In this article I put 50 memory cards to the test in the 33-megapixel full-frame Sony A7 V, measuring real-world in-camera performance versus the label speeds.
But first just in case you are unaware, the Sony A7 V features two memory card slots.
Slot one is a dual slot that is compatible with the CFexpress Type A (2.0 & 4.0) cards and also SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II / UHS-I) cards. Slot two only supports SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II / UHS-I) cards.
Most CFexpress cards will clear a full buffer in around 5 seconds, versus 15 seconds for the fastest UHS-II SD cards.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Introduction
- Best CFexpress Type-A Memory Cards
- Best UHS-II SD Memory Cards
- About These Tests
- All File Types (CFexpress Type A) Buffer Tests
- All File Types (UHS-II SD V90) Buffer Tests
- Which Memory Cards are Supported?
- Pre-Capture Impact on Buffer
- Frame Rate Reduction with Full Buffer
- Memory Cards for Recording Video
- Simultaneous Recording Slot 1 + Slot 2
- Sort RAW / JPEG
- Summary
- Sony A7 V Guides & Resource
- FAQs
Introduction
The write speeds found on card labels don’t really help with understanding how the cards will perform when used in-camera, especially when they often display the maximum speeds and not sustained speeds.
CFexpress Type A 2.0 and 4.0 cards both offer speeds much faster than the A7 V is capable of writing, so buying the fastest card based on the label speed is often a waste of money.
I’ve therefore tested 50 memory cards to see how they actually perform when used in the A7 V.
Best CFexpress Type-A Memory Cards
In the below table you will find all of the CFexpress Type A cards that I have tested so far in the A7 V shooting Compressed RAW + JPEG L (Extra Fine).
I have tested other file combinations a little further down this article, but not for every single card.
You can comfortably shoot over 300 shots in a single burst at 10 fps with all of the CFexpress cards tested. I don’t shoot more than this because I can’t imagine anyone ever wanting to do this in the real world, but one quick test achieved over 1000 shots.
Because their performance is so similar, I have grouped them by brand. Except for the slowest three cards that you will find at the bottom of the table.
These results are only valid for the card capacities tested, because sometimes write speeds can vary by capacity.
Swipe left on mobile to view the entire table.
| CFexpress Type A Memory Card | Shots to Fill Buffer * | Approximate Buffer Clearing Time in Seconds | Video Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 Novachips Express 4.0 (1.6 TB) Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Novachips Express 4.0 (400 GB) Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Delkin Devices BLACK 4.0 (480 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Delkin Devices POWER 2.0 (160 GB) Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Nextorage NX-A2 PRO 4.0 (160 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 VPG800 |
 Nextorage NX-AE 4.0 (500 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Nextorage NX-A2SE 4.0 (512 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 SanDisk Pro Cinema 4.0 (480 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 ProGrade Digital Iridium 4.0 (480 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 ProGrade Digital 2.0 Gold 2.0 (240 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5.5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Lexar Professional Gold Series 2.0 (160 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Lexar Professional Silver Series 2.0 (320 GB) Amazon | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Lexar Professional GOLD 4.0 (256 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Angelbird AV PRO 2.0 SE (160 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Angelbird AV PRO 4.0 (256 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | Memory Wolf UK | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 OWC Atlas Pro 4.0 (240 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Exascend Essential 2.0 (480 GB) Amazon | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Sony CEA-G Tough 2.0 (160 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Sony CEA-G Tough 4.0 (240 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG400 |
 Sony CEA-M Tough 2.0 (960 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 5.5s (30 fps) 5s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Lexar Professional SILVER 4.0 (256 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 6s (30 fps) 6s (20 fps) <1s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Pergear Master 4.0 (256 GB) Amazon | 88 (30 fps) 121 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 6.5s (30 fps) 7.5s (20 fps) 3s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
 Nextorage NX-A2SE 4.0 (256 GB) Amazon | B&H Photo | 88 (30 fps) 116 (20 fps) 300+ (10 fps) | 8s (30 fps) 8s (20 fps) 5s (10 fps) | VPG200 |
Please note that the Nextorage NX-A2SE 4.0 (256 GB) card has a much slower sustained write speed than the larger 512 GB version which is why the buffer clears slower. The 256 GB card has a sustained write speed of 400 MB/s vs 850 MB/s for the 512 GB version. The max write speeds on the card labels are identical which makes it very confusing. The Pergear Master 4.0 256 GB also has a slower sustained write speed than the 512 GB version, but I have not tested the 512 GB card to confirm.
