As cameras continue to become more powerful with each passing year, there will come a time when you may be limited by the type of card you use, but not anymore as the dawn of CFExpress 4.0 cards has arrived. I was sent the brand new Exascend 1 TB Essential Pro CFExpress 4.0 Type A card and I can’t wait to take it out on a photo shoot.
Before I start giving my full thoughts on this card, it’s fair to mention the big elephant in the room, which is that there are currently no cameras that support CFExpress 4.0. However, it’s surely only a matter of time before camera manufacturers start releasing models capable of realizing the full potential of these super-fast cards.
CFExpress 4.0 cards remain backward compatible, meaning they can be used in current camera models that support CFExpress 2.0, but you will be limited to the maximum write speed according to the camera model. Is this a problem? Honestly, no, it’s not. Purchasing a new 4.0 card is a worthwhile investment and will prepare you for your next steps in the camera world. 4.0 will be the new standard moving to the next generation, so this is future-proof technology.
In the meantime, you’ll experience faster new card loading speeds with the new 4.0 card reader, which is always great for your workflow.
Sony is the only manufacturer to use Type A cards, while other manufacturers use Type B, which has even faster speeds.
The first look
The Essential Pro CFExpress Type A 4.0 card has a beautiful, simple design but still full of information it provides.
Until there’s a Type A 4.0 card reader, you’ll need to use a Type B 4.0 card reader, but there’s an adapter handy that works perfectly well, as you’ll see from my performance tests. later in the article.
statistics
The new Essential Pro card line is rated VPG400 by the CompactFlash Association. The VPG400 rating means the card is guaranteed to operate at a minimum write speed of 400 MB/s, which is a great standard to have, especially for videographers.
Together with the VPG400 rating, this standard ensures that you can record videos up to 8K at frame rates up to 120fps without dropped frames.
As it is now, Essential Pro CFExpress 4.0 Type A The card is compatible with Sony models such as a1, a7S III, a7 IV, FX3 and FX6. The card comes in three different capacities: 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB.
Maximum read speed for all cards is 1,800 MB/s and Maximum write speed is 1,650 MB/s. Continuous read speed for all cards is 1,800 MB/s; However, Sustained Write Speeds vary between cards as follows:
256 GB and 512 GB have Burst Write Speed of 850 MB/s and 1 TB has Burst Write Speed of 1,650 MB/s.
These are very respectable numbers and I absolutely can’t wait for the camera to be fully compatible with 4.0 cards in the near future.
The card also features adaptive thermal control to prevent overheating, and from my tests while taking photos or recording 4K footage, I didn’t find the card overheating.
Efficiency
In terms of performance, I wanted to run some tests to see how the cards stacked up when using a 2.0 card reader and a 4.0 card reader, and the difference was significant.
For these tests, I’m using my new MacBook Air M3 and using the Blackmagic Speed Test app with a 5 GB stress test for each test.
The first test is using a CFExpress 4.0 card in an Exascend 2.0 card reader:
Next are the results of the CFExpress 4.0 card in the Exascend 4.0 card reader.
Another thing to note here: the card reader I have is a Type B 4.0 reader with a Type A to B card adapter, which works perfectly fine.
Comparing the speeds on both card readers is important and you can clearly see the winner from the examples above.
For completeness, I also ran a speed test with the original Exascend Essential CFExpress Type A 2.0 card and the results are as follows:
In my next test, I recorded a 10-minute video at 4K 30fps, 10-bit, 4:2:2. My goal here was to see how long it would take to load a video file from the card to my MacBook, and again the results were quite remarkable.
Each video file is 10.84 GB and the first card I used was the Exascend Essential CFExpress Type A 2.0. To copy files from the card to my MacBook took 19.40 seconds. Is this improved with Exascend Essential Pro CFExpress Type A 4.0?
Using the 2.0 card reader, the 4.0 card took 14.70 seconds to transfer video files from the card to my MacBook, almost 5 seconds faster than the old 2.0 card but using the same card reader. That was amazing!
Finally, using a 4.0 card reader, the 4.0 card took 7.38 seconds to transfer video files to the MacBook. OH! That’s incredibly fast and will be very beneficial for videographers who need to handle even larger file sizes.
Field
I had the opportunity to go to a couture ballet show held at a beautiful country manor called Bannockburn House in Scotland. The location is truly stunning and I was so excited as soon as I entered this historic building.
The card worked perfectly as I continued to shoot various scenes with the incredible ballerinas who were modeling for us. I never encountered any issues, and even when I pressed my finger hard on the shutter button, there wasn’t any lag or lag.
The derelict vibes inside the building really complement the brilliant eccentricity of the colorful couture dresses worn by the models and the overall experience is extremely enjoyable.
The outside grounds are also gorgeous and well kept. I took a dancer to a small forest and we did some beautiful shots there.
I am very impressed with the way Essential Pro CFExpress Type A performed and I have no doubt that is the case, as I have used several cards from Exascend now and they have all been perfect for me when shooting.
Summary
Exascend has become a firm favorite of mine thanks to the quality and performance I’ve experienced over the past year using their cards. The price is also very reasonable for what you get and what it is The 1 TB version retails for $699.
The The 256 GB version retails for $279 and The 512 GB version retails for $379. I feel these are great values for the next step in the card’s evolution, and as I mentioned earlier in the review, these are future-proofing the next generation of cameras that I will definitely come out sooner or later.
Until the next generation of cameras arrives, the main benefit today of CFExpress 4.0 cards is the speed of workflow when loading images and footage after the fact. When dealing with large file sizes from 4K video or larger or large RAW files, that extra speed can make a big difference in your time efficiency.
Are these cards worth buying? My answer to this is yes! Especially if you are a filmmaker/cinematographer dealing with large video files and want an even faster workflow, it’s a no-brainer for me!
I recorded some behind the scenes footage of my ballet shoot. You can see it here:
