ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Iridium Series 400 GB £157.99 (Was £184.99)
Amazon UK have big savings on ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Iridium Series cards currently. The Iridium series is the highest performing CFexpress 4.0 Type B card in the maker’s range.
CFexpress 4.0 Type B Iridium Delivers:
- Fully compliant with CompactFlash™ Association 4.0 specification and backwards compatible with 2.0 specification
- NVMe host interface with PCIe Gen4 X2 interconnect
- Low standby power through NVMe PS0 – PS4 support, enabling extended battery life
- Metal enclosure for improved durability and heat dissipation
- Thermal throttling protects the card from overheating
- Laser etched unique serial numbering for the tracking of key components and manufacturing data for the highest quality control
- Temperature ranges: operating 14°F to 158°F/ -10°C to 70°C; storage -4°F to 185°F/ -20°C to 85°C
- Packaging: Biodegradable fibre tray
- Refresh Pro ready*
- X-ray proof and shock-proof
- 3-year warranty
However, unusually for this latest iteration of this series, the 400 GB card has a lower-than-expected sustained write speed of up to 850 MB/s, which is just about okay for the highest res and quality video settings on the Canon EOS R5; it’s potentially not fast enough for the same with the Nikon Z8 and Z9. If in doubt, go for the larger capacity cards.
Both the Iridium 800 GB and 1.6TB cards have sustained write speeds of up to 1500 MB/s, which is the same as the OWC Atlas Ultra series. However, while the Iridium cards look similar in branding to the previous ProGrade Digital Colbalt CFexpress 4.0 Type B series, the sustained minimum write speed is lower than the Colbalt cards’ up to 2800 MB/s rating. Still, the price is considerably lower for the new Iridiums, and it’s unlikely that current cameras (which use the CFexpress 2.0 spec) would benefit from that additional headroom anyway.
As ProGrade Digital say of the Iridium cards, “Current CFexpress cameras will not be able to take advantage of the maximum speed of this card. Until CFexpress 4.0 cameras are introduced. The main benefit of this card is tripling the speed of your workflow when downloading content with the ProGrade Digital PG05.6 USB 4.0 Reader.”
I have the same card reader, and although I haven’t reviewed it, I can confirm that the shorter download times are hugely impressive with CFexpress 4.0 cards.
While the claims from these manufacturers (ProGrade Digital, Nextorage and OWC) are quite clear, it’s somewhat curious that the Lexar Professional CFexpress 4.0 Type B Silver Series 1TB card is claimed to have a minimum sustained write speed of up to 2600 MB/s and is just £279.99. It doesn’t have the software refresh option available, nor is it VPG 400 rated, but it appears competitive in all other areas. Make of that what you will but the Lexar is currently my card of choice. I might buy a 1TB Iridium or Atlas Pro to trial it against it, and see if there are any differences in use.
Amazon UK:
ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Iridium 400 GB at £157.99 (was £184.99). Note the lower sustained write speed of up to 850 MB/s
ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Iridium 800 GB at £298.99 (was £351.99). Sustained write speed of up to 1500 MB/s
Alternatively, the Lexar Professional CFexpress 4.0 Type B Silver Series 1TB card, with a minimum sustained write speed of up to 2600 MB/s, is £279.99
ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Iridium 1.6 TB at £581.99. Sustained write speed of up to 1500 MB/s
Nextorage CFexpress 4.0 Type B 1.3 TB card with “min. sustain (sic) write speed 3200 MB/s” is currently £1055.99)
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