Recommended Memory Cards Sony A7IV
The Sony A7IV has some really nice improvements over the previous cameras specifically when looking at memory cards. Not only does the second card slot now support UHS-II memory cards, but the first memory card slot supports CFexpress Type-A memory cards.
Do you need CFexpress Type A memory cards in the Sony A7IV?
No. But they allow for a nearly limitless buffer when shooting compressed RAW at 10fps or at 5fps with the lossless compressed mode.
Unlike the Sony A7sIII and Sony A1, you don’t need CFexpress Type A memory cards when shooting S&Q XAVC S-I slow-motion footage in the Sony A7IV, but you will need a v90 UHS-II memory card.
Here are some of the best-performing memory cards in each speed class
If you want a nearly bottomless buffer and all support for all the video features, the CFexpress Type A cards are great and you can transfer data very quickly to an external SSD with a CFexpress Type A reader, but they are a little expensive.
UHS-II V90 cards are going to be the best sd cards for most people with the Sony A7IV because these cards will allow you to take advantage of all the frame rates and all the video modes of the camera.
UHS-II V60 cards are going to be best for casual video shooters and photographers that want a lot more data at a lower cost, but you will be limited with some recording formats which I list further down in this article.
Recommended Memory Cards | In-Camera Speeds | USB Write | USB Read | Check Price |
CFx Type A | ||||
Lexar 160GB | 326 MB/s | 825 MB/s | 886 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
Sony 80GB | 325 MB/s | 641 MB/s | 852 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
ProGrade 160GB | 326 MB/s | 691 MB/s | 845 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
UHS-II V90 | ||||
Sony G Tough V90 | 222 MB/s | 229 MB/s | 270 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
Delkin Black V90 | 225 MB/s | 225 MB/s | 259 MB/s | B&H |
RitzGear Video Pro V90 | 229 MB/s | 248 MB/s | 266 MB/s | Amazon |
Wise V90 Pro | 229 MB/s | 256 MB/s | 275 MB/s | B&H |
UHS-I V60 | ||||
Lexar 1800x | 174 MB/s | 176 MB/s | 242 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
Sony M Tough | 143 MB/s | 129 MB/s | 282 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
Sony E 120MB/s version* | 137 MB/s | 138 MB/s | 244 MB/s | Amazon / B&H |
Angel Bird V60 II | 134 MB/s | 104 MB/s | 166 MB/s | B&H |
*My Sony E-card is actually performing faster than the rated 120MB/s which is interesting. It’s a great card for a great price, but there are slower versions of this card out there. Try to get the 120MB/s version.
Sony A7IV – Amazon / Adorama / B&H
7 Must-Have Accessories For The Sony A7IV
Memory Card Benchmarks
Each memory card was tested in the Sony A7IV. The buffer is filled then data is calculated against the time it takes to clear the buffer.
USB speeds are taken with a Macbook Pro and a ProGrade reader using the AJA System Test. You won’t get these same USB speeds on some computers like an M1 Mac mini or M1 iMac since these computers share the USB bus with other components.