Best UHS-II SD Memory Cards
In this table you will find all of the UHS-II SD cards that I have tested so far in the Sony A7 V shooting Compressed RAW + JPEG L (Extra Fine).
I have tested other file combinations a little further down this article, but not for every single card.
Unlike the CFexpress Type A cards, there is much more variance in performance. I have therefore ranked them by buffer clearing time.
Again, the results are only valid for the card capacities tested.
Swipe left on mobile to view the entire table.
| UHS-II SD Memory Card | Shots to Fill Buffer * | Approximate Buffer Clearing Time in Seconds | Video Speed Class |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nextorage NX-F2 PRO (256 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 14.5s (30 fps) 14.5s (20 fps) 14.5s (10 fps) | V90 |
 SanDisk Extreme Pro (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 14.5s (30 fps) 14.5s (20 fps) 14.5s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Sony SF-G Tough (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 14.5s (30 fps) 14.5s (20 fps) 14.5s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Delkin Devices BLACK (64 GB) B&H Photo | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Delkin Devices POWER (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 ProGrade Digital V90 Iridium (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Lexar Professional 2000X (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Integral UltimaPro X2 (64 GB) Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 OWC Atlas Ultra (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 PNY EliteX-PRO 90 (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Angelbird AV Pro Mk 2 V90 (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Angelbird AV Pro Mk 2 V90 (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Exascend Catalyst (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15s (30 fps) 15s (20 fps) 15s (10 fps) | V90 |
 ProGrade Digital V90 300R (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15.5s (30 fps) 15.5s (20 fps) 15.5s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Ritzgear Video Pro (64 GB) Amazon | 81 (30 fps) 89 (20 fps) 135 (10 fps) | 15.5s (30 fps) 15.5s (20 fps) 15.5s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Lexar ARMOR Gold (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 79 (30 fps) 86 (20 fps) 114 (10 fps) | 18.5s (30 fps) 18.5s (20 fps) 18.5s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Lexar Professional 1800X (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 79 (30 fps) 86 (20 fps) 114 (10 fps) | 18.5s (30 fps) 18.5s (20 fps) 18.5s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Nextorage NX-F2 SE (512 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 79 (30 fps) 85 (20 fps) 108 (10 fps) | 19s (30 fps) 19s (20 fps) 19s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Sony SF-M Tough (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 72 (30 fps) 75 (20 fps) 94 (10 fps) | 23s (30 fps) 23s (20 fps) 23s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Sony SF-M (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 72 (30 fps) 75 (20 fps) 94 (10 fps) | 23s (30 fps) 23s (20 fps) 23s (10 fps) | V60 |
 ProGrade V60 (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 77 (30 fps) 81 (20 fps) 97 (10 fps) | 25s (30 fps) 25s (20 fps) 26s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Lexar ARMOR Silver Pro (128 GB) Amazon | 77 (30 fps) 81 (20 fps) 97 (10 fps) | 25s (30 fps) 25s (20 fps) 26s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Lexar Professional Silver Pro (128 GB) Amazon | 77 (30 fps) 81 (20 fps) 97 (10 fps) | 25s (30 fps) 25s (20 fps) 26s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Delkin Devices PRIME (128 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 75 (30 fps) 78 (20 fps) 88 (10 fps) | 33s (30 fps) 33s (20 fps) 33s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Angelbird AV Pro MK2 V60 (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 75 (30 fps) 78 (20 fps) 88 (10 fps) | 33s (30 fps) 33s (20 fps) 33s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Lexar Professional 1667X (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 75 (30 fps) 78 (20 fps) 88 (10 fps) | 33s (30 fps) 33s (20 fps) 33s (10 fps) | V60 |
