Best Memory Cards for the Sony A7 IV – 52 Cards Tested In-Camera

The Sony A7 IV has two card slots: Slot 1 takes CFexpress Type A or SD cards, and Slot 2 takes SD cards only. In my tests, every CFexpress Type A card hit the camera’s ceiling of about 325–329 MB/s and never filled the buffer, while the fastest V90 SD cards wrote 215–229 MB/s and filled it after about 65 Compressed RAW shots. You don’t need CFexpress for most shooting; you need it for a bottomless buffer and for slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K. I tested 52 cards in-camera to find out which ones are worth buying.

How I tested: I shot Compressed RAW at 10fps in Continuous Hi+, the A7 IV’s fastest RAW burst (Lossless Compressed RAW drops it to 6fps), until the buffer was full, then measured how fast the camera wrote the burst to the card. With CFexpress Type A cards, the buffer never filled, so those results show the camera’s sustained write limit. My test scene is fairly simple, so files from more detailed scenes can be larger, which means fewer shots before the buffer fills. I don’t test with RAW+JPEG, because processing the JPEGs puts more load on the camera’s processor than on the card, which muddies the card speed results.

Best Memory Cards for the Sony A7 IV

	Slot 1, best value CFexpress Type A: Lexar Professional SILVER CF4.0. All five CFexpress Type A cards I tested in the A7 IV hit its 325–329 MB/s ceiling. The SILVER is newer than my A7 IV tests, but it maxed out the A7V, which has a similar ~310 MB/s ceiling.
	Pro CFexpress Type A (warranty and durability): Delkin BLACK. Same speed in this body, with a lifetime warranty. Pay for it for the warranty and toughness, not the speed.
	Best SD (V90): Angelbird AV PRO V90 MK2. 218 MB/s, about 10 MB/s behind the fastest SD cards I tested (229 MB/s), which only shows up in long stills bursts. V90 covers every video mode except slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K, which needs CFexpress Type A.
	Best value SD (V60): Lexar ARMOR Gold V60 128GB. 194 MB/s in the A7V, well ahead of the fastest V60 card from my older A7 IV tests (Lexar 1800x, 174 MB/s). It’s also one of the most durable cards I’ve tested, with a stainless steel body and no write-protect switch to break off. Fine for stills and H.265, including S&Q in XAVC HS and XAVC S, but not for 600 Mbps All-Intra.

What about Sony cards? I like Sony’s own cards in a lot of Sony cameras because they perform so well. The Sony TOUGH G V90 wrote 222 MB/s in the A7 IV, and the previous-generation TOUGH CFxA card hit 329 MB/s. But Sony has suspended orders for nearly all of its SD and CFexpress cards because of the global flash memory shortage, so they’re hard to find right now, and Sony has had bad cards and recalls in the past. If you find a TOUGH G at a fair price, it’s still a good card.

How to Set Up the A7 IV’s Two Card Slots

The right card for Slot 2 depends on which recording mode you’re using, and the three options have different speed requirements.

• Simultaneous (backup): Both slots record the same content at once. The camera writes no faster than the slower card, so a V30 card in Slot 2 will drag down a CFexpress Type A card in Slot 1. Use V90 in Slot 2.
• Relay: Fills Slot 1 first, then switches to Slot 2 when it’s full. Slot 2 still needs to handle your recording format; at 600 Mbps XAVC S-I, that means V90.
• Sort (RAW/JPEG split): Routes RAW to one slot and JPEG to the other. The JPEG data stream is much smaller, so a V30 card works fine in the JPEG slot.

For most people: CFexpress Type A in Slot 1 and V90 in Slot 2 covers every mode safely. If you’re shooting JPEG overflow or single-slot only, V60 in Slot 2 is sufficient.

CFexpress Type A Cards for the Sony A7 IV

Every CFexpress Type A card I tested in the Sony A7 IV wrote 325–329 MB/s, and none of them filled the buffer. That’s the camera’s limit, so cards claiming 700–900 MB/s won’t shoot any faster in this body. Stick to reliable, mid-tier cards like the Lexar SILVER, Lexar GOLD, or Delkin BLACK. Unlike the Sony A7R V, which takes CFexpress Type A in both slots, the A7 IV only takes it in Slot 1, so you only need one CFexpress card.

I recommend looking at the Lexar Silver CFexpress Type A card. The value is unbeatable, and it’s more than fast enough for the Sony A7 IV. CFexpress 4.0 cards work too, but the camera can’t use their extra speed, so only buy them if the price is right.

Current CFexpress Type A Cards I Recommend

I update this list as new cards come out. The speeds are from my card reader tests; for how each card performs in the A7 IV itself, see the in-camera results below.

SD Cards for the Sony A7 IV: V90 or V60?

In the Sony A7 IV, the fastest V90 SD cards wrote 215–229 MB/s and filled the buffer after about 65 Compressed RAW shots. The best V60 card I tested, the Lexar 1800x, wrote 174 MB/s, and most V60 cards landed between 77 and 144 MB/s. Faster cards also let the camera write more before the buffer filled: about 2.1–2.5GB per burst on the best V90 cards, compared with 0.9–1.7GB on V60 cards.

For video, V90 covers every mode except slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K. V60 handles everything except 600 Mbps XAVC S-I, which needs V90. Standard 4K in XAVC HS or XAVC S only needs U3/V30. However, budget CFexpress Type A cards are now often less expensive and perform better than V90 SD cards.

Current SD Cards I Recommend

I update this list as new cards come out. The speeds are from my card reader tests; for how each card performs in the A7 IV itself, see the in-camera results below.

For a Tough card, the new Stainless steel Lexar ARMOR cards are a great alternative to the Sony TOUGH M cards. I recommend using tough-style cards if you don’t need the write-protection switch, since plastic cards tend to break more often. Compare the prices of Sony Tough cards and Lexar ARMOR cards, and choose the most affordable option. Both are fantastic cards.

Both slots use full-size SD card housings. MicroSD cards work with an adapter, but from experience they can lose connection inside the adapter, so I wouldn’t use one for anything critical. See the microSD memory card guide if you need to use one.

Sony A7 IV In-Camera Memory Card Benchmarks

These results come from the Sony A7 IV itself, not a card reader. I fill the buffer with a burst, then divide the total data written by the time it takes the camera to clear the buffer. I run each card more than once and list the fastest run.

Sony A7 IV In-Camera Test Results: CFexpress Type A (Tested 2022)

Card	In-camera write (MB/s)
ProGrade Digital 160GB	329
Sony TOUGH 80GB	329
Lexar GOLD 160GB	326
Delkin BLACK 80GB	325
Delkin POWER 80GB	325

Sony A7 IV In-Camera Test Results: UHS-II SD (Tested 2022)

Card	Class	In-camera write (MB/s)	Data per burst (GB)
Ritz Gear VideoPro	V90	229	2.5
Wise PRO	V90	229	2.5
Delkin BLACK	V90	225	2.4
Sony TOUGH G	V90	222	2.3
Angelbird AV PRO MK2	V90	218	2.1
Kodak Ultra Pro	V90	218	2.1
SanDisk Extreme PRO	V90	217	2.3
ProGrade Digital (pre-Iridium)	V90	217	2.3
Kingston Canvas React Plus	V90	216	2.1
Delkin POWER	V90	215	2.2
Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II	V90	213	2.1
Lexar 2000x	V90	208	2.1
ADATA Premier ONE	V90	203	1.9
Transcend 700S	V90	180	1.7
Fujifilm Elite II	V90	165	1.5
Hoodman Steel 2000x	V90	156	1.5
Lexar 1800x	V60	174	1.7
Sony TOUGH M	V60	144	1.4
Sony E	V60	137	1.4
Angelbird AV PRO MK2	V60	135	1.4
Amplim 2000x	V60	131	1.3
Lexar 1667x	V60	101	1.1
Hoodman Steel 1500x	V60	97	1.1
Amplim 1900x	V60	95	1.1
Freetail	V60	95	1.1
Delkin PRIME	V60	89	1.1
ProGrade Digital	V60	78	1.0
Lexar 1000x	V60	77	0.9

Data per burst includes the 2–4 shots I usually take after the buffer fills, so use it to compare cards, not as an exact buffer size. The ProGrade Digital V90 tested here is the older ProGrade V90, not the newer ProGrade Iridium V90.

Sony A7 IV In-Camera Test Results: UHS-I SD (Tested 2022)

UHS-I cards top out around 80 MB/s in the A7 IV, so they’re fine for single shots and standard 4K, but expect long waits after a burst.

Card	Class	In-camera write (MB/s)	Time to clear (s)
PNY Pro Elite	U3	81	12.8
Delkin BLACK	V30	80	12.9
Kingston Canvas Select Plus	U3	79	13.0
Kingston Canvas Go! Plus	U3	78	13.2
Verbatim Pro+	U3	74	13.4
Delkin Advantage	V30	72	13.9
Transcend	U3	70	13.9
Toshiba Exceria Pro	U3	69	14.4
SanDisk Extreme PRO	U3	64	15.0
SanDisk Extreme Plus	U3	64	15.0
Ritz Gear Extreme Performance	V30	60	16.1
PNY Elite Performance	U3	59	15.7
SanDisk Extreme	U3	50	17.8
Amplim 667x	V30	48	18.6
PNY Elite-X	U3	46	20.1
Lexar 633x	U3	34	25.5
Verbatim Pro	U3	33	27.4
Toshiba Exceria	U3	29	28.5
SanDisk Ultra	U1	27	32.3

Which Cards You Need for Video on the Sony A7 IV

On the Sony A7 IV, standard 4K recording in H.265 or H.264 only needs a U3/V30 card, S&Q in 4K needs V60, 600 Mbps H.264 All-Intra (XAVC S-I) needs V90, and slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K needs a CFexpress Type A card. Camera bitrates are listed in megabits per second, so divide by 8 to get megabytes per second: 200 Mbps is 25 MB/s, and 600 Mbps is 75 MB/s. Sony cameras also reject cards that are out of spec, including the old Sony M cards that were recalled.

Standard Recording

Format	Max bitrate	SD card required	CFexpress Type A
XAVC HS 4K (H.265)	200 Mbps	U3/V30	Any
XAVC S 4K (H.264)	200 Mbps	U3/V30	Any
XAVC S HD	100 Mbps	U3/V30	Any
XAVC S-I 4K (All-Intra)	600 Mbps	V90	VPG200
XAVC S-I HD (All-Intra)	222 Mbps	V90	VPG200

S&Q Slow Motion

In S&Q, the menu bitrate applies to the playback frame rate, so slow motion writes more data per second than the listed bitrate. Sony’s help guide sets these card requirements for S&Q on the A7 IV, which tops out at 60fps in 4K and 120fps in HD:

• XAVC S-I 4K slow motion (30p/25p/24p recording at 60fps/50fps): CFexpress Type A only. Sony doesn’t support SD cards for it.
• XAVC S-I HD: V90 SD or CFexpress Type A.
• XAVC HS 4K and XAVC S 4K: V60 SD or CFexpress Type A.
• XAVC S HD: U3/V30 is enough for most settings, but 120fps slow motion at 50 Mbps (30p/25p/24p recording) needs V60 or CFexpress Type A.

Both are from the Sony A7 IV help guide. Sony lists VPG200 CFexpress Type A cards for XAVC S-I and 4K S&Q.

What Size Memory Card Do You Need for the Sony A7 IV?

For H.265, 128GB holds about 1 hour 10 minutes of 4K at 200 Mbps, and 256GB about 2 hours 20 minutes, which covers most shoots. If you’re shooting a long interview in 4K at 600 Mbps (XAVC S-I), a 128GB card fills up in about 25 minutes by Sony’s estimate. For event work, I strongly recommend moving to 512GB cards or shooting in XAVC HS (H.265), which gives you about 2 hours 10 minutes at 100 Mbps on that same 128GB card without a massive drop in quality.

You can also use my camera record time calculator to customize your results.

Format	Bitrate (Frame Rate)	64GB	128GB	256GB*
XAVC S-I 4K	600 Mbps (60p) / 500 Mbps (50p)	10min	25min	~50min
XAVC S-I HD	222 Mbps (60p) / 185 Mbps (50p)	30min	1h	~2h
XAVC HS 4K, XAVC S 4K	200 Mbps (60p/50p)	35min	1h 10min	~2h 20min
XAVC HS 4K, XAVC S 4K	150 Mbps (60p/50p)	45min	1h 30min	~3h
XAVC HS 4K	100 Mbps (60p/50p)	1h	2h 10min	~4h 20min
XAVC S HD	50 Mbps (60p/50p)	2h	4h 10min	~8h 20min

These are Sony’s own estimates for the A7 IV (SD cards, proxy recording off), which run shorter than dividing card size by bitrate because the camera uses variable bitrate. Sony lists 64GB and 128GB only; the 256GB column doubles Sony’s 128GB figure. Sony doesn’t publish times for S&Q, which fills the card faster per real second than the listed bitrate suggests.

Sony A7 IV Specs That Affect Card Choice

Sensor: 33MP Full-Frame, Exmor R BSI CMOS Processor: BIONZ XR Memory Card Slots: Slot 1 CFexpress Type A or SD UHS-II, Slot 2 SD UHS-II Continuous Shooting: 10fps Compressed RAW, 6fps Lossless Compressed RAW RAW Shots To Fill Buffer: about 65 Compressed RAW shots with a Sony TOUGH G V90 in my tests; never filled with CFexpress Type A (Sony rates 1,000+) In-Camera Write Limit: about 325–329 MB/s with CFexpress Type A 4K Datarate: H.265 200 Mbps XAVC HS (25 MB/s) / H.264 600 Mbps XAVC S-I (75 MB/s)

Sony A7 IV Memory Card FAQ

Do I actually need CFexpress Type A for the A7 IV?

Not for most shooting. The fastest V90 SD cards wrote 215–229 MB/s, which handles everything the A7 IV shoots, including 4K at 600 Mbps, except slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K. Where CFexpress Type A makes a real difference is buffer depth: with a fast V90 card, the buffer filled after about 65 Compressed RAW shots, while CFexpress Type A never filled it. And budget CFexpress Type A cards like the Lexar Silver are often cheaper than comparable V90 SD cards, so unless you already own V90 cards, CFexpress Type A is the better buy for most people.

What’s the fastest SD card for the Sony A7 IV?

The Ritz Gear VideoPro V90 and Wise PRO V90 were fastest at 229 MB/s, followed by the Delkin BLACK V90 (225 MB/s) and Sony TOUGH G V90 (222 MB/s). Most good V90 cards landed between 215 and 229 MB/s.

Is a CFexpress 4.0 Type A card faster in the A7 IV?

No. Every CFexpress Type A card I tested already hit the A7 IV’s limit of about 325–329 MB/s. CFexpress 4.0 cards work fine and offload faster with a 4.0 reader, but they won’t make the camera faster.

Can I use a V60 card for 4K on the A7 IV?

For most 4K modes, yes. Sony only requires U3/V30 for XAVC HS and XAVC S at up to 200 Mbps, and V60 for 4K S&Q. XAVC S-I at 600 Mbps (75 MB/s) needs V90, and slow motion in XAVC S-I 4K needs a CFexpress Type A card. V60 can also cause issues in dual-slot simultaneous recording at high bitrates, since both cards need to sustain the full write rate.

Can I use UHS-I SD cards in the A7 IV?

Yes. The fastest UHS-I cards wrote about 80 MB/s in my tests, which is fine for standard 4K and single shots, but a burst takes about 13 seconds or more to clear. They can’t record XAVC S-I or 4K S&Q.

Why is my buffer slow even with a fast card in Slot 1?

Almost certainly a dual-slot mode issue. In simultaneous (backup) mode, the A7 IV writes at the speed of the slower card regardless of what’s in Slot 1. Check your slot recording mode setting, and either switch to relay mode or upgrade the card in Slot 2.

Do I need a CFexpress Type A reader to offload footage?

Yes, if you use CFexpress Type A cards. They don’t fit a standard SD reader, so you’ll need a dedicated CFexpress Type A reader. In-camera performance doesn’t depend on it, but offloading large shoots is much faster from a CFexpress card than from SD.

If you found this guide helpful, you may also like my list of accessories for the Sony A7 IV. These are the accessories and brands I use with most of my cameras. For my full take on the camera itself, see the Sony A7 IV review.