Best Memory Cards for Sony A1 II: Specs, Buffer Guide & Recommendations

The A1 II is Sony’s current flagship: 50MP stacked sensor, 30fps electronic shutter, 8K video, and two slots that each accept CFexpress Type A or UHS-II SD cards. The 7GB buffer holds around 155 frames at full speed, roughly 5 seconds of continuous shooting, so how fast your card clears it matters. CFexpress Type A clears that buffer two to three times faster than the fastest V90 SD cards, and at current pricing there’s no real cost reason to pick V90 for a new purchase.

Best Memory Cards for the Sony A1 II

I haven’t benchmarked the A1 II itself yet. These picks come from my A1 and A7R V in-camera tests, the two Sony bodies I’ve tested that write CFexpress Type A cards at 600+ MB/s, limited to cards that are still in production.

• Fastest tested: Lexar Gold CFexpress Type A. 695 MB/s in my A7R V tests, the fastest CFxA card I’ve tested in a Sony body.
• Pro (warranty and durability): Sony TOUGH G CF4.0 or Delkin BLACK. The previous-generation Sony TOUGH G hit 611 MB/s in my A1 tests, and the current CF4.0 version is VPG400 rated with an IP57 rating. The Delkin BLACK hit 602 MB/s in the A7R V and carries a lifetime warranty.
• Value: Lexar Professional SILVER CF4.0. The best value CFxA card in my other Sony tests and plenty for video, but I haven’t tested it in a 600+ MB/s body yet, so the Gold is the safer pick for long 30fps bursts.
• If you need SD cards (V90): Delkin POWER V90 or Angelbird AV PRO V90 MK2. 222 MB/s and 220 MB/s in my A1 tests, about a third of CFxA speed.
• Budget (stills and H.265): Lexar ARMOR Gold V60 128GB. The fastest V60 card I’ve tested in-camera (194 MB/s in the A7V). Fine for H.265 at normal frame rates; S&Q needs V90 or faster.
• Video note: S&Q in XAVC S-I (4K or HD) requires a CFexpress Type A card. Sony doesn’t support SD cards for it.

CFexpress Type A or SD Cards: Which Should You Buy?

For most A1 II owners, CFexpress Type A. In my original A1 tests, CFxA cards wrote at around 600 MB/s in-camera, while the fastest V90 SD cards maxed out around 250 MB/s. That gap is what decides how quickly you’re back to full speed after a long 30fps burst, and CFxA cards now cost about the same as good V90 SD cards.

SD cards still work if you already own them. A V90 card covers every video mode except S&Q in XAVC S-I, and V60 cards are fine for stills and H.265. They just won’t clear the buffer as quickly.

The tables below show my reader benchmarks for current cards.

CFexpress Type A Cards

UHS-II SD Cards

Which Cards You Need for Video

A V90 card guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 90 MB/s, which covers every standard recording mode on the A1 II: 8K at 520 Mbps (65 MB/s), 600 Mbps XAVC S-I All-Intra (75 MB/s), and S&Q in XAVC HS and XAVC S. V60 covers H.265 up to 280 Mbps at normal frame rates, but not S&Q.

S&Q writes more than the menu suggests. The listed bitrate applies to the playback frame rate, so the camera writes several times that to the card during capture. Sony rates S&Q at up to 500–560 Mbps in XAVC HS and XAVC S, which is why V60 cards don’t qualify.

Important: S&Q in XAVC S-I requires a CFexpress Type A card (VPG200 or higher). Sony rates it at up to 1200 Mbps (150 MB/s) in 4K and 890 Mbps in HD, and doesn’t support SD cards for it, so even a V90 card won’t work in this mode.

Using Both Card Slots

Backup Recording

When you record to both slots at once for backup, the camera writes at the speed of the slower card. Pair a CFxA card with a V90 SD card and you lose the CFxA card’s buffer-clearing advantage. If you want redundancy without giving up burst performance, use two CFexpress Type A cards.

RAW + JPEG

Sending JPEGs to a slower card in Slot 2 while Slot 1 records RAW still costs a little performance, because the camera has to generate and write both files. For maximum speed with redundancy, shoot RAW + RAW with identical cards in both slots.

Sony A1 II Specs That Affect Card Choice

Sensor: 50MP Full-Frame, Exmor RS BSI CMOS Processor: BIONZ XR Image Processor Memory Card Slots: 2 UHS-II / 2 CFe A Continuous Shoot Electronic: 30fps Continuous Shoot Mechanical: 10fps Est. Buffer Size: 7GB RAW Shots To Fill Buffer: 155 Frames @ 30fps Max Memory Card Capacity: Unlimited 4k Datarate: H.265 280Mbps / H.264 600Mbps 8k Datarate: H.265 520Mbps / No 8k With H.264

Sony A1 II Memory Card FAQ

Do CFexpress 4.0 cards work in the Sony A1 II?

Yes. CFexpress 4.0 cards are backward compatible and work in the A1 II. The camera’s PCIe Gen 3 interface means in-camera write speeds cap at roughly 700–900 MB/s regardless of card generation, so a 4.0 card won’t shoot faster than a 2.0 card in this body. The benefit shows up at offload: paired with a CFexpress 4.0 card reader, you can transfer to your computer at up to 1850 MB/s, roughly twice as fast as a 2.0 card. Buy 4.0 cards for faster offloading, not for in-camera burst performance.

How big is the A1 II buffer and how fast does it clear?

The A1 II buffer is approximately 7GB, holding around 155 RAW frames at 30fps, about 5 seconds of continuous shooting before slowdown. Based on my A1 tests, CFexpress Type A clears it at roughly 600 MB/s in-camera and V90 SD cards at roughly 250 MB/s. For sports and action, that recovery time is the main reason to use CFexpress over V90 SD cards.

Can I use the same cards in both the A1 and A1 II?

Yes. Any CFexpress Type A or UHS-II SD card that works in the original A1 also works in the A1 II, and the slot format is identical. CFexpress 4.0 cards work in both, and in-camera they write at the camera’s limit either way.

Which modes on the A1 II require CFexpress Type A?

Only S&Q in XAVC S-I, in 4K or HD. Sony rates it at up to 1200 Mbps and doesn’t support SD cards for it. Everything else works on a V90 UHS-II SD card according to Sony, including 8K, 600 Mbps All-Intra, and S&Q in XAVC HS and XAVC S. CFexpress is still the better buy for burst shooting, because it clears the buffer much faster.