 SanDisk Extreme Pro (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | 75 (30 fps) 78 (20 fps) 88 (10 fps) | 34s (30 fps) 34s (20 fps) 34s (10 fps) | V60 |
 Kingston Canvas React Plus (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 75 (30 fps) 77 (20 fps) 86 (10 fps) | 40s (30 fps) 40s (20 fps) 40s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Transcend SD 700S (64 GB) B&H Photo | 75 (30 fps) 77 (20 fps) 86 (10 fps) | 40s (30 fps) 40s (20 fps) 40s (10 fps) | V90 |
 Sony SF-E (64 GB) B&H Photo | Amazon | Memory Wolf UK | 74 (30 fps) 76 (20 fps) 84 (10 fps) | 46s (30 fps) 46s (20 fps) 46s (10 fps) | V30 |
Please note that the Transcend SD 700S (64 GB) and the Kingston Canvas React Plus (64 GB) both underperformed badly for V90 cards, which is strange as they normally perform very well. However, after repeated tests they performed as I would expect them to. I will keep testing them and may remove this warning if I don’t see this issue again.
About These Tests
All of my in-camera tests were carried out with the Sony A7 V and firmware 1.00 whilst shooting in Compressed RAW + JPEG L (Extra Fine). All figures presented in this article are based on my test conditions.
You will most likely see slightly different results when running similar tests because a different scene will generate different file sizes. My test scene generated 23.9 MB Compressed RAW files and 24.5 MB JPEG L Extra Fine files.
When shooting with these file sizes in Hi+ the A7 V is writing at an average speed of approximately 545 MB/s, with Lossless Compressed RAW + JPEG L (Extra Fine) this is reduced to around 510 MB/s, possibly due to additional processing overheads.
I chose to use Compressed RAW + JPEG L for my tests because this pushed the cards harder. I think most action photographers will also use Compressed RAW because it doubles the number of shots that can be taken before hitting the buffer.
However, for those interested I have also included the results from one CFexpress Type A card and one UHS-II SD V90 card recording in all of the different file types a little further down this article.
My results are only valid for the card capacities tested, because sometimes write speeds can vary by capacity.
All File Types (CFexpress Type A) Buffer Tests
I don’t test every single file type for every single card because I’d certainly lose the will to live.
But if you are interested, then here are the approximate figures when using the Novachips Express 4.0 (400 GB) CFexpress Type A memory card.
The JPEG Quality/HEIF Quality was [Extra Fine] and Image Size: [L:33M].
I’ve included the number of shots to fill the buffer and the approximate buffer clearing time in seconds for shooting at 30 fps, 20 fps and 10 fps.
| File Type | 30fps | 20fps | 10fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG L (24.5 MB) | 200 (3s) | 1000+ (<1s) | 1000+ (<1s) |
| HEIF L (11.5 MB) | 200 (3s) | 1000+ (<1s) | 1000+ (<1s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Compressed) | 88 (5s) | 121 (5s) | 1000+ (<1s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Compressed) | 88 (5s) | 121 (5s) | 1000+ (<1s) |
| RAW Compressed (23.9 MB) | 99 (5s) | 165 (5s) | 1000+ (<1s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Compressed(HQ)) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 140 (4s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Compressed(HQ)) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 140 (4s) |
| RAW Compressed HQ (24.3 MB) | 37 (3s) | 46 (3s) | 185 (3s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Lossless Comp) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 140 (4s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Lossless Comp) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 140 (4s) |
| RAW Lossless Comp (41.2 MB) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 185 (4s) |
All File Types (UHS-II SD V90) Buffer Tests
As above, but here are the results when shooting with the Delkin Devices POWER UHS-II V90 (64GB) memory card.
