Sony has a new line of quick CFast cards to go with the increasing speeds of high-end cameras — on Tuesday, November 28, Sony launched the G Series CFast 2.0 memory cards. The new Sony CFast cards are designed for handling the demands of high resolution still photos and 4K video at fast frame rates.
Throughout the entire series, the CFast cards can reach a maximum 510 MB/s while writing files, with read speeds up to 530 MB/s. Sony says the new series outperforms existing CFast cards on the market, allowing photographers to shoot high resolution RAW files at fast speeds or cinema-grade 4K video at a high bit-rate.
In turn, the speed also allows creatives to access their media faster using the fast read speeds that allow for quick transfers to a computer. Sony says the fast read speed was designed for photographers and videographers working on tight deadlines, allowing them to move from the camera to post-processing faster.
For video, the cards also support VPG130 by guaranteeing a 130 MB/s minimum throughout the recording. Sony says that spec makes the cards ideal for recording in Cinema RAW light mode with the Canon C200 video camera.
Sony also designed a durable housing to match the pro-level speeds of the cards. The company says the cards have passed several drop, vibration, shock, and rigidity tests. The cards are designed to work across a wide range of temperatures, Sony says, as well as being resistant to static. Sony File Rescue Software allows users to recover some accidentally deleted files as well.
Prior to the launch of the new G Series CFast 2.0 series, Sony’s memory card selection primarily included SD cards, MicroSD cards and XQD cards. CFast cards are still a relatively new format designed for handling high resolution at high speeds and are largely used in professional cinema cameras, though DSLRs like the Canon 1D X Mark II and some medium format Phase One cameras accept the format as well. The new series competes with options from SanDisk as well as Lexar’s CFast line (a brand that had an uncertain future until an acquisition by Longsys earlier this year) with a better write speed than the 445 MB per second but a slightly slower read speed compared to Lexar’s 525 MB per second.
The new G Series CFast memory cards will sell in capacities for 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB for $120, $200, and $350 respectively. Availability is expected in early 2018.
