ProGrade announces new, more affordable CFexpress Type A card

 

 

CFexpress Type A cards are speedy, high-performance storage solutions for high-end cameras, like the Sony A7S III and the Sony A1. However, the cards are expensive (and don't work across all CFexpress devices, by the way). Sony, a longtime supporter of its own memory cards (who remembers Memory Stick?), sells CFexpress Type A Tough memory cards in 80GB and 160GB capacities for $200 and $400, respectively. ProGrade -- a company founded by executives of the now-defunct Lexar -- has announced its own 160GB CFexpress 2.0 Type A memory card and it costs $330, a full $70 less than Sony's card. Better yet, you can get the new ProGrade card in a two-pack for $590, increasing your savings to $210.

The Sony and new ProGrade cards each offer maximum read speeds of 800MB/s and top out at 700MB/s write speeds. With its Tough branding, Sony's card boasts some impressive durability. Its reinforced physical design can withstand falls from up to 15', and its rigidity has been tested against 70 N of force. Sony's card is also resistant to extreme temperatures, X-rays, electrostatic and UV lighting.

 

 

ProGrade's new offering doesn't give specific protection details, but ProGrade states that the card is shock, vibration and X-ray proof. The card has a metal enclosure for temperature control and includes built-in temperature throttling to ensure safe performance. It also guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 400 MB/s, so the card should never drop below this threshold. At 400MB/s, the card can record video across a wide range of codecs and resolutions, including 6K ProRes 4444, 8K ProRes 422 HQ and more.

The new ProGrade CFexpress Type A 160GB card is available to order now: Single-pack and double-pack.

 

 

If you don't yet have a Sony A7S III or Sony A1 camera, why not try before you buy? You can rent the Sony A7S III or Sony A1 from Lensrentals and find out if they're a good fit for your workflow.

(Via Adorama's 42 West blog)