Comprehensive Guide to SD and CFexpress Memory Cards for Photography and Video Recording
Although the term memory card can be a bit of a blanket term, it's important to understand the differences in specifications such as video speed, bus speed and other features.
Depending on your photography or videography goals, choosing the right memory card for you can help you get the most of your camera.
In this article we'll present an in-depth overview of SD, Micro SD and CFexpress Type A cards. Tap or click on the links below to jump to the article section:
- SD Cards Basics (Immediately below)
- Micro SD™ Cards Basics
- CFexpress Type A card basics
SD™ Cards Basics
Form Factor and Characteristics
| Secure Digital - SD card | Secure Digital High Capacity - SDHC™ card | Secure Digital Extended Capacity - SDXC™ card |
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- Some cameras also utilize Sony Memory Stick™ products, so check your camera's Help Guide to determine which card standards are compatible before making your purchase.
- SDXC and SDHC cards are backward compatible. The speed, capacity, and performance will differ when used with legacy cameras.
- Legacy cameras may not be compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards.
- Micro SD™ cards are compatible with SD card slots on devices when the card SD adapter is used. But, this might affect performance.
SD™ Cards memory, speed and specifications
SD Card specifications are always listed on the card:
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Video Speed Class information
- The video speed classes refer to the absolute minimum sustained writing speed for the memory card.
- Numbers with a circular "C" symbol, "U" symbol or a "V" symbol next to or around it indicates the speed classes of the memory card
- Manufacturers use these speed class symbols to indicate the type of speed class and rating on the memory card. It's intended to help you choose the right memory card for your device in terms of speed.
Use this chart to review the details of the Speed, UHS Speed, and Video Speed classes
- The SD card speeds are the same at some specification points. For example, the C10/U1/V30 video speed is the same across all card types, may be listed together, and is considered to be the minimum standard for card use (10 MB/s).
- The corresponding video resolution types are shown to compare which speed works best for your recording needs.
- If you own an SDXC card that has high read/write speeds marked but doesn't have a V60/V90 logo (required), you will need to purchase the proper memory card as the camera doesn't recognize the read/write speeds and an error message will appear:
UHS Bus Interface for large size data transfer
The UHS Bus speed is the rate that the data transfers from the camera's internal buffer to the memory card, designated on the card by I or II:
- Great for burst shooting, large photos (RAW), and fast data transfer when used with UHS devices like your camera.
- Check your camera's specs to ensure your memory card and camera both support the same UHS standard for optimal transfer speed.
Memory Storage Capacity
SD cards have specific memory capacities and have backward compatibility between cards and cameras. Check your Help Guide for details.
Maximum reading and writing speed of an SD memory card
The maximum read and write speed specifications for the SD card. Some cards may only show the maximum write speed.
- Be sure that the UHS Bus speed of the camera is capable of transferring data at the rate listed on your memory card. Your Help Guide will have the details or memory card recommendations.
- If the UHS Bus speed of the camera is lower than the write speed of memory card, then the transfer speed with revert to the lower value.
- Check the camera specifications for UHS Bus and memory read/write speeds needed for your camera.
Micro SD™ Cards Basics
Form Factor and Characteristics
| Secure Digital - Micro SD card | Secure Digital High Capacity - Micro SDHC™ card |
Secure Digital Extended Capacity - Micro SDXC™ card |
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- Micro SD™ cards have the same video speed, memory capacity, and UHS Bus Interface specifications as SD cards, but they're smaller and more compact. The small size allows expanded use of memory in not only cameras, but drones, action cameras, smartphones, and other small devices.
- Micro SDHC and Micro SDXC cards are backward compatible. The speed, capacity, and performance will differ when used with legacy cameras.
- Some legacy cameras may not be compatible with Micro SDHC and Micro SDXC cards.
Micro SD™ Cards memory, speed and specifications
Micro SD Card specifications are always listed on the card:
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Video Speed Class information
- The video speed classes refer to the absolute minimum sustained writing speed for the memory card.
- Numbers with a circular "C" symbol, "U" symbol or a "V" symbol next to or around it indicates the speed classes of the memory card
- Manufacturers use these speed class symbols to indicate the type of speed class and rating on the memory card. It's intended to help you choose the right memory card for your device in terms of speed.
