Sony A7 IV Recommended Sony A7 IV Memory Cards

[Tim Mayo]

Since memory card questions come up on a regular basis especially in the Facebook Groups, I've put together a pretty comprehensive guide that includes in-camera speed tests of 19 different memory cards so far.

You can find all of the results in the blog article:

Best Sony A7 IV Memory Cards With Speed & Buffer Tests

I've tested over 18 different memory cards in the Sony A7 IV to find out which are the fastest cards in-camera and whether or not CFexpress cards are needed.

www.alphashooters.com

Here's a short summary, well as short as I can make it!

For a UHS-II card I'd recommend the Kingston Canvas React Plus UHS-II SDXC. They are only a fraction slower in-camera than the Sony SF-G Tough cards (246 MB/s vs 247 MB/s) but they are typically priced around 40% less for a 64GB card and also include a UHS-II card reader. They are also V90 rated for video.

If you want to shoot in S&Q Mode with the file format XAVC S-I 4k, a record frame rate of 25p/30p and a frame rate of 50fps /60fps then you will need a CFexpress Type A card. The a7 IV will not let you record in this specific format with a V90 card, even though the actual write speed with these settings is within V90 limits, so it's a little odd.

If you shoot a lot of continuous bursts in uncompressed raw format then you will hit the buffer when using the Kingston or Sony SF-G UHS-II cards after only 26 shots, but it clears in 3.85 seconds so it’s rarely an issue. With compressed raw you’ll hit the buffer in around 67 shots. If you shoot JPEGS you’ll never hit the buffer. You’ll need a CFexpress card if you don’t want to hit the buffer shooting compressed or uncompressed raw.

If you shoot simultaneously to both slots you will always be limited by the speed of the slowest card. If you shoot compressed or uncompressed RAW to slot 1 and JPEGS to slot 2 you won't hit the buffer if you use a CFexpress Type-A card in slot 1 and a fast UHS-II card like the Kingston or Sony SF-G in slot 2.

If any of you have some of the older Sony SF-M series, SF-M series TOUGH specification, and SF-G series TOUGH specification SD cards, you might find that they don't work at all in the a7 IV I'm afraid. If you purchased them before the middle of 2020 there's a good chance they won't work. There is a replacement program running for these cards due to a different issue, so I'd suggest replacing them before it expires on Mar. 31, 2022.

It would be good to hear about what cards you are using in your own a7 IV and whether or not you have run into any problems with them.

Please let me know if you have any memory card related questions.

 

[Reciprocum]

I am using Sony SF-G128T (R300/W299) on slot 1 (compressed RAW), Sony SF-M64T (R277/W150) on slot 2 (FINE JPEG), no issues.

• ILCE-7M4
• Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN | A (Sony E)
• 85.0 mm
• ƒ/1.4
• 1/100 sec
• ISO 100

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I have Sony Tough 64gb 277/150mb/s. The only issue I have is that shooting burst mode, especially in full frame mode, the write speed still isn't fast enough to prevent buffering which can delay a change in settings if you need to. Whether the 300 would fix this I don't know, but I don't suspect so, at least not significantly, but I would, with hindsight, buy that now instead. They were a lot more money at the time.
I have a Lexar 64gb 250mb/s 1667x in my second slot, I never get to the point of needing it, but have used it when I left the tough at home once. It's performance is identical to the Sony in real time use.
Both cards are extremely reliable. I would never use Sandisk, I've had 2 crap out on me in the past, the only brand ever to fail me (same with flash drives)

 

[Tim Mayo]

I have Sony Tough 64gb 277/150mb/s. The only issue I have is that shooting burst mode, especially in full frame mode, the write speed still isn't fast enough to prevent buffering which can delay a change in settings if you need to. Whether the 300 would fix this I don't know, but I don't suspect so, at least not significantly, but I would, with hindsight, buy that now instead. They were a lot more money at the time.
I have a Lexar 64gb 250mb/s 1667x in my second slot, I never get to the point of needing it, but have used it when I left the tough at home once. It's performance is identical to the Sony in real time use.
Both cards are extremely reliable. I would never use Sandisk, I've had 2 crap out on me in the past, the only brand ever to fail me (same with flash drives)

Guess you are referring to your a7R IV Kev and not the new a7 IV? This guide is just for the a7 IV. Even with the faster Sony SF-G cards you'll still get buffering with those massive files from the a7R IV. I've yet to test all of my memory cards in the a7R IV like I have with the a7III and a7 IV, but it's on my to-do list.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Guess you are referring to your a7R IV Kev and not the new a7 IV? This guide is just for the a7 IV. Even with the faster Sony SF-G cards you'll still get buffering with those massive files from the a7R IV. I've yet to test all of my memory cards in the a7R IV like I have with the a7III and a7 IV, but it's on my to-do list.

Ahh, stupid Sony naming system That said, the same will no doubt apply to a lesser extent.

 

[Reciprocum]

Ahh, stupid Sony naming system That said, the same will no doubt apply to a lesser extent.