| File Type | 30fps | 20fps | 10fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG L (24.5 MB) | 89 (8s) | 120 (8s) | 1000+ (8s) |
| HEIF L (11.5 MB) | 154 (4s) | 945 (4s) | 1000+ (4s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Compressed) | 81 (15s) | 89 (15s) | 135 (15s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Compressed) | 83 (11s) | 97 (11s) | 184 (11s) |
| RAW Compressed (23.9 MB) | 94 (8s) | 127 (8s) | 1000+ (8s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Compressed(HQ)) | 37 (8s) | 46 (8s) | 70 (8s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Compressed(HQ)) | 37 (6s) | 46 (6s) | 185 (6s) |
| RAW Compressed HQ (24.3 MB) | 37 (4s) | 46 (4s) | 185 (4s) |
| RAW & JPEG L (RAW: Lossless Comp) | 37 (10s) | 46 (10s) | 55 (10s) |
| RAW & HEIF L (RAW: Lossless Comp) | 37 (8s) | 46 (8s) | 55 (8s) |
| RAW Lossless Comp (41.2 MB) | 37 (8s) | 46 (8s) | 64 (8s) |
Which Memory Cards are Supported?
The Sony A7 V has two memory card slots, here are the cards that each slot supports:
- Slot 1: CFexpress Type A (2.0 & 4.0) and UHS-I and UHS-II (SDHC/SDXC) SD cards
- Slot 2: Only UHS-I and UHS-II (SD/SDHC/SDXC) cards
CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards will work in the A7 V because they are backwards compatible with the 2.0 standard, but you will not be able to take advantage of 4.0 speeds in-camera.
Pre-Capture Impact on Buffer
The Sony A7 V features a pre-capture mode that buffers up to one second of images before you fully press the shutter, letting you snag fleeting moments like a bird taking flight.
This can be configured to capture images from 0.03 seconds up to one full second before you fully press the shutter button.
The images captured are stored in the camera’s buffer and only written to the memory card when you fully press the shutter button.
Because of this, it’s important to note that your pre-capture and frame rate settings will decrease the number of shots that you can take once you fully press the shutter button.
For example: If you want to capture a full second before fully pressing the shutter button and you are shooting at 30 fps, then when you finally fully press the shutter button the number of shots you can take before hitting the buffer will be reduced by 30.
If you enable the “Shoot Remaining” display then you will be able to see the impact on the cameras buffer as soon as you half press the shutter button.
MENU → (Setup) → [Display Option] → [Remain Shoot Display] → desired setting.
You can extend the buffer by reducing your frame rate to 20 or 10 frames per second.
If you plan to make use of the Pre-Capture feature on a regular basis, I’d strongly recommend using a fast CFexpress Type A card so that the buffer clears as quickly as possible.
Frame Rate Reduction with Full Buffer
Once you fill the buffer you can continue shooting but the frame rate will be reduced.
Here are the approximate frame rates you can expect after filling the buffer shooting at 30 fps:
- CFexpress Type A Card (Novachips Express 4.0): 10 fps
- UHS-II V90 SD Card (SanDisk Extreme Pro): 6 fps
- UHS-II V60 SD Card (Lexar GOLD 1800X): 4fps
There won’t be much variation on these frame rates with the CFexpress or SD V90 cards because their performance is very similar, but V60 card performance can vary a lot.
The Lexar GOLD 1800X and the Nextorage NX-F2 SE are the two fastest V60 cards that I have tested.
Memory Cards for Recording Video
For movie recording in XAVC S-I 4K with proxy recording off, the maximum bitrate is 600mbps which is 75 MB/s. A V90 rated SDXC card or a VPG200 rated CFexpress Type A card will be sufficient.