Use this chart to review the details of the Speed, UHS Speed, and Video Speed classes
- The Micro SD card speeds are the same at some specification points. For example, the C10/U1/V30 video speed is the same across all card types, may be listed together, and is considered to be the minimum standard for card use (10 MB/s).
- The corresponding video resolution types are shown to compare which speed works best for your recording needs.
Memory Storage Capacity
Micro SD cards have specific memory capacities and have backward compatibility between cards and cameras. Check your Help Guide for details.
Maximum reading and writing speed of an Micro SD card
The maximum read and write speed specifications for the Micro SD card. Some cards may only show the maximum write speed.
- Be sure that the UHS Bus speed of the camera is capable of transferring data at the rate listed on your memory card. Your Help Guide will have the details or memory card recommendations.
- If the UHS Bus speed of the camera is lower than the write speed of memory card, then the transfer speed with revert to the lower value.
- Check the camera specifications for UHS Bus and memory read/write speeds needed for your camera.
UHS Bus Interface for large size data transfer
The UHS Bus speed is the rate that the data transfers from the camera's internal buffer to the memory card, designated on the card by I or II:
- Great for burst shooting, large photos (RAW), and fast data transfer when used with UHS devices like your camera.
- If using the Micro SD card with a SD card adapter, there will be a loss in data transmission performance.
- Check your camera's specs to ensure your memory card and camera both support the same UHS standard for optimal transfer speed.
CFexpress Type A card basics
Form Factor and Characteristics
The CFexpress Type A card is a newer form factor for some Sony Alpha camera models and has significant specification advantages over SD/Micro SD cards.
- The CFexpress card's increased memory and speed make it ideal for high-speed video and burst photography.
- Its faster bus speeds enhance transferring content from the camera to the card, essential for burst, 8K, and slow-motion capture.
- Check your camera's Help Guide to determine if your model is compatible with CFexpress card technology.
| Model numbers | Compatible Sony Cameras | |
Faster writing speed |
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High storage capacity | |
CFexpress Cards memory, speed and video performance details
CFexpress Card specifications are always listed on the card:
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Video read and write speed information
The video speed refers to the maximum read and write speed of the memory card.
- CFexpress Type A cards provide reading and writing speeds to the camera of 800 MB/s (read) and 700 MB/s (write).
- High read and write speeds are important when shooting continuous video at high frame rates, such as 4K, 8K, and Slow Motion video capture.
Check your camera Help Guide to determine which video capture modes require a CFexpress or SD card, as some cameras are equipped with both card slots.
Memory Storage Capacity
The cards have memory capacities of 80, 160, 320, 640, 960, and 1920 GB:
- The combination of high read/write speeds and large memory capacity make this card type a favorite when long periods of continuous recording is required.
- Good for burst shooting, large size photos (RAW), and faster data transfer in combination with UHS host devices such as your camera.
Is Type A the only CFexpress card type?
There are three form factors for CFexpress cards: Type A, Type B, and Type C.
As of April, 2024, Sony Alpha cameras use only CFexpress Type A cards.
Refer to the Compact Flash Association website for additional details.
| CFexpress Card | Size (WxLxD) (mm) | PCIe® Data Transfer Lanes | Theoretical Transfer Speed | Compatible with Alpha Cameras? |
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| Type A | 20 x 28 x 2.8 | One | 1,000 MB/s | Yes |
| Type B | 38.5 x 29.8 x 3.8 | Two | 2,000 MB/s | No |
| Type C | 54 x 74 x 4.8 | Four | 4,000 Mbps | No |
Video Performance Guarantee (VPG) Information
The Video Performance Guarantee (VPG) is a standard established by the CompactFlash Association to ensure that media cards can handle the high data rates required for video recording.
Specifically, VPG guarantees a minimum sustained write speed necessary for recording high-quality video without dropping frames:
- VPG 200 - specifies the capability to write to the memory card continuously at a minimum speed of 200 MB/s (megabytes per second).
- VPG 400 - specifies the capability to write to the memory card continuously at a minumum speed of 400 MB/s.
This is crucial for professionals and videographers who rely on uninterrupted, high-resolution video capture, such as continuous burst, slow-motion, and 8K content.
Notes:
- Cards with a VPG rating of 400 MB/s may not have the memory capacity of those rated at 200 MB/s.
- Good for burst shooting, large size photos (RAW), and faster data transfer in combination with UHS host devices such as your camera.
- Check your camera specifications for compatibility with CFexpress cards and speed ratings.
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