested so much in a body like the a1, only to have it choke on a simple 120p sequence because the card cant keep up. I've dealt with those exact same lag issues and its just plain stressful when you're on a clock... really makes you worry about the reliability of the whole setup tbh. The cost-to-performance ratio on some of these cards is honestly hard to swallow. It feels like we're constantly being squeezed for more cash just to get the performance that was advertised on the box. Ngl, it's pretty annoying when high-end gear feels held back by a tiny piece of plastic. If you want to avoid the massive markup on the first-party options, I'd say just get any of the cards from Angelbird. You really cant go wrong with their stuff and it's a much better direction to take if you're trying to be budget-conscious for your trip.