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CFexpress Sort A playing cards are nonetheless a relative rarity within the reminiscence card world. Since they have been first utilized by the Sony a7S III in 2020, the format has been utilized in a number of full-frame Sony our bodies, however different digital camera producers have caught with the bodily bigger, and (usually) sooner Sort B variant.
We are saying “usually”, as not all Sort A playing cards are inferior to their Sort B siblings, and this Lexar card is an effective living proof. It makes use of the next-gen CFexpress 4.0 commonplace, which makes it twice as quick as the primary technology of Sort A playing cards (confusingly referred to as CFexpress 2.0). This makes CFexpress 4.0 Sort A playing cards simply as quick as model 2.0 Sort B playing cards (CFexpress 4.0 Sort B playing cards are twice as quick once more, however treasured few individuals really want that a lot velocity).
The Lexar Skilled GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card is on the market in 5 capability choices, from 256GB as much as the two terabyte capability we’re testing right here. All capacities boast learn speeds of as much as 1800MB/s and a powerful 1650MB/s max write velocity. The bigger capability playing cards are additionally able to a 1400MB/s sustained write fee, and although the 256GB and 512GB variations can ‘solely’ handle a 1000MB/s sustained write velocity, that is nonetheless greater than quick sufficient to achieve VPG400 certification. This implies the cardboard is assured to maintain a minimal 400MB/s throughout video recording – preferrred for capturing 6K or 8K footage.
Specs
- Max learn velocity: 1800MB/s
- Max write velocity: 1650MB/s
- Obtainable capacities: 256GB, 512GB, 640GB, 1TB, 2TB
Construct and dealing with
The Lexar Skilled GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card is precisely like some other Sort A card, a minimum of on the floor. That’s to say, it is remarkably small. In the event you took a Sort B card and cut up it in half widthways, every half can be across the measurement of a Sort A card, solely the precise Sort A card can be thinner. A Sort A card can be smaller when it comes to size and width than an SD card, and solely round 50% thicker. Contemplating this Lexar Sort A card is round 6x sooner than even the quickest UHS-II SD playing cards, you get an terrible lot of efficiency crammed right into a tiny type issue.
Lexar claims the Skilled GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card is IP68-rated in opposition to mud and water ingress, whereas additionally being drop-proof from heights as much as 5 meters. The cardboard is constructed to be bend-resistant, shock- and vibration-resistant, and it is in a position to withstand pressures of as much as 150 newtons. Lexar even states that it has been examined to resist as much as 12,000 insertion and ejection cycles.
Efficiency
To find out precisely how briskly the Lexar Sort A card actually is, I fired up my reminiscence card benchmarking software program of selection: CrystalDiskMark. That is able to extracting the utmost potential efficiency from a reminiscence card, however provided that the supporting {hardware} is as much as the job. So to make sure no testing bottlenecks, I used a quick Home windows 11 laptop computer with USB4 connectivity. USB4 has a most 40Gbps bandwidth, equating to round 5000MB/s – greater than sufficient to max out any Sort A card. I additionally used Lexar’s WF370 Workflow CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card reader, which relies round a USB4 interface, so it too ought to allow any Sort A card to work at full velocity.
And the outcomes are fairly respectable. Although somewhat method wanting Lexar’s claimed 1800MB/s learn and 1650MB/s write speeds, the distinction is not sufficient to be regarding, or notably noticeable.
Storage benchmarks are all properly and good, however to find out the real-world efficiency you are prone to get when utilizing the cardboard to switch photographs or video to a pc for modifying, I took a single massive video file, in addition to a folder filled with small photographs, and moved them to and from the cardboard to see what kind of learn and write speeds you may count on throughout typical use:
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Learn (peak) |
Write (peak) |
|
Single video file |
1059 MB/s (1.09 GB/s) |
813 MB/s (870 MB/s) |
|
A number of picture information |
1020 MB/s (1.06 GB/s) |
673 MB/s (760 MB/s) |
These real-world outcomes are a bit disappointing when you think about that the cardboard was nearing 1700MB/s learn and 1550MB/s write speeds in benchmarking software program. Even so, this stage of efficiency remains to be comfortably faster than a CFexpress 2.0 Sort A card, and method sooner than any UHS-II SD card.
Verdict
In the event you’re fortunate sufficient to personal a digital camera equivalent to a Sony a1 II, a9 III or a7R V, you are going to need the quickest, most dependable reminiscence card to make use of with it. The Lexar Skilled GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card suits the invoice nearly completely. It is simply quick sufficient for 8K Uncooked video recording, and it will not even break a sweat maintaining with the a9 III’s 120fps burst capturing mode.
In terms of transferring footage for modifying, then that too might be blisteringly quick, assuming you have obtained a pc and card reader which are as much as the job. It is a bit disappointing that we could not get nearer to Lexar’s velocity claims when transferring information between card and pc, although it is potential that is a problem confined to our explicit take a look at set-up.
However that is our solely subject with this in any other case stellar Sort A card. It additionally is available in vary of capacities, is constructed to final, and is priced pretty for the efficiency on supply. In the event you want a quick, capacious, and dependable Sort A card, the Lexar Skilled GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Sort A card ought to be excessive in your shortlist.