Sony A1 Memory Card Guide

The Sony a1 or Alpha 1 as it is also known, is Sony’s newest flagship camera with a stacked 50MP sensor capable of shooting up to 30 FPS and 8k video.

To keep up with the larger files and faster frame rate, the Sony a1 supports the much faster CFexpress Type A memory cards in both slots.

Fortunately UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards are also supported because CFexpress Type A cards are not cheap!

I have pre-ordered the Sony a1 myself and plan to speed test all of the memory cards that I own (quite a few) in-camera when it arrives.

Until then, the memory cards that I recommend in this article are based on tests that I have carried out in other Sony Alpha cameras.

What Memory Cards are Supported?

The Sony a1 supports CFexpress Type A memory cards in both slots. UHS-I and UHS-II (SDHC/SDXC) SD cards are also supported in both card slots.

CFexpress Type-A Memory Cards

The Sony a1 is only the second Alpha camera to support this new faster memory card, the Sony a7S III was the first. Although CFexpress is an open standard, Sony is the only manufacturer producing this type of card right now. Which they are unfortunately taking advantage of because the price is sky high!

I have heard that ProGrade also plan to produce CFexpress Type A memory cards but they are not providing a date for delivery to market at this time.

If you shoot a lot of continuous bursts and demand the fastest buffer clearing times then these are the cards that you’ll want to be using. Currently they are only available in 80 GB and 160 GB versions.

CFexpress Type A cards are supported in both slot 1 and slot 2.

1. CEA-G CFexpress Type-A (800/700)

The Sony CEA-G Series CFexpress Type A memory cards can write up to 700MB/s and read up to 800MB/s. This Tough version has been rigidity tested to 150 newtons to protect your card data during drops from up to 7.5 meters, this is 5 times what the CFexpress Type A standard requires. They are also IP57 rated for dust and moisture protection and should even make it through an accidental cycle in the washing machine!

Top 10 UHS-II Memory Cards

The Sony a1 also supports UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards. Here are my top 10 recommendations for UHS-II SD cards for the Alpha 1:

1. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II (300/299)

The Sony SF-G Tough cards have a read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 299MB/s. They are rated v90 for video and are available in sizes from 32GB up to 256GB.

The Sony Tough series of memory cards are 18 times stronger than traditional SD cards, bend proof to 180N, drop-proof to 5 meters, waterproof to a depth of 5 meters for up to 72 hours (IPX8 rating) and dust proof with an IP6X rating.

Tough cards feature a one-piece ribless structure and don’t have the common lock switch, they are also X-ray proof, magnet proof, anti-static and temperature proof.

These are the fastest UHS-II SD cards that you can put in your Sony a1 at this time.

2. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II (300/260)

The SanDisk Extreme Pro cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 260MB/s. They are U3 rated (30MB/s) and SanDisk has not given them a V rating, so I don’t recommend these for 4k or 8k video. They are available in sizes from 32GB up to 128GB.

3. Lexar Professional 2000X UHS-II (300/260)

The Lexar Professional 2000X cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 260MB/s. They are rated V90 for video and are available in sizes from 32GB up to 128GB.

4. ProGrade V90 UHS-II (300/250)

The ProGrade V90 cards have a claimed read speed of 300MB/s and a write speed of 250MB/s. They are rated V90 for video are available in sizes from 64GB up to 256GB.

5. Angelbird AV Pro Mk 2 V90 (300/280)

The Angelbird AV Pro Mk 2 V90 UHS-II memory cards support read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and write speeds of 280 MB/s. They are also V90 rated so they guarantee a minimum write speed of 90 MB/s. They are available in sizes from 64GB up to 256GB.

6. Transcend SD 700S UHS-II (285/180)

The Transcend SD 700S cards have a claimed read speed of 285MB/s and a write speed of 180MB/s. They are rated V90 for video and are available in 32GB and 64GB sizes.

7. Manfrotto Pro Rugged UHS-II (280/250)

The Manfrotto Pro Rugged cards have a claimed read speed of 280MB/s and a write speed of 250MB/s. They are rated V90 for video and are available in 64GB and 128GB sizes.

8. Sony SF-M Tough UHS-II (277/150)

Sony’s SF-M Tough Series are similar to the more expensive SF-G version but these are only rated V60 for video and their read time has been cut to 277MB/s and the write time to 150MB/s. They are available in sizes from 32GB up to 256GB.

