Why the OWC Atlas Ultra memory card is the best choice
In the creative world of photography and film, we are constantly looking for the best materials to bring our vision to life. Cameras and lenses are tested and compared in every detail, from new features and resolutions to dynamic range. Yet a crucial part of our digital toolbox often remains underexposed: the memory card.
Written by Daimon Xanthopoulos
Damion is a creative storyteller specialising in photography and filmmaking, working on projects and global documentaries since 2000. His work has been published in international media and exhibited in museums and festivals, with recognition including the Prix Italia Special Prize and the Dutch TEGEL Storimans Award.
How reliable is your current memory card?
The memory card in a camera is the backbone of our work processes. At the same time, we often actually know little about the quality of our storage media. Sure, we know they are prone to wear and tear and to data corruption with prolonged use, but what is the status of your current memory card and how reliable is it still?
This is important to know because even the most advanced cameras depend on fast and reliable memory cards. Without real guarantees, there is always the possibility of missing important moments. This risk is increasing as camera files get bigger and more complex, with more megapixels, faster burst speeds and 8k video codecs.
Losing files
The impact of corrupt files is disastrous, whether it is an important photo project in a country on the other side of the world or a wedding shoot in a neighbouring village. In the film industry, a corrupted video file can even mean the loss of an entire production. Despite this risk, many of us blindly trust our current memory cards, with little to no knowledge about the status of their performance and reliability.
"I think every photographer can relate to this problem."
I myself have unfortunately had to deal with corrupt cards, corrupt files and file loss several times during my work. For instance, during a reportage in Liberia, I lost an entire day's work due to a corrupt card. A few years later, the same thing happened during a film project. Only while editing the story did I realise that some files were corrupt.
There is no good solution to check if the cards I have been using for a while are still good or if they need to be replaced. I think every photographer can relate to this problem.
Software to check the condition of your memory card
When I heard that OWC, Other World Computing, was introducing a new line of memory cards with software to control and erase the cards, I was immediately curious. OWC has a lot of experience with high-quality SSD drives and RAID systems for creatives. Checking the condition of your memory card and wiping it clean to preserve its performance is important news in our industry. Yet I don't hear much about it.
In an interview with Transcontinenta at IBC Amsterdam, OWC CEO Larry O'Conner talked about how the new OWC Atlas Ultra cards were a logical step for them. However, they were hugely surprised that other manufacturers have not applied these techniques to their own memory cards. This has been around for years for SSD drives and it is largely the same technology.
OWC Innergize™ Software
The Innergize™ software can create "Health Checks" (health checks) and has a "Sanitize" function (clean-up/delete). These functions can be performed hardware-wise on OWC Atlas Ultra cards and are important for security and performance. In addition, this ensures optimal operation of a card and preservation of their speed. This is very important for film, but also sports photographers who want to exploit burst speeds of the new generation of cameras. It also offers firmware updates, so your card will continue to work in future camera models. The most important feature, however, is the OWC Health check that can see if the card is still in good health and, where necessary, can also restore the card to new condition (factory settings).
Through this combination of maintenance and check functions, it minimises the chance of write errors and guarantees that the cards perform as good as new with every shot.
Fastest CFexpress 4.0 Type B memory cards
The new OWC Atlas Ultra cards are not only the safest cards available today, they are also currently the fastest cards you can get. The CFexpress 4.0 Type B cards have speeds of 3000MB/s write and up to 3650 MB/s read but importantly for RAW video, the guaranteed continuous write speed of 1500MB/s. They are ideal for high-speed still cameras as widely used in sports and nature that need to capture large amounts of burst footage, but also for the new generation of Cinema systems that want to record in 8K RAW video.
My experience with the OWC Atlas Ultra cards
My own experiences with the OWC Atlas Ultra cards confirm their exceptional quality. I immediately noticed a significant improvement in my workflow. Fast cards come in handy in your camera. In addition, data backup is lightning fast, thanks in part to the separately available OWC USB4 Atlas CFexpress card reader that supports impressive read and write speeds of up to 5000MB/s. With this, I download 1TB of media files in 5 minutes instead of the 25 minutes with a fast USB3.2 reader.
"The idea that the cards get a check before every big job makes me feel confident."
There are several cameras that use CFexpress Type B like, for example, the Canon EOS R3 and EOS R5, the Nikon Z8 and Z9 or the Fujifilm GFX100 II. Cine-film cameras like the RED Raptor series or the latest Sony Burano also use CFexpress Type B.
The idea that the cards get a check before every big job makes me feel confident. The Innergize software is user-friendly and does what it promises. From an investment point of view, the cards are also actually quite affordable considering the large storage you get for it and the extra security and speed.
CFexpress Type B card in an XQD card slot
For those who have a camera with an XQD card slot, these OWC CFexpress Type B cards are also a good investment. This is because the cards will just work in your camera if it has the latest firmware. If you then later buy a camera with a faster CF Express slot, the same card is suddenly much faster. I also definitely recommend the OWC card reader. That one has both a built-in USB-C plug inside, and a port for an external proprietary USB-C plug. An OWC reader is also necessary for performing firmware updates on the cards in the future.
Conclusion
It is nice for us photographers to see a new major player entering the memory card market. One that provides better and reliable solutions through innovation. The OWC Atlas Ultra cards stand out with flying colours for their performance, durability and, above all, reliability. Features that are essential for storage media, as well as for photographers and filmmakers. Truly recommended for anyone who needs speed, or for those who no longer want to worry about their camera media.