But if you turn on proxy recording the bitrate will now be 600Mbps + 16Mbps and a VPG200 CFexpress Type A card will be required.
For S&Q Motion shooting in XAVC S-I 4K the maximum bitrate is 1200mbps which is 150 MB/s. A VPG200 CFexpress card will be required.
For many less demanding recording formats a V60 or V90 SDXC UHS-II card can be used.
For further details on card compatibility for recording video please refer to the memory card section in the A7 V User Manual.
What Size Memory Card?
The size of memory card that you choose will depend on how and what you are shooting.
Photographers
On a 160GB card you can fit around 4500 RAW Compressed images, or 4500 RAW Compressed HQ images, or 3000 RAW Compressed Lossless images, or 5500 JPEG Extra Fine images.
I would recommend a minimum of 160GB if you shoot a lot of continuous bursts. If you don’t, 80GB will probably provide more than enough space.
Videographers
The size of card for shooting video really depends on the movie recording format that you plan to use.
Movie recording times by format can be found in the Sony A7 V User Manual. This should help you to determine the correct size of card.
I don’t recommend using 32GB or smaller SDHC cards (either UHS-I or UHS-II) because they use the FAT 32 file system and your video files will be broken up into 4GB chunks.
Simultaneous Recording Slot 1 + Slot 2
If you want to record simultaneously to both slots 1 and 2 at the same time then there is no benefit to using a CFexpress Type-A memory card in slot 1.
With this setup, the write speed is restricted to the maximum write speed of the UHS-II card in slot 2. So if you shoot like this often, you can save money by using UHS-II cards in slot 1 instead of a CFexpress Type-A.
The only benefit to using a CFexpress Type-A card when shooting simultaneously is to enjoy the faster read times when copying the files to your computer.
Providing you are using identical UHS-II cards in both slots, then the number of shots that you can take and the buffer clearing time will be the same as writing to a single slot. If one of the UHS-II cards is slower then you will be limited to the speed of that card.
Sort RAW / JPEG
You can also setup your A7 V to record RAW files to slot 1 and JPEG files to slot 2. With this setup there is still a speed benefit to using a CFexpress card in slot 1.
When shooting Compressed RAW to a fast CFexpress card and JPEG L Extra fine to a fast SD card, the buffer will clear in around 7.5 seconds.
Memory Card Readers
Mixing memory card and card reader brands often works without issue, but compatibility problems can occasionally occur.
For this reason, I strongly recommend using a card reader that matches your memory cards to reduce the risk of incompatibility. For example, if you use ProGrade memory cards, I’d recommend a ProGrade card reader; if you use Delkin cards, a Delkin reader is the best choice, and so on.
Also keep in mind that transfer speeds will always be limited by either the reader or the maximum card speeds. So don’t be tricked into buying a reader that advertises faster transfer speeds than the cards it supports.
You will see figures like 10 Gb/s, 20 Gb/s or 40 Gb/s. These are the maximum bus speeds for the device. It’s important to note the lowercase b which indicates that this figure is Gigabits per second and not Gigabytes per second. 10 Gb/s = 1250 MB/s.
CFexpress Type A 4.0 Readers
These CFexpress readers support the faster CFexpress Type A 4.0 speeds, they are also backwards compatible with CFexpress Type A 2.0 cards.
| CFexpress Type A 4.0 Reader | * Max Transfer Speed | Price Check |
|---|---|---|
| ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 | 2000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Nextorage NX-SA1PRO CFexpress 4.0 | 2000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Novachips CFexpress 4.0 | 2000 MB/s | Memory Wolf UK | Amazon |
| Sony MRW-G3 CFexpress 4.0 | 2000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Lexar Professional Workflow 4.0 | 2000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
CFexpress Type A 2.0 Readers
These CFexpress readers support CFexpress Type A 2.0 speeds, they compatible with CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards but will only transfer data at 2.0 speeds.
