CFexpress Type A has a slightly different card format than the larger Type B cards. Used primarily in Sony cameras, Type A cards are not yet considered widely available or highly specced. However, ProGrade just launched their class A Iridium card line, which promises next-gen performance.
Card
ProGrade makes a whole one Card capacity 480 GB and 960 GB. Although both have similar read performance, continuous write speeds are faster on the 960 GB model. Otherwise, they are identical: compatible with existing Type A cameras, with the same design, style, and connection types.
At the heart of the card, the PCIe Gen 4 connectivity helps it deliver the fastest performance available for a Class A card. In fact, it’s so fast that cameras haven’t caught up yet. Even the newest generations of cameras cannot take advantage of the speed (assuming they are Gen 2 or Gen 3). Just to be clear though, these cards are fully backwards compatible and will work excellently with current Class A cameras. During testing, I used the a7R V, a1, and FX cameras and I had no problems with any of the situations.
This abundance of speed isn’t wasted just because the camera hasn’t caught up yet. When combined with a reader of comparable capabilities, the card can read at speeds of up to 1,800 MB/s in real-world applications, enabling extremely fast transfers and 2x acceleration compared to conventional Type A cards have poorer capabilities.
For importing 8K or 4K video, this can make a big difference when working in the field or in tight shooting situations. Furthermore, with the 4.0 standard already established, these cards are to some extent “future proof”, as they must be compatible with new cameras as they come out with fast internal interfaces. than.
As mentioned, the 960 GB model has faster stable write speeds, reaching about 1,450 MB/s, while the 480 GB model has a still very impressive speed of 800 MB/s. Burst’s write speeds are also very fast, with the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test showing over 2,300 MB/s.
As expected from this excellent continuous recording capability, both capacities have a Video Performance Guarantee (VPG) rating, albeit at the lower VPG200 level, rather than the VPG400 level. The VPG200 rating guarantees that the card is capable of writing at a minimum speed of 200 MB/s, and since the VPG400 still only requires a minimum speed of 400 MB/s, I was surprised to see its absence. While I don’t know if this locks any features on current Sony bodies, it is something to keep in mind as the camera firmware can read the VPG flag on the card.
Other key specifications include a very good three-year warranty, heat regulation to protect the card, laser-engraved serial numbering to help protect against counterfeiting or supply chain issues response as well as a wide operating and storage temperature range.
Readers
To really get the most out of these cards, you’ll need an equally capable reader (and even a host device). ProGrade makes a dedicated Type A reader that is a natural fit for these cards: the PG09.6 USB 4.0 reader. As you might guess from the name, the highlight of the reader is its USB 4.0 compatibility, allowing for offload speeds of 5 GB/s (although again, this level of performance is not available in the cards). present, making it another case for future proofing).
With existing tags, you can instead achieve maximum tag read speeds. I saw a full read of 1,800MB/s from these cards with raw file loads and real-world 4K video when writing to the MacBook Pro’s SSD.
The interface on this card is also cross- or backward compatible with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, and CFexpress 2.0 Type A cards, along with older and slower versions of the USB-C standard. However, falling back to slower interfaces can limit performance if the card, connection, or server has “weak links.” The most common mistake here is using a substandard USB-C cable, which can cause everything to revert to USB 2.0 speeds.
As with most high-end interfaces, the rest of the reader is built to a professional standard, with durable construction and a comprehensive two-year warranty. There’s even a really cool touch in the form of a magnetic base plate and metal “stickers” that let you attach the reader to a laptop, cart, or other device in the field. Since the magnets are inside the reader, there’s no need to Velcro or glue the reader to a surface, as long as it’s made of iron.
Included with the reader is a great-quality 2.6-inch USB 4 cable—basically what you’ll always want to connect to this reader to ensure there’s no cable confusion. It’s marked as a 240 W and 40 Gbps cable, so while it’s short, it can also serve as a highly capable USB-C cable for everything else in your setup, in an emergency.
ProGrade also doesn’t ignore the latest trend in digital recording media: a companion app. This app, Refresh Pro, is designed to “refresh” the card by manually triggering a series of low-level cleanings via the flash controller. Essentially, by manually selecting when to perform this maintenance task, you can ensure that the card is running at peak performance when you’re actually shooting with it.
With Refresh Pro, I couldn’t see enough wear on the card to make it significant, but I don’t doubt those claims. Flash memory does collect “data streams,” and this more intentional cleaning process can ensure the best performance from the flash.
Combined, the Iridium memory cards and USB 4.0 readers are a great combination for Sony photographers looking for the best performance. Whether it’s shooting 8K video or taking advantage of the ultra-high frame rates on the a1 and a9 III, modern cameras are capable of generating massive amounts of data. The large capacities and top-notch read speeds of these cards make storing and moving all that data a little easier.
Between price, form factor, and ancillary requirements like a server with a fast enough interface and drives, these cards won’t be for everyone. Instead, Sony users who want top performance now and in the near future will want to consider these cards. ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type A cards are available now from B&Hwith Compatible with USB 4.0 type A reader.
What I like
- Great performance in all situations
- Strong warranty support
- Good choices for connections and standards to ensure some level of “future proofing”
- Attaching the reader magnetically is a really smart solution
What can be improved?
- Not having VPG400 support is not an issue today but may be missed in the future
