Sony's own A7R VI table shows which formats need V60, V90 or CFexpress. Where the new Nextorage 1TB V90 card makes sense and where it's overkill.
For Sony's A7R VI, a V60 SD card is enough for XAVC HS 4K and XAVC S 4K at up to 280 Mbps. You need a V90 for 8K and for all-intra XAVC S-I at up to 600 Mbps. And a CFexpress Type A card is the only option for 4K slow motion in S-I, for S-I with a proxy file, and for S-I with 96 kHz or 32-bit float audio. That's from Sony's own help guide, and it's the table most "which SD card" articles skip.
Sony publishes the answer on its help guide page "Memory cards that can be used". We read the one for the ILCE-7RM6 (A7R VI) and rebuilt the part that matters for video. Bitrates and card requirements are Sony's. The MB/s column is our division by 8.
| Format | Max bitrate | About | Card Sony lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| XAVC S HD | 100 Mbps | 12.5 MB/s | SD U3 or higher, or CFexpress A |
| XAVC HS 4K | 280 Mbps | 35 MB/s | SDXC V60 or higher, