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Best Memory Cards Sony FX3
  • Memory Cards

Best Memory Cards Sony FX3

  • AGriffin
  • April 24, 2021
  • No comments

The Sony FX3 like the A7sIII both use a dual memory card configuration where it can take UHS-II cards or CFexpress Type A cards.

Table Of Contents

    • Sony FX3 Memory Card Recommendations
    • Sony FX3 Memory Card Compatibility
    • Do you need CFexpress Type A cards For the Sony FX3?
    • Can You Use V60 UHS-II Cards?
    • What I Would Do – How To Save Money On Memory Cards
    • CFexpress Type A vs SD Cards, what’s the difference?
  • Memory Card Speed Test | Fastest Memory Cards
  • Best Memory Cards For 4k Video
    • Should I Shoot XAVC HS, XAVC H-I, or XAVC S?
    • Sony FX3 Record Times – Memory Card Capacity
  • What Size Memory Card Is Best?
  • Avoiding Counterfeit Memory Cards

Sony FX3 – Amazon / Adorama / B&H

6 Must-Have Accessories Sony FX3

 

Sony FX3 Memory Card Recommendations

Best SD card Sony A7sIII

There are three different types of cards you should look at for the Sony FX3 and it really comes down to each shooter’s use case scenario. 

For S&Q high frame rate shooting, CFexpress Type A cards will guarantee performance.

To record 600Mbps with the H.264 codec, you will need V90 UHS-II SD cards at a minimum. For H.265 recording, will be able to use V60 UHS-II SD cards which are the best bang for the buck.

If you can afford it, the Sony CFe Type A is the best memory card for the Sony FX3 as it will allow you to do everything.

Recommended Memory Cards A7sIII  Speeds USB-C Write  USB-C Read See Price
CFe Type A – S & Q 120p All-I 241.79 MB/s* 610.7 MB/s 839.6 MB/s Amazon
Sony CFx Type A 240.31 MB/s* 655.1 MB/s 829.4 MB/s Amazon
Prograde CFx Type A        
UHS-II V90 – 600Mbps H.264        
Sony G Tough 243.32 MB/s 229.1 MB/s 270.6 MB/s Amazon
Kingston Canvas React 239.23 MB/s 243.2 MB/s 283.3 MB/s Amazon
Angel Bird V90 II 241.77 MB/s 219.5 MB/s 290.4 MB/s B&H
Delkin Black (Tough) 242.25 MB/s 225.4 MB/s 259.9 MB/s B&H
Kodak Ultra Pro V90 241.81 MB/s 247.6 MB/s 268.3 MB/s Amazon
UHS-II V60 – 280Mbps H.265        
Sony M Tough 88.0 MB/s 103.8 MB/s 282.3 MB/s Amazon
Sony E 137.66 MB/s 103.8 MB/s 282.3 MB/s B&H
Angel Bird V60 II 136.13 MB/s 104.5 MB/s 166.5 MB/s B&H

*In-Camera Speeds are from the Sony A7sIII. The A7sIII and FX3 share the same internal components and the benchmarks between the two should show a similar performance with each memory card.

 

Sony FX3 Memory Card Compatibility

The Sony FX3 can take two different types of memory cards in the same slot.  SD cards (UHS-I and UHS-II cards), and CFexpress type A cards.

 

Do you need CFexpress Type A cards For the Sony FX3?

You only need CFexpress Type-A cards if you record at higher frame rates in the S&Q mode.

For all other situations, UHS-II V90 cards work fine.

 

Can You Use V60 UHS-II Cards?

If you’ve decided that you fall into the category of someone that is not using S&Q high frame rates, then you have a few options for UHS-II cards. V60, or v90.

Just remember, if you need to shoot S&Q with some fast frame rates, you’ll need CFexpress Type A cards. You can always shoot at fast frame rates like 120p in the XAVC modes without the CFexpress Type A cards.

V90 cards will allow you to shoot H.264 at 600Mbps, and V60 cards are all you need for H.265 video which records at 280Mbps.

 

What I Would Do – How To Save Money On Memory Cards

I would buy two Sony M Tough v60 UHS-II cards, 256GB in size for 4k h.265 recordings at 280Mbps. Then buy one CFexpress Type-A 80GB card for S&Q 120p if needed. Although, I would probably never use that recording mode so I probably wouldn’t bother.

How much would you save doing that?

2 x 160GB CFexpress cards = $800

2 x 256GB Sony M UHS-II cards = $260 + 1 CFexpress 80GB $200 = $460

That’s a savings of $340 – That’s a new CPU (go with Alder Lake Intel or an M1 mac)

Even if you went with two 80GB cards for redundancy, you’re still saving $140 and you get 256 cards vs 160GB cards for principal photography.

