When it comes to memory cards, there are plenty of brands and formats (microSD, SD, CFexpress, CF, etc.) to choose from. One of the more recent formats is CFexpress Type A, which has been popularized by Sony with the a7S III, FX6, and FX3 cameras.
At the moment, the only available CFexpress Type A cards are made by Sony. A 160GB card can cost up to $398. All that is about to change with Delkin's new CFexpress Type A cards that are expected to come out this year.
No Film School has confirmed with a Delkin representative, who said, "We are looking at a late fall release for Type A." While Delkin didn't provide us with an exact date, they did say "late in the year is our goal."
The CFexpress Type A card slot is wondrous, as it allows you to insert either an SD card or a CFexpress Type A card into the same slot on the camera. While CFexpress Type B cards are bigger and faster, for 4K workflows, CFexpress Type A cards are fully capable.
Delkin Type B, Sony Type A
CFexpress cards are based on the PCIe Gen 3 interface and use NVMe protocols to improve performance and proficiency when recording video and capturing stills. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences.
Version
- CFexpress 1.0 utilizes NVMe 1.2 stack and is limited to a single form factor (Type B)
- CFexpress 2.0 employs NVMe 1.3 stack while also offering 2 additional form factors
Size
- Type A: 20mm (w) x 28mm (l) x 2.8mm (d)
- Type B: 38.5mm (w) x 29.6mm (l) x 3.8mm (d)
- Type C: 54mm (w) x 74mm (l) x 4.8mm (d)
Speed
- CFexpress Type A: speeds up to 1000MB/s
- CFexpress Type B: speeds up to 2000MB/s
- CFexpress Type C: speeds up to 4000MB/s
Type B cards have the same dimension and connector as XQD cards, and while Type C has already been classified, they're generally not in use yet. We'll probably start seeing them later down the line with higher resolutions and data rates.
Credit: NFS Illustration
With Delkin entering the CFexpress Type A space, expect prices to be much lower than Sony. You can also bet Sony will lower the costs of its Tough cards as more competing brands come to market. If history serves right, storage capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, and possibly higher should become available from Delkin.
Speaking of competition, ProGrade digital was rumored to launch Type A cards, but there's nothing yet. ProGrade has already introduced a CFexpress Type A and Type B combo card reader, so maybe Type A cards aren't too far off. We reached out to ProGrade for an update, and a representative told us they are not commenting on a Type A launch.
Hopefully, we see ProGrade, Lexar, and others hit the market with Type A cards.
Delkin CFexpress Type B BLACK
New to the Delkin CFexpress Type B family is the BLACK edition, which is also available in SD, microSD, and CF options.
The BLACK cards combine industrial-strength materials with fast performance. By using a PCIe 3.0 interface, the CFexpress cards can achieve read speeds up to 1760 MB/s and write speeds of 1710 MB/s. Better yet, the minimum write speed will never drop below 1400 MB/s, making it ideal for 8K image capture with the Canon R5.
Delkin also says BLACK cards are virtually unbreakable. They have a solid molded design where the internals of the card are completely sealed inside and protected. This keeps them protected from debris and water damage. The cards can even survive being fully submerged underwater.
The Delkin CFexpress Type B BLACK cards are available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities. Prices for Delkin BLACK start at $129 for the 64GB and go up from there.
