What is the difference between CFexpress card Type A and Type B?
What are the differences between the two card types and when do you use which card? Check the compatibility list to see which CFexpress card fits your camera.
What is a CFexpress card?
A CFexpress card is a memory card with a high read and write speed. There are two card types: A and B. You use these cards in a high-end camera for 4K or 8K video and burst photography. Both cards are much faster than an SDXC card.
CFexpress cards were developed by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). They use technologies that are also used in high-speed solid-state drives (SSDs). Recently the CFexpress version 4.0 arrived, which is theoretically 2x faster than version 2.0. This allows them to achieve very high data transfer speeds of up to 4000 MB/s. Although the maximum speeds vary from card to card.
CFexpress cards are gaining popularity as new high-end cameras increasingly have a CFexpress card slot. There are several brands that make these memory cards, for example Lexar and OWC.
Differences between CFexpress Type A and Type B
A CFexpress Type A card is slightly larger than a microSD card and has one PCIe lane. This pin configuration offers a maximum read speed (at version 4.0) of 2000 MB/s and a write speed of 1700 MB/s. The CFexpress Type B is larger than Type A and has two PCIe lanes. With two lanes of contacts, the card is also faster, with a maximum read speed (at version 4.0) of 4000 MB/s and a write speed of 3000 MB/s.
VPG-certificering
CFexpress memory cards have a Video Performance Guarantee (VPG) certification. The VPG certification guarantees that a memory card can maintain a minimum write speed in MB/s. This value is represented by a number 200 (200 MB/s) or 400 (400 MB/s) in a clapperboard. This is therefore the very lowest speed at which data can be written to the memory card consecutively.
When do you use which CFexpress card?
A CFexpress Type A card will not fit in a Type B slot. This is because CFexpress Type A and Type B cards have different physical dimensions and pin configurations. Because of the differences in size and design, the slots for these cards are not interchangeable. However, you can use an adapter to turn a Type A card into a Type B card for reading via a card reader. The reverse is not possible. It is therefore important to check the manual so that you know which specific card fits your camera.
Dimensions:
- Type A: 20mm x 28mm x 2.8mm
- Type B: 38.5mm x 29.8mm x 3.8mm
Why are you using a CFexpress card?
A CFexpress card is recommended if your camera supports it because of its much faster read and write speeds compared to SDXC cards. This is important for recording 4K or 8K videos without delay. Besides video, a high write speed is important for photo bursts. The faster the card, the more photos you can take in succession. This is especially useful for fast-paced action, such as sports, wildlife, fashion and event photography. When working with high-resolution RAW shots, a fast card prevents storage problems, and also empties the camera's buffer much faster, for the next burst sequence.
Compatibility list - which CFexpress card fits which camera
Two brands that are highly regarded are Lexar and OWC. They have different CFexpress cards. You can see which card fits your camera in this overview.
| Brand | Model |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon | EOS R3 | |||||||
| Canon | EOS R5 | |||||||
| Canon | EOS R5 C | |||||||
| Canon | EOS 1D X Mark III | |||||||
| Canon | EOS C500 Mark II | |||||||
| Canon | EOS C300 Mark III | |||||||
| Sony | Alpha 7R V | |||||||
| Sony | Alpha 7 IV | |||||||
| Sony | Alpha 7S III | |||||||
| Sony | Alpha 1 | |||||||
| Sony | FX30 | |||||||
| Sony | FX3 | |||||||
| Sony | FX6 | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 8 | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 9 | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 7II | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 6II / Z6III | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 7 | |||||||
| Nikon | Z 6 | |||||||
| Nikon | D 6 | |||||||
| Nikon | D850 | |||||||
| Nikon | D5 | |||||||
| Nikon | D500 | |||||||
| Panasonic | GH6 | |||||||
| Panasonic | S1 | |||||||
| Panasonic | S1R | |||||||
| DJI | Ronin 4D | |||||||
| Fujifilm | GFX 100 II | |||||||
| Fujifilm | X-H2S | |||||||
| Fujifilm | X-H2 | |||||||
| RED | V-RAPTOR | |||||||
| RED | V-RAPTOR XL | |||||||
| RED | KOMODO-X |
| Brand | Model | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Canon | EOS R3 | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & SILVER Series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 & Atlas Pro 4.0 Recommended by Canon: Lexar GOLD Series |
| Canon | EOS R5 | |
| Canon | EOS R5 C | |
| Canon | EOS 1D X Mark III | |
| Canon | EOS C500 Mark II | |
| Canon | EOS C300 Mark III | |
| Sony | Alpha 7R V | CFexpress Type A Lexar GOLD & SILVER Series, OWC Atlas Pro 4.0 |
| Sony | Alpha 7 IV | |
| Sony | Alpha 7S III | |
| Sony | Alpha 1 | |
| Sony | FX30 | |
| Sony | FX6 | |
| Sony | FX3 | |
| Nikon | Z 9 | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & GOLD series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 |
| Nikon | Z 8 | |
| Nikon | Z 6 / Z 7 | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & SILVER Series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 & Atlas Pro 4.0 Recommended by Nikon: Lexar GOLD Series |
| Nikon | Z 6II / 6III / Z 7II | |
| Nikon | D5 | |
| Nikon | D500 | |
| Nikon | D850 | |
| Nikon | D6 | |
| Panasonic | GH6 | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & GOLD & SILVER Series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 & Atlas Pro 4.0 |
| Panasonic | S1 | |
| Panasonic | S1R | |
| DJI | Ronin 4D | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & GOLD & SILVER Series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 & Atlas Pro 4.0 |
| Fujifilm | GFX 100 II | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & GOLD & SILVER series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 & Atlas Pro 4.0 |
| Fujifilm | X-H2S | |
| Fujifilm | X-H2 | |
| RED | V-RAPTOR | CFexpress Type B Lexar DIAMOND & GOLD series, OWC Atlas Ultra 4.0 |
| RED | V-RAPTOR XL | |
| RED | KOMODO-X |