Keep an eye on prices and this formula. Eventually, It will be cheaper to just go with two CFexpress 160GB cards.

 

CFexpress Type A vs SD Cards, what’s the difference?

The difference between these two cards mainly comes down to size and speed. CFexpress Type A cards are much faster and slightly smaller.

CFexpres Type A cards use a PCIe 3.0 Interface with a single lane of throughput. Most CFexpress cameras today are just using a dual-lane PCIe 2.0 CFexpress Type B interface which should see similar speeds as a PCIe 3.0 camera. Which we don’t know yet if The Sony A7sIII or FX3 has such capabilities. – More tests coming this summer when I’m back in the USA.

 

Sony FX3 Specs

Sensor: 12MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
Processor: BIONZ XR Image Processor
Memory Card Slots: 2 UHS-II / 2 CFe A
Continuous Shoot: 10fps
Est. Buffer Size: —
RAW Shots To Fill Buffer: 1000 Frames
Max Memory Card Size: Unlimited
4k Datarate: H.265 280Mbps / H.264 600Mbps

List of Sony E Lenses

 

To see how each UHS-II memory card performs in Sony cameras, here is a speed test from the Sony A9II.

 

Memory Card Speed Test | Fastest Memory Cards

These tests are taken with continuous burst high at ISO 100. The buffer is filled and the time it takes to clear the buffer is calculated against the record times. USB-C read and write speeds are benchmarked with Windows 10 using crystal disk, in-camera benchmarks at taken with the Sony A7sIII.

Memory CardsSpeed ClassSony A7sIIIUSB ReadUSB Write
Sony CFx 80GBCFx-A241.79839.6610.7
Prograde CFx 160GBCFx-A240.31829.4655.1
Sandisk Extreme Pro 300MB/sUHS-II79.95293.7242.2
Lexar 2000xUHS-II127.70274.3224.0
Lexar 1667xUHS-II100.33265.8104.2
Lexar 1000xUHS-II97.64166.8108.3
Toshiba Exceria ProUHS-II219.82259.6218.1
Transcend v90UHS-II131.88282.2192.8
Sony G ToughUHS-II243.32270.6229.1
Sony M Tough (Older)UHS-II96.05282.4129.5
Sony EUHS-II137.66282.3103.8
Delkin Black V90UHS-II242.25259.9225.4
Delkin Power v90UHS-II235.40280.2221.6
Delkin Prime v60UHS-II77.20252.889.1
Fujifilm Elite IIUHS-II163.49290.3173.2
Adata v90UHS-II133.66290.1241.0
Hoodman Steel 2000xUHS-II158.06280.7169.1
Hoodman Steel 1500xUHS-II97.80289.2105.8
ProGrade V90UHS-II133.34290.5218.4
ProGrade V60UHS-II95.54167.692.14
Amplim 2000x v60UHS-II131.31243.3127.4
Amplim 1900x V60UHS-II96.30289.3104.2
Angel Bird V90UHS-II241.77290.4219.5
Angel Bird V60UHS-II136.13166.5104.5
Freetail V60 64GBUHS-II95.20238.5102.8
Kingston Canvas React V90UHS-II239.23283.3243.2
Kodak Ultra Pro V90UHS-II241.81268.3247.6
RitzGear V90UHS-II241.42266.9248.0
Sandisk Extreme Pro 170MB/sUHS-I64.4899.288.3
Sandisk Extreme PlusUHS-I64.8299.388.2
Sandisk Extreme U3UHS-I50.6299.356.8
Sandisk Ultra U1UHS-I26.8899.534.3
Kingston Canvas Go! U3UHS-I78.1499.682.5
Kingston Canvas Select! U3UHS-I78.8699.674.0
Lexar 633x U3UHS-I33.6093.835.1
Transcend U3UHS-I69.0896.787.8
PNY Elite Performance U3UHS-I59.5296.766.9
PNY Pro Elite U3UHS-I79.4993.887.7
PNY Elite X U3UHS-I50.6892.257.1
Delkin BlackUHS-I79.3394.887.5
Delkin Advantage U3UHS-I71.5799.678.8
Toshiba Exceria Pro U3*UHS-I69.7397.874.7
Toshiba Exceria U3UHS-I29.1197.229.9
Amplim 667x A1 V30UHS-I48.7399.652.2
Verbatim Pro+ U3UHS-I70.8898.583.7
Verbatim Pro U3UHS-I32.3896.668.0
RitzGear Extreme Performance V30UHS-I60.1792.661.6

 

Best Memory Cards For 4k Video

 

Sony FX3 Video Specs & Recording Modes

With the Sony FX3, there are various record modes using different codecs. It gets a little complicated so here is the breakdown.

