The New ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A Have 800/MBs Read Speed

CFExpress Type A is pretty new when it comes to standards. At the moment, not many cameras use them. Many are still sticking to SD–but some accommodate CFExpress. Type A though, is pretty new, and they have a great advantage. With a few Sony cameras, they fit right into the SD card slot. And the really cool thing is just how fast these are. The new ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A cards have a 700 megabyte a second write speed. But when you hook them up to your computer, they can be read at 800 megabytes a second. Hopefully, the card reader you’re using can work accordingly.

It’s no secret that the new ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A cards will appeal a whole lot to the folks who shoot video. And if that’s the case, it’s really going to appeal to anyone shooting stills. The Sony a7s III is mainly targeted at the video crowd. However, it shoots really great high ISO images at 12MP. Admittedly, the files also aren’t all that large. So there’s nothing to worry about. With the Sony a1, though, you’re shooting 50MP still images. The ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A could be super advantageous. 

As far as stills go, these are the only cameras on the market that have Type A slots. And I really hope that it doesn’t become something like the old memory stick duo cards. Not much supports them. We don’t know the details yet on the new Nikon z9 and if it will support that format or not. But I’m pretty sure it will. Nothing from Fujifilm supports it. And not even Panasonic or Leica have CFexpress Type A support yet. So we’re going to have to see where these end up going.

So basically, if you’re a Sony camera user on the higher end, you’ll probably really like these cards. But again, not much supports them. However, it’s camera announcement season. We’ve already heard from Fujifilm, Ricoh, and Canon. We’ve still got to hear from Sony, Leica, Panasonic, and Olympus. In all likelihood, I’m a bit curious about all of these. 

If Sony announces the Sony a7 IV, they’re bound to give it a slot for the ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A cards. If they try to get more into cinema, Leica might create a camera with these slots. Panasonic, I think, is the most obvious choice here. We’re due for the Panasonic S1 II and Pansonic S1R II. I don’t really believe Olympus will lean into video all that much, though their newer firmware on their cameras indeed does.

Here’s some important info from the press release.

ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A memory card key features

  • Fully compliant with CompactFlashTM Association 2.0 specification
  • NVMe host interface with PCIe Gen3 X1 interconnect
  • Extended battery life and low standby power through NVMe PS0 – PS4 support
  • Metal enclosure for improved durability and heat dissipation
  • Thermal throttling protects card from overheating
  • Unique serialized tracking of every card enabling identification of key components and manufacturing data for the highest quality control
  • Rigorous 100% full card testing down to individual memory chips for optimal quality
  • X-ray proof, shock-proof
  • Temperature ranges: operating 14 to 158°F/ -10 to 70°C; storage -4 to 185°F/ -20 to 85°C
  • Three year warranty
  • MSRP $329.99 

ProGrade Digital CFexpress portfolio

CFexpress Type A Cobalt

  • Maximum read speed 800MB/s
  • Burst write speed 700MB/s
  • Minimum sustained write speed 400MB/s (VPG 400)
  • Capacities: 160GB