"lesser extent" indeed only if because M4 does not lock you out of making settings changes while the buffer is being flushed/cleared to the SD card (as is the case with R4). But with the smaller (than R4) res a 150mb/s write card in slot 2 for JPEGs (not for RAWs on slot 1) is quite enough with this camera.
I might still sell my legacy (M3 first cards) 2 SF-M64T 277/150 SD cards and get another SF-G128T (300/299) only not to have to worry witch card can go into witch slot of my 2 cameras. The only limitation will be not being able to stick the CF-A into M4's slot 2, but I don't have to remember that, the slot will physically remind me that I am trying to do a silly thing.

 

[Stereodude]

...

Please let me know if you have any memory card related questions.

Thank you for the write-up and testing as Sony's specs are misleading people to think the camera has a 800+ shot buffer when the card writing buffer really seems to be about 512MB (looking at how long it takes to clear JPEGs vs. write speed of the card). I have a few questions about sorted RAW / JPEG writing.

If the fastest UHS-II cards (the ones with ~250MB/sec write) are put in each slot and the a7IV is set to write JPEGs to one card and lossless compressed RAW to the other, does it hit the buffer limit? Your testing shows that if it's only writing either of those to one card it doesn't, but does doing both simultaneously (each to a different card) change that?

Also, is your conclusion that sorted RAW / JPEG writing with CFEx Type A + UHS-II correct for all scenarios? If you're shooting uncompressed RAW or lossless compressed RAW the camera drops to 6fps which means a slower SD card should still be able to keep up with the JPEG side vs. the 10fps in your JPEG only testing. 6fps is 60% of 10fps. Extrapolating to data rates... The slowest UHS-II card you measured that could shoot indefinitely shoot 10fps JPEG was 239MB/sec. 60% of 239MB/sec = 143MB/sec. Also 6fps x 24MB/frame = 144MB/sec... This is where some of the V60 UHS-II tier of SD cards reside for write speed. It seems like if you're getting 6fps due to the RAW settings that a UHS-II card capable of ~150MB/sec writing (in the a7IV) should not hit the buffer with (if the JPEGs are about 24MB each).

 

[Tim Mayo]

Thank you for the write-up and testing as Sony's specs are misleading people to think the camera has a 800+ shot buffer when the card writing buffer really seems to be about 512MB (looking at how long it takes to clear JPEGs vs. write speed of the card). I have a few questions about sorted RAW / JPEG writing.

Normally Sony mentions that the number of shots they specify before hitting the buffer is only achievable when shooting with a CFexpress Type-A card, you'll achieve a lot less with a slower UHS-II/I card. JPEGs can take longer to write due to the overheads from compression.

If the fastest UHS-II cards (the ones with ~250MB/sec write) are put in each slot and the a7IV is set to write JPEGs to one card and lossless compressed RAW to the other, does it hit the buffer limit? Your testing shows that if it's only writing either of those to one card it doesn't, but does doing both simultaneously (each to a different card) change that?

I'd ignore what any card says on the label as these speeds don't always match up to the in-camera write speeds. If you used the Kingston Canvas React Plus UHS-II card in both slots with JPEG (Extra Fine) set to record to slot 1 and lossless compressed RAW (L) to slot 2 then you won't hit the buffer (I just tested it). If you shoot JPEG + lossless compressed RAW L to both slots simultaneously you'll only be able to shoot 16 shots before hitting the buffer (I just tested it).

Also, is your conclusion that sorted RAW / JPEG writing with CFEx Type A + UHS-II correct for all scenarios?

Yes.

If you're shooting uncompressed RAW or lossless compressed RAW the camera drops to 6fps which means a slower SD card should still be able to keep up with the JPEG side vs. the 10fps in your JPEG only testing. 6fps is 60% of 10fps. Extrapolating to data rates... The slowest UHS-II card you measured that could shoot indefinitely shoot 10fps JPEG was 239MB/sec. 60% of 239MB/sec = 143MB/sec. Also 6fps x 24MB/frame = 144MB/sec... This is where some of the V60 UHS-II tier of SD cards reside for write speed. It seems like if you're getting 6fps due to the RAW settings that a UHS-II card capable of ~150MB/sec writing (in the a7IV) should not hit the buffer with (if the JPEGs are about 24MB each).

The overhead from compressing the JPEGS always slows things down and not all cards perform in-camera at the write speeds they claim on the labels.

