Best Memory Cards For Sony FX2 – Top Recommendations

The Sony FX2 is a high-resolution cinema camera with a 33-megapixel full-frame BSI sensor. It’s essentially the Sony A7 IV with a dedicated housing for specific video use. The memory card requirements for the Sony FX2 will be the same as the Sony A7IV, which I have tested.

The Sony FX two has two memory card slots. Slot 1 supports CFexpress Type-A or UHS-II SD cards. Slot 2 can only take SD UHS-II cards.

Sony FX2 Memory Card Recommendations

The Sony FX2 supports CFexpress Type A (only in slot 1) and UHS-II SD cards (in slots 1 and 2), with specific needs depending on your shooting style.

Given the FX2’s focus on video and high-resolution stills, cards with fast write speeds, high capacities (128GB or higher), and durability are ideal. Below are the top recommended memory cards for the Sony FX2, based on performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

• CFexpress Type A: Required for the most demanding modes, such as XAVC S-I (All-Intra) at high bitrates (e.g., 600Mbps) or slow-motion recording at 120fps or higher. These cards offer write speeds of 700-800 MB/s and read speeds of 800-900 MB/s, ensuring smooth performance and fast buffer clearing.
• CFExpress Type A Gen 4: There are new Gen 4 CFexpress Type-A cards on the market now. Sony’s bus cannot take advantage of these faster speeds, so they are not required. You can still use them if the price is right, but don’t spend extra money on them if they are priced higher, since that would mostly be a waste of money unless you need really fast transfer speeds to your computer.

• UHS-II SD Cards: Suitable for most standard recording modes, including 4K 60p in XAVC HS or XAVC S, with bitrates up to 720 Mbps for v90 cards and 480 Mbps for v60 cards. V90-rated UHS-II cards (minimum sustained write speed of 90 MB/s) are recommended for high-bitrate video, while V60 cards suffice for lower-bitrate modes.

CFExpress Type-A Cards: Do You Need Them?

CFexpress Type-A cards are a lot faster, and now often cheaper than the best UHS-II V90 SD cards, so buy them if you can find a better deal. However, you don’t need SD V90 UHS-II cards, especially since the FX3 is a video-focused camera.

Should You Use SD Cards?

The highest bitrate the Sony FX2 supports is 600 Mbps, which is 75 MB/s. This means you will need a V90 UHS-II card or a CFexpress Type-A card to use this bitrate. Although this codec is only H.264, this bitrate will provide quality similar to ProRes 422, as it is an intraframe codec.

If you’re just vlogging and only want to use H.265 for efficiency’s sake, you won’t need the v90 cards; v60 will be fine for that codec since it is very efficient.

Don’t Sleep On The HDMI Out

The Sony FX2 also outputs 16-bit RAW, so if you have a Ninja-style recorder, you can achieve very high-quality recordings with this camera.

This is something to consider before investing a significant amount of money in storage, as SSD or M.2 drives in an external recorder offer a much better value for the buck. I’m not going to list all the details here, but it’s worth considering as an investment if maximizing image quality is a priority for you.

Sony FX2 Camera Specs

Sensor: 33MP Full-Frame, Exmor R BSI CMOS Processor: BIONZ XR Image Processor Memory Card Slots: 2 – Slot 1 SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type-A, Slot 2 SD UHS-II Continuous Shoot: None Continuous Shoot: None Est. Buffer Size: 1GB Max Memory Card Capacity: Unlimited Size 4k Datarate: H.265 200Mbps XAVC HS (25MB/s) / H.264 600Mbps XAVC S-I (75MB/s)

Sony FX cameras do not have the capabilities to shoot in continuous burst mode, so I am unable to benchmark this camera. See the Sony A7IV Memory Card Speed Tests to get an idea of how the different memory cards in the Sony FX2 will perform.

The Sony FX3 is another great camera you can check out for memory card specs, but it performs more similarly to the Sony A7sIII.

Understanding Read/Write Speeds For A7IV Video Recording

Sony cameras are picky about memory cards, rejecting any that don’t meet their specs or can’t handle the chosen codec.

With a range of movie recording options available, Sony cameras vary in bitrate requirements. Below is a chart outlining the bitrates for each recording option and the memory cards they support.

S&Q Memory Card Shooting

Here are the memory cards required for the different S&Q modes.

Sony FX2 Video Record Time

Below is a concise chart detailing record times in minutes for various recording formats. Refer to it to choose the right memory card size for your needs.

Format	Bitrate	Frame Rate	64GB	128GB	256GB
XAVC S-I 4k	600Mbps	120, 60, 30, 24	14min	28min	57min
XAVC S-I HD	222Mbps	120, 60, 30, 24	38min	77min	154min
XAVC HS 4k, XAVC S 4k	200 Mbps	120, 60, 30, 24	43min	85min	171min
XAVC S HD, XAVC	100 Mbps	120, 60, 30, 24	85min	171min	341min

When purchasing a new memory card, always verify its authenticity to ensure the controller hasn’t been tampered with or mislabeled by the brand, which can occasionally occur. Fill the card; a genuine card should closely match its listed capacity. To avoid issues, stick to reputable retailers like B&H or Adorama.