9. Sony SF-M UHS-II (277/150)

Sony’s SF-M Series are identical to the SF-M Tough Series just without the added toughness so they cost a little less. The Sony SF-M cards have a claimed read speed of 277MB/s and a write speed of 150MB/s. They are rated V60 for video and are available in sizes from 32GB up to 256GB.

10. ProGrade V60 UHS-II (250/130)

The ProGrade V60 cards have a claimed read speed of 250MB/s and a write speed of 130MB/s. They are rated V60 for video and available in sizes from 64GB up to 256GB.

Top 5 UHS-I Memory Cards

If you don’t plan to shoot continuous bursts with your a1 then you don’t really need the faster and more expensive CFexpress Type A or even the UHS-II SD cards. You can save a small fortune by purchasing UHS-I SD cards instead.

1. SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I (170/90)

The SanDisk Extreme Pro cards have a claimed read speed of 170MB/s and a write speed of 90MB/s. They are rated V30 for video.

2. Sony Professional Series UHS-I (95/90)

The Sony Professional Series cards have a claimed read speed of 95MB/s and a write speed of 90MB/s. They are rated U3.

3. SanDisk Extreme UHS-I (150/70)

The SanDisk Extreme cards have a claimed read speed of 150MB/s and a write speed of 70MB/s. They are rated V30 for video.

4. Sony Expert Series UHS-I (94/70)

The Sony Expert Series cards have a claimed read speed of 94MB/s and a write speed of 70MB/s. They are rated U3.

5. Transcend 500S UHS-I (95/60)

The Transcend 500S cards have a claimed read speed of 95MB/s and a write speed of 60MB/s. They are rated V30 for video.

Best Memory Cards for Recording Video

The Sony a1 supports both 4k and 8k video recording. However, even with the fastest bitrate of 400Mbps you’ll only need a v60 rated SD card.

If you want to use S&Q mode then you will need a CFexpress Type A memory card when the frame rate is 120 (100) fps or higher.

When I receive my own a1 I’ll be testing many of the cards included in this guide with various video settings to verify that they do indeed work with the Sony a1, as it’s not always the case despite what they might say on the label.

What Size Memory Card Do You Need?

If you will be shooting a lot of continuous bursts then you will probably want to use at least a 128GB UHS-II card. For CFexpress you can only choose between 80GB and 160GB right now, and they are very expensive.

If you are not shooting long continuous bursts then you’ll probably be fine with 32GB or 64GB cards, and you certainly won’t need the faster CFexpress Type A cards.

For shooting video the size of memory card will depend largely on the format that you are recording in. Or you may be using an external recorder anyway so this won’t be so important.

Memory Card Readers

If you want to read any of the above cards to your computer then you are also going to need a compatible memory card reader for the card that you are using. Here are a few options:

Sony MRW-G2 CFExpress Type-A Card Reader

The Sony MRW-G2 supports both CFexpress Type A cards as well as a SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, along with transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s via USB 3.1 Gen 2. Both USB Type-C to Type-C and USB Type-C to Type-A cables are included.

ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A & UHS-II SDXC Dual-Slot USB 3.2 Gen 2 Card Reader

The ProGrade Digital reader is a little cheaper than the Sony MRW-G2 but has basically the same specs. It has one CFexpress Type A slot and one UHS-II SDXC slot, and also support up to 10 Gb/s via USB 3.2 Gen 2 to deliver transfer speeds of up to 1.25 GB/s, or 1250 MB/s via its USB Type-C interface. It includes USB Type-C to Type-C and Type-C to Type-A cables.

Sony MRW-S1 UHS-II USB Memory Card Reader/Writer

If you don’t plan on using CFexpress Type A cards then you can save a lot of money by purchasing Sony’s MRW-S1 UHS-II USB SD Card Reader/Writer instead. It can read/write to UHS-II SD Cards via a USB 3.1 interface and is backward compatible with UHS-I SD cards. The MRW-S1 together with Sony SF-G cards can transfer files to and from your computer around 2.6x faster than UHS-I SD cards.

FAQs

This guide will be updated when I have the Sony a1 in my hands and can actually test the cards in camera. It will also be updated as and when new memory cards are available. Hopefully we will see some CFexpress Type A cards coming to market from other vendors and not just Sony, otherwise they will remain overpriced as they are now, especially in comparison to CFexpress Type B cards.

Helpful Sony A1 Resources