What’s new to the Sony FX3 compared to older Sony cameras is the XAVC HS and the XAVC S-I.

 

Should I Shoot XAVC HS, XAVC H-I, or XAVC S?

People often the different XAVC settings confused with codecs. They are not the same. XAVC HS, or H-I, or S are just containers that allow for different specs and capabilities.

These new containers you’re seeing in the FX3 can record 10-bit 4:2:2, with the main difference being the codec they allow, H.265 or H.264.

 

XAVC HS allows for H.265 recording.

XAVC S and S-I still only record to H.264. 

XAVC S-I allows for all Intra recording. Meaning keyframes on every frame, which is ideally what you want.

Today you should record in H.265 if your computer can handle it. H.265 offers better compression with smaller file sizes. This is why you see the camera only outputting 280Mbps H.265 files, vs the 600Mbps H.264 files.

New CPUs are getting better at encoding and decoding H.265. You may need to switch over to an M1 mac or a new Intel processor (Alder Lake, possibly Tiger Lake) to edit H.265 with smooth performance. – I’m not sure where AMD is here. I haven’t heard anything about them supporting H.265 10-bit 4:2:2 yet.

 

EDITORS NOTE!

Be careful when using Hardware encoders with your editing system. Your GPU or CPU might only support H.265 4:2:0 encoding.

If you shoot your movie at H.265 4:2:2 then export it with all the hardware encoder settings turned on, you likely be outputting a 4:2:0 file without knowing it. Test this, colors in the shadows will look very blotchy with 4:2:0. If this is happening to you, you need to switch to software encoding on your exports.

Also, be careful not to accidentally export 8-bit.

 

Sony FX3 Recording Specs & Details

Record Limit: Unlimited
Audio FIle Format: AAC, Linear PCM

4k Recording Modes
UHD 4k H.265 XAVC HS: 4:2:2 10-bit 24p-120p | 50-280Mbps
UHD 4k H.265 XAVC HS: 4:2:0 10-bit 24-120p | 30-200Mbps
UHD 4k H.264 XAVC S-I: 4:2:2 10-bit 24-60p | 240-600Mbps
UHD 4k H.264 XAVC S: 4:2:2 10-bit 24-120p | 100-280Mbps
UHD 4k H.264 XAVC S 4:2:0 8-bit 24-120p | 60-2ooMbps

 

Sony FX3 Record Times – Memory Card Capacity

This table shows the different recording modes and how much time they use for different card sizes. To get your own numbers, I have to build a bitrate to time converter.

Sony FX3 Record Times 64GB 80GB 128GB 160GB 256GB 512GB
4k            
4k 600Mbps | 75MB/s H.264 14min 18min 28Min 36min 57min 114min
4k 280Mbps | 35MB/s H.265 30min 38min 61min 76min 122min 244min
4k 200Mbps | 25MB/s 43min 53min 85min 107min 171min 341min

 

What Size Memory Card Is Best?

If you’re coming from older Sony cameras that have a max bitrate of 100Mbps, you’ll quickly notice the higher bitrates of the FX3 just devour data and you’re going to need to get bigger cards.

I recommend starting with 128GB cards. I also recommend recording at H.265 if you can so you can save money with V60 UHS-II cards. Then grab a CFexpress card for S&Q 120fps if you need it.

This alone could save you hundreds of dollars that you could put towards a new computer. An M1 mac, or new Intel. And more cores won’t help you here since these processors have special hardware built into them that takes care of H.265 for you. This is why you might notice on export, your CPU or GPU is barely being used.

 

Avoiding Counterfeit Memory Cards

Be careful when buying memory cards from strange stores or untrusted online retailers. Always try to buy memory cards for BHphoto, Adorama, or trusted stores if you’re shooting on eBay or Amazon.

 

How to test for counterfeit memory cards?

Often counterfeit memory cards have hacked memory controllers. They might pack 32GB of flash in a 128GB labeled card, then the memory controller tells your computer that the card is 128GB in size. You might use the card for a month with everything running fine, then the minute you cross 32GB of data, the card will crash.

To test for this, just fill the card when you first buy it.

 

Best Memory Cards Sony FX3 Conclusions

Buying memory cards for the FX3 is a little tricky since there are so many codecs and specs. It’s a bit of a mess.

But the takeaway is, shoot H.265 if you can and this will allow you to use V60 UHS-II cards. Then maybe pick up a smaller CFexpress card to shoot 120p S&Q for those times you need that type of footage.

UHD 4k H.265 XAVC HS, v60 UHS-II cards are fine.

UHD 4k H.264 XAVC S-I, you will need v90 UHS-II cards.

**This website contains affiliate links. If you want to support this site, we will earn a small commission on any purchase made through these links.
AGriffin

Professional editor, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles California.

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  • Sony FX3
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