Sony Tough CFexpress Type A Memory Card and Reader Officially Announced

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In addition to the Sony a7S III announcement, Sony also announced the new Sony Tough CFexpress Type A Memory Card and Reader.

Pre-order links:

Sony a7S III body: $3,498 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Sony 160GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card: $398 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Sony 80GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card: $198 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Sony MRW-G2 CFexpress Type A/SD Memory Card Reader: $118 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Sony Tough CFexpress Type A Memory Card Key Features:

  • Write speeds up to 700MB/s and read speeds up to 800MB/s
  • New heat sink design maximizes heat disspiation, allowing long recording times even at 4K/120p
  • Up to 5X more drop impact resistance, and up to 10X more resistant to bending
  • IPX7 water ingress protection rating and an IP5X dust ingress protection rating (IP57) for enhanced durability
  • Supported by File Scan Utility memory diagnostic software and Memory Card File Rescue data recovery software

Press Release:

Sony Announces World’s First CFexpress Type A Memory Card With High-speed Performance and Tough Durability

SAN DIEGO – July 28, 2020 – Today, Sony Electronics Inc. announced a new generation of media — the world’s first CFexpress Type A memory cards, in both 80GB and 160GB, (CEA-G80T and CEA-G160T) as the most recent addition to Sony’s TOUGH specification cards. Delivering high transfer speed, durability and reliability, Sony’s new CFexpress Type A cards offer professional and stress-free performance for photographers and content creators.

High-speed Performance

Both the CEA-G80T (80GB) and CEA-G160T (160GB) use the latest flash memory control technology to achieve write speeds as high as 700MB/s(1) and read speeds as high as 800MB/s(1), greatly reducing buffer clearing times for efficient, stress-free shooting. The CFexpress Type A cards are ideally suited for high-speed continuous shooting of more than 1,000 uncompressed RAW still images, as well as 4K 120p movie recording at high bit rates with the Slow & Quick Motion function when paired with new Alpha 7S III, which features two CFexpress Type A compatible media slots, that also support UHS-I and UHS-II SDXC/SDHC cards, for simultaneous media capture or extended continuous recording of even the highest bit rate data. Compliance with the VPG400 video performance guarantee profile specification ensures stable video recording at 400 MB/s—creating a smooth workflow for professional creators.

Effective Heat Dissipation Design

The new CFexpress Type A memory cards are equipped with a heat sink to transfer heat generated by the card to the exterior when transmitting large amounts of data at high speed, using Sony’s original alloy with excellent thermal conductivity. This enables users to record for long periods of time even when recording 4K 120p video internally.

Tough Durability

Keeping up with Sony’s TOUGH specifications, the new CFexpress Type A memory cards feature bending and impact resistance to protect precious data, even when frequently changing cards in the harshest environments. They are up to five times more resistant to drop impact and up to ten times more resistant to bending, compared to CFexpress Type A requirement standards, for outstanding durability. In addition, thanks to a specialized internal structure, they achieve an IPX7 water ingress protection rating and an IP5X dust ingress protection rating (IP57) for enhanced durability.

Reliability

Accidents happen. Sony’s Memory Card File Rescue data recovery software allows users to recover accidently deleted RAW images and 4K video from memory cards. In addition, Sony’s Media Scan Utility media diagnostic software will be updated to support CFexpress Type A cards allowing users to diagnose and receive a warning before the number of read/write cycles approaches the card’s limit.

CFexpress Type A/SD Card Reader

Optimized for the new CFexpress Type A memory cards, the CFexpress Type A/SD card reader (MRW-G2) provides SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2) transfer speed, via its USB Type-C® connector, allowing creators to establish an efficient workflow when dealing with high-resolution images files, 4K video and other types of high-volume data. When combined with a CFexpress Type A card, it allows users to transfer data approximately 2.8 times faster than with conventional media. The MRW-G2 card reader can be used with CFexpress Type A and SDXC/SDHC (UHS-I and UHS-II) memory cards.

Pricing and Availability

CFexpress Type A memory cards and card reader will be available in September 2020. See below for suggested retail pricing:

(US) – CEA-G80T/CEA-G160T: $199.99 USD / $399.99 USD
(CA) – CEA-G80T/CEA-G160T: $259.99 CAD / $519.99 CAD
(US) – MRW-G2: $119.99 USD
(CA) – MRW-G2: $159.99 CAD