Just let me know if there's another setup you'd like me to test, as unfortunately crunching the numbers doesn't always match up to what's achievable in-camera.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Thanks to @Timothy Mayo for this and all the other work he does for this site. It truly is one of the most enjoyable online photo sites out there (with perhaps the least amount of negativity and personal attacks). One thing about A74 with regards to memory cards that was noted by me, and according to Timothy several people on the A74 Facebook page report the same issue. Card slot 2 (SD only) has a semi-high rate of failure. Mine broke when the camera was only two months old and I had only taken the card out of the slot perhaps a dozen times. It got stuck in the permanent eject position and a card could not be put back in. I had to send it to Sony's warranty center back east, and due to parts shortage it took over a month to get back. I now use slot 1 (that takes both card types, though I still use SD) as this one reportedly fails less than slot 2.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Thanks to @Timothy Mayo for this and all the other work he does for this site. It truly is one of the most enjoyable online photo sites out there (with perhaps the least amount of negativity and personal attacks). One thing about A74 with regards to memory cards that was noted by me, and according to Timothy several people on the A74 Facebook page report the same issue. Card slot 2 (SD only) has a semi-high rate of failure. Mine broke when the camera was only two months old and I had only taken the card out of the slot perhaps a dozen times. It got stuck in the permanent eject position and a card could not be put back in. I had to send it to Sony's warranty center back east, and due to parts shortage it took over a month to get back. I now use slot 1 (that takes both card types, though I still use SD) as this one reportedly fails less than slot 2.

Thank you very much Fred. To be honest it's all the amazing members here that help to make the site and any other site what it is, I just try my hardest to keep you all in line!

 

[drysideshooter]

Since memory card questions come up on a regular basis especially in the Facebook Groups, I've put together a pretty comprehensive guide that includes in-camera speed tests of 19 different memory cards so far.

You can find all of the results in the blog article:

Best Sony A7 IV Memory Cards With Speed & Buffer Tests

I've tested over 18 different memory cards in the Sony A7 IV to find out which are the fastest cards in-camera and whether or not CFexpress cards are needed.

www.alphashooters.com

Here's a short summary, well as short as I can make it!

For a UHS-II card I'd recommend the Kingston Canvas React Plus UHS-II SDXC. They are only a fraction slower in-camera than the Sony SF-G Tough cards (246 MB/s vs 247 MB/s) but they are typically priced around 40% less for a 64GB card and also include a UHS-II card reader. They are also V90 rated for video.

If you want to shoot in S&Q Mode with the file format XAVC S-I 4k, a record frame rate of 25p/30p and a frame rate of 50fps /60fps then you will need a CFexpress Type A card. The a7 IV will not let you record in this specific format with a V90 card, even though the actual write speed with these settings is within V90 limits, so it's a little odd.

If you shoot a lot of continuous bursts in uncompressed raw format then you will hit the buffer when using the Kingston or Sony SF-G UHS-II cards after only 26 shots, but it clears in 3.85 seconds so it’s rarely an issue. With compressed raw you’ll hit the buffer in around 67 shots. If you shoot JPEGS you’ll never hit the buffer. You’ll need a CFexpress card if you don’t want to hit the buffer shooting compressed or uncompressed raw.

If you shoot simultaneously to both slots you will always be limited by the speed of the slowest card. If you shoot compressed or uncompressed RAW to slot 1 and JPEGS to slot 2 you won't hit the buffer if you use a CFexpress Type-A card in slot 1 and a fast UHS-II card like the Kingston or Sony SF-G in slot 2.

If any of you have some of the older Sony SF-M series, SF-M series TOUGH specification, and SF-G series TOUGH specification SD cards, you might find that they don't work at all in the a7 IV I'm afraid. If you purchased them before the middle of 2020 there's a good chance they won't work. There is a replacement program running for these cards due to a different issue, so I'd suggest replacing them before it expires on Mar. 31, 2022.

It would be good to hear about what cards you are using in your own a7 IV and whether or not you have run into any problems with them.

Please let me know if you have any memory card related questions.

One of the reasons I joined this forum was to thank you for this post. This contains a lot of good information and answers some of the questions that I had.

 

[Tim Mayo]

One of the reasons I joined this forum was to thank you for this post. This contains a lot of good information and answers some of the questions that I had.

Thank you Jeff. Glad to hear that the post helped you out!

 

[Stereodude]

Normally Sony mentions that the number of shots they specify before hitting the buffer is only achievable when shooting with a CFexpress Type-A card, you'll achieve a lot less with a slower UHS-II/I card. JPEGs can take longer to write due to the overheads from compression.


I'd ignore what any card says on the label as these speeds don't always match up to the in-camera write speeds. If you used the Kingston Canvas React Plus UHS-II card in both slots with JPEG (Extra Fine) set to record to slot 1 and lossless compressed RAW (L) to slot 2 then you won't hit the buffer (I just tested it). If you shoot JPEG + lossless compressed RAW L to both slots simultaneously you'll only be able to shoot 16 shots before hitting the buffer (I just tested it).


Yes.

The overhead from compressing the JPEGS always slows things down and not all cards perform in-camera at the write speeds they claim on the labels.

Just let me know if there's another setup you'd like me to test, as unfortunately crunching the numbers doesn't always match up to what's achievable in-camera.

Thanks for the follow up. I recently got an A7IV and your guide definitely helped me know what to buy.

I just wish UHS-II and especially CFexpress Type A cards weren't so ridiculously expensive.