CFExpress v2 vs v4 opinion

[Sean2260]

So I had a7R4 and had I thought my bottleneck with write speeds was the SD cards. I would do short bursts and then sit and wait for buffer to clear which was aggravating. Then I got the a7R5 and found the processing speed improvement almost did away for the desire to have CFExpress. Tested out last fall and I was not running into the same buffer problem using the same SD cards.

But still I think to get a couple of CFexpress anyways because I am stupid. Or maybe I am just stupid but still should get couple of cards. Right now I have 2x 64GB Sony Tough, and the primary use is when I travel (Africa) to image animals (photo & video) and sometimes use the burst to get better chance at ideal photo (those animals just do not take direction well, zero chance they become models in Paris).

But do I really need v4 (higher price) or will v2 upgrading SD cards be more than I need? B&G has 256GB for $199 whereas the v2 160GB is $129. Most if any videos would be just couple minutes and would be 4k 24fps or 60fps (no 120fps), and burst are usually 10-15 images at a time, with possible need to take multiple burst in succession. In all my trips I can only remember a couple times I filled up a card in one day, and part of routine is always to transfer that days images to laptop & SSD drives.

 

[Drawshot]

I think the card slots in all Sony cameras are still only v2. So you won't see any difference between v2 and v4 cards when using them in the camera. The one advantage in using v4 cards is that transferring your images and video to a computer with a v4 card reader is much faster.

 

[iamdlewis]

So none of the Sony cameras can write to the cards at the v4 speed but that does not mean that your next camera will not. I still occasionally use some SD cards that I got to use with my A9 8 years ago and I am still using CFA cards I got 5 years ago with a second body. So if you get quality cards (SD or CFA) they will most likely outlast the body that you were using when you got them.
Just because the camera can't write at the max speed of the card doesn't mean that the higher speed is useless because at some point you will want to offload the images and your PC and reader will most likely be able to use that speed. The read speeds of the v4 are twice that of the v2 so in theory offloading should take half the time.
If you want to follow this one of the keys is to get a high quality card and though this isn't your camera it doesn't change the quality of the card: https://www.alphashooters.com/cameras/sony-a7v/memory-cards/

I don't know how many trips you have done for photography and especially ones for wildlife but I HIGHLY suggest that you have space for 8-10k images and a way to offload those images. You may have never taken that many images before but these trips are not something many of us will do many times and that will hit you and you will realize that it is better to take the shot and delete it later than miss the shot.

 

[Chris 3754]

I would urge going with the CFExA 4.0 cards if you can swing the extra price over the 2.0 cards. DLewis is correct that Sony cameras only support 2.0 cards and you will appreciate the download speed of 4.0 cards when moving files to your computer. Keep your SD cards handy if you’re traveling and need emergency space or the unlikely chance of a card failure. When traveling you are going to shoot tons of photos and video and you will certainly want to offload those files as quickly as possible.

 

[Sean2260]

I think the card slots in all Sony cameras are still only v2. So you won't see any difference between v2 and v4 cards when using them in the camera. The one advantage in using v4 cards is that transferring your images and video to a computer with a v4 card reader is much faster.

So glad I asked, as I did not even think about whether my camera would support v4. I just assumed. So that pretty much made my mind up, already ordered from B&H.

This will be my 4th trip, first trip alone I had 24k images . I follow same routine, in between drives I copy to my laptop. Then once on laptop I copy to Sandisk SSD drive (2 of them) so I end up having 3 copies. When I get back to Europe I usually stay for a week where I start transferring via VPN to my NAS, but never delete until I am actually back home on my PC and can view and organize.

 

[Chris 3754]

Sounds like you have a great workflow backup plan! What brand did you end up getting, I had just ordered some OWC from B&H and have been happy with them? On another note we were discussing cards on this site a few weeks ago and one of the points brought up is that 4.0 in-camera can generate too much heat so me may not see that speed in-camera for a while.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I would urge going with the CFExA 4.0 cards if you can swing the extra price over the 2.0 cards. DLewis is correct that Sony cameras only support 2.0 cards and you will appreciate the download speed of 4.0 cards when moving files to your computer. Keep your SD cards handy if you’re traveling and need emergency space or the unlikely chance of a card failure. When traveling you are going to shoot tons of photos and video and you will certainly want to offload those files as quickly as possible.

Have you compared the pricing between V2 and V4 CFeA cards? For example, Sony Tough 160GB V2 is MORE expensive than Sony Tough 240GB V4 where I buy cards - the V4 is both 50% larger, and cheaper!

So "extra price" isn't always an issue.

 

[AlphaWorld]

So I had a7R4 and had I thought my bottleneck with write speeds was the SD cards. I would do short bursts and then sit and wait for buffer to clear which was aggravating. Then I got the a7R5 and found the processing speed improvement almost did away for the desire to have CFExpress. Tested out last fall and I was not running into the same buffer problem using the same SD cards.

But still I think to get a couple of CFexpress anyways because I am stupid. Or maybe I am just stupid but still should get couple of cards. Right now I have 2x 64GB Sony Tough, and the primary use is when I travel (Africa) to image animals (photo & video) and sometimes use the burst to get better chance at ideal photo (those animals just do not take direction well, zero chance they become models in Paris).

But do I really need v4 (higher price) or will v2 upgrading SD cards be more than I need? B&G has 256GB for $199 whereas the v2 160GB is $129. Most if any videos would be just couple minutes and would be 4k 24fps or 60fps (no 120fps), and burst are usually 10-15 images at a time, with possible need to take multiple burst in succession. In all my trips I can only remember a couple times I filled up a card in one day, and part of routine is always to transfer that days images to laptop & SSD drives.

Right now, as I understand it, the only Sony cameras which take advantage of V4 cards are high end video cameras (so yes, there are Sony cameras which can use V4 - you just don't own one yet )

V4 cards are fully backward compatible with V2 slots, so they work perfectly in our existing cameras. And they download much faster when you get home Transfer speed actually matters more when you are uploading thousands of images to the computer - I'm quite impatient sometimes.

However, yes, in-camera card speed matters, but more with cameras faster than the A7RV. I can shoot at 20fps pretty much without limit (and I have shot burst of hundreds of images) using a CFeA card. I can't do that with an SD card.

SD cards were supposed to get faster speeds, but the committee messed up. CFe has pretty much eaten their lunch, dinner, and breakfast

I fully expect the next A9 to support CFe V4, and probably the next A1, too. The next A7R? I really don't know.

If you expect to stick with A7R series, I don't know if you'll need faster cards. I do, and I've switched over entirely to CFeA (even in the A7RV - it's easier than keeping SD cards for it, and, like I said, I do get impatient downloading the images )

 

[Tim Mayo]

No in-camera benefits to the CFe 4.0 cards right now, but many manufacturers are discontinuing the 2.0 cards anyway so you might not have much choice soon.

I recently updated my guide for the A7R V with lots of new 4.0 cards, I've included a comparison with SD cards as well:

Tested in Camera: The Best Sony A7R V Memory Cards - Alpha Shooters

20 CFexpress Type-A cards and 13 of the most popular UHS-II cards tested in the Sony A7RV to find out which memory cards perform best in camera.

www.alphashooters.com

Whichever you buy, best to do it sooner rather than later as prices are shooting up right now.