Card Name | Speed Class | USB Write | USB Read | In Camera Speeds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sony Tough 80GB | CFx-A | 641 MB/s | 852 MB/s | 325 MB/s |
Lexar 160GB | CFx-A | 825 MB/s | 886 MB/s | 325 MB/s |
Delkin Black 80GB | CFx-A | 639 MB/s | 852 MB/s | 326 MB/s |
Delkin Power 80GB | CFx-A | 641 MB/s | 847 MB/s | 325 MB/s |
ProGrade 160GB | CFx-A | 691 MB/s | 845 MB/s | 326 MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/s | UHS-II | 252 MB/s | 279 MB/s | 217 MB/s |
Lexar 2000x | UHS-II | 219 MB/s | 256 MB/s | 208 MB/s |
Lexar 1800x | UHS-II | 176 MB/s | 242 MB/s | 174 MB/s |
Lexar 1667x | UHS-II | 99 MB/s | 242 MB/s | 101 MB/s |
Toshiba Exceria Pro | UHS-II | 213 MB/s | 244 MB/s | 213 MB/s |
Transcend v90 | UHS-II | 175 MB/s | 263 MB/s | 180 MB/s |
Sony G Tough v90 | UHS-II | 239 MB/s | 275 MB/s | 222 MB/s |
Sony M Tough V60 | UHS-II | 155 MB/s | 268 MB/s | 143 MB/s |
Sony E v60 | UHS-II | 142 MB/s | 252 MB/s | 137 MB/s |
Delkin Black v90 | UHS-II | 253 MB/s | 278 MB/s | 225 MB/s |
Delkin Power v90 | UHS-II | 240 MB/s | 275 MB/s | 215 MB/s |
Delkin Prime v60 | UHS-II | 98 MB/s | 275 MB/s | 89 MB/s |
Fujifilm Elite II | UHS-II | 158 MB/s | 277 MB/s | 165 MB/s |
Adata v90 | UHS-II | 229 MB/s | 268 MB/s | 203 MB/s |
Hoodman Steel 2000x | UHS-II | 155 MB/s | 249 MB/s | 156 MB/s |
Hoodman Steel 1500x | UHS-II | 99 MB/s | 273 MB/s | 97 MB/s |
ProGrade V90 | UHS-II | 229 MB/s | 270 MB/s | 217 MB/s |
ProGrade V60 | UHS-II | 98 MB/s | 155 MB/s | 78 MB/s |
Amplim 2000x v60 | UHS-II | 136 MB/s | 253 MB/s | 131 MB/s |
Amplim 1900x V60 | UHS-II | 97 MB/s | 275 MB/s | 95 MB/s |
Angel Bird V90 II | UHS-II | 257 MB/s | 271 MB/s | 218 MB/s |
Angel Bird V60 II | UHS-II | 144 MB/s | 243 MB/s | 135 MB/s |
FreeTail Evoke Pro V60 | UHS-II | 96 MB/s | 272 MB/s | 95 MB/s |
Kingston Canvas React V90 | UHS-II | 256 MB/s | 274 MB/s | 216 MB/s |
Kodak V90 64GB | UHS-II | 260 MB/s | 272 MB/s | 218 MB/s |
Ritz Gear VideoPro V90 | UHS-II | 258 MB/s | 273 MB/s | 229 MB/s |
Wise V90 Pro | UHS-II | 256 MB/s | 275 MB/s | 229 MB/s |
Sensor: 33MP Full-Frame, Exmor R BSI CMOS |
Which Memory Cards Can Be Used For Which Settings
Sony documented this in their user manual. The camera will reject memory cards out of spec, it also rejects that old Sony M card that they recalled.
Here are the memory cards that are required for general video recording.
S&Q Memory Card Shooting
Here are the memory cards required for the different S&Q modes.
These charts are taken from the Sony Help Guide.
Best Memory Card Sony A7IV – Some Thoughts
When buying memory cards for the Sony A7IV I would just grab either a v90 or v60 UHS-II card. You’ll likely be shooting lossless compressed which does not give you 10fps, it actually gives you 5fps. I didn’t test the memory cards at 5fps, but I’m pretty sure you will get close to a bottomless buffer at 5fps with lossless compressed RAW on a v90 UHS-II card.
Sony M or Sony G cards would be my recommendation, but there are a few other great V90 cards that would be worth it if there was a nice sale. I would probably lean more towards getting v90 cards since some video features will require that. But I can’t justify CFexpress memory cards for this camera unless you really need to shoot 1,000 frames uninterrupted with a compressed RAW format.
If you’re not doing a lot with video, V60 cards are the way to go.
When buying a new card always be sure to fill the card to check that it doesn’t have a hacked memory card controller and that the card is authentic. You should get close to the rated amount of memory listed on the card if it is genuine, or buy from trusted stores like B&H or Adorama.