| CFexpress Type A 2.0 Reader | * Max Transfer Speed | Price Check |
|---|---|---|
| Angelbird PKT CFexpress 2.0 | 1000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
CFexpress Type A 2.0 + SD Dual Slot Readers
These dual readers support CFexpress Type A 2.0 cards, they are compatible with CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards but will only transfer data at 2.0 speeds. They also support SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II / UHS-I) memory cards.
| CFexpress Type A 2.0 + SD Reader | * Max Transfer Speed | Price Check |
|---|---|---|
| Sony MRW-G2 | 1000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| ProGrade Digital | 1000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Lexar Professional | 1000 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
UHS-II SD Card Readers
These card readers only support SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II / UHS-I) memory cards.
| UHS-II SD Card Reader | * Max Transfer Speed | Price Check |
|---|---|---|
| Lexar Professional Workflow Dual-Slot | 312 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| SanDisk Extreme Pro SD Card USB Type-C | 312 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Kingston Mobilelite Plus | 312 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
| Sony MRW-S1 UHS-II SD Memory Card Reader | 312 MB/s | B&H Photo | Amazon |
Summary
There are now so many CFexpress Type A and UHS-II SD cards on the market, selecting the best ones for your needs and budget can be overwhelming.
With the performance of most CFexpress Type A cards being so similar in the A7 V, you might simply want to go with your favorite brand such as Prograde, Delkin Devices, SanDisk, or Lexar.
Whatever you do, don’t rule out Nextorage who you might not have heard of. They are a Japanese company run by former Sony employees and their cards are seriously good.
Novachips are also not very well known but offer some brilliant cards with great prices. They are probably the best performing and best value CFexpress Type A card currently available, surpassing even Pergear in price. Novachips is a South Korean company.
I’m also a big fan of the Delkin cards. They have excellent lifetime warranties and their BLACK cards also come with a 48-hour replacement guarantee in addition to their limited lifetime warranty policy. They also have US and European based support teams.
If you have any questions or can share any feedback on the cards I have tested or cards that I haven’t, please do drop a comment a below.
If you are in the UK please consider purchasing from Memory Wolf which is a store that I also run.
Thanks for reading!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Introduction
- Best CFexpress Type-A Memory Cards
- Best UHS-II SD Memory Cards
- About These Tests
- All File Types (CFexpress Type A) Buffer Tests
- All File Types (UHS-II SD V90) Buffer Tests
- Which Memory Cards are Supported?
- Pre-Capture Impact on Buffer
- Frame Rate Reduction with Full Buffer
- Memory Cards for Recording Video
- Simultaneous Recording Slot 1 + Slot 2
- Sort RAW / JPEG
- Summary
- Sony A7 V Guides & Resource
- FAQs
Sony A7 V Guides & Resource
FAQs
The Sony A7 V supports CFexpress Type A memory cards in slot 1 only. UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards are also supported in both slot 1 and slot 2.
No.
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Hi Tim, I’m in the market for faster memory cards. Thanks for the extensive test.
I found a video that the v90 card was able to clear buffer much faster then your test results at only ~8s. Do you think that could be possible?
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1aJXmQnYmz/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Thanks,
Austin
Hi Austin. My test results are based on shooting Compressed RAW + JPEG L because this pushes the cards the hardest. I’ve only taken a quick look at their video but it looks like they are shooting RAW Lossless Comp + JPEG L which means you can’t capture so many images, this combination also doesn’t push the cards as hard, thus you will see faster buffer clearing times. They are also shooting with the front cap on which massively reduces the JPEG files sizes because they are just capturing a blank image with zero detail, it also reduces the RAW file size because they include an embedded JPEG. I prefer to shoot a test scene which more closely mimics the size of a captured image in the real world. The JPEG size from my test scene is 24.5 MB. I’ve just put the lens cap on to test this and the JPEG generated is only 8.1 MB. I will add some buffer clearing times for all the different file combinations with one of the V90 cards soon (now added), but not for every card because it simply takes too long. Hope that helps 🙂
Wow, didn’t expect additional test chart. Thanks for your time in doing that. That’s a very good reference
What happened to the Pergear 2.0 tests? The Standard and the Prime? There were tests on the older camera bodies(A7RV) but they were also gone now.
When I checked these older cards they were no longer available to purchase. I typically only include current cards. Looking at their website it does look like you can order them again. However, I ordered a Type B card from Pergear to test over a month ago and they have still not shipped it, according to them due to the current chip shortage. If they have no stock they really shouldn’t be accepting orders.
Have you tested the regular 2.0 Pergear cards for video? I have 2 of the 260gb which I’ve used for about a year and a half on all my Sony cameras for video. On the A7V they cannot record video. The moment you hit the record button, they crash the camera and you must pull the battery out to fix this. I’ve tried on 2 bodies and 2 different Pergear cards and same result.
No I’m afraid I haven’t done any specific videos tests. I do have a couple of the Pergear 2.0 cards. What video settings were you using?
Hello. Any reason why the Kingston Canvas React Plus 64GB performed so poorly when compared with the over v90 cards? I have two of those that was planning to use with the A7V.
Sorry, I thought I’d put a note about the Kingston cards but looks like I didn’t. It performed poorly during a couple of tests but then started to perform as I would expect it to. I’m going to test it further and the issue doesn’t arise again I will remove the warning and put the faster times in. If you have the cards already I’d recommend testing them and see how they compare to my times.
Hey – great article. I’m getting my Sony A7V soon and im on the market for memory cards, so this is helpful. I will mostly shoot wildlife/landscape stills (including burst shooting for birds in flight, occasionally 30fps with pre-capture, etc.) and would like to start taking short wildlife videos as well 4K/60 (no crop) and occasionally 4k/120 slow-mo. Do you think a couple of 265GB V60 / UHS II sd cards will suffice in this case – as a best cost/benefit option? Thanks in advance
Thank you. If you are not shooting long 30 fps bursts all day long then you could certainly make a V60 card work. I’d recommend one of the faster V60 cards though, such as the Lexar Professional 1800X or the Nextorage NX-F2 SE. If you record video in XAVC HS 4K or XAVC S 4K then you would only need a V60 card. XAVC S-I 4K would require a V90 or VPG200 CFexpress card. However, if you want to use S&Q Motion shooting then both XAVC HS 4K and XAVC S 4K require a V90 or higher. You might find this page in the A7 V User Guide helpful when determining the best card for various video formats: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2540/v1/en/contents/0002H_usable_memory_card.html
Thanks Tim – super helpful. Was in between Prograde and Lexar but went ahead with the Lexar 1800x V60s – hope they keep up well. Cheers
Hey just wondering how you know this “CFexpress Type A 4.0 cards will work in the A7 V because they are backwards compatible with the 2.0 standard, but you will not be able to take advantage of 4.0 speeds in-camera.”
I couldn’t see anything in the manual about this speed limitation.
I received my A7V this week and have tested both both 2.0 and 4.0 cards. They both work and both take the same time to clear a full buffer, so it’s definitely not taking advantage of the faster 4.0 speeds. Well, at least not with the two cards I have tried so far. Also the A1 II and A9 III are not supporting 4.0 cards so it was unlikely that the A7 V would. If it did, I would also expect Sony to mention this in the documentation and marketing material to try and drive more sales of their newer 4.0 cards. I don’t think any cameras are supporting 4.0 yet, from Sony, Canon or Nikon. It’s clearing a full buffer of compressed RAW shots in around 4.5 seconds even with the 2.0 cards, so it’s definitely not slow. Hopefully I’ll be updating this article next week with the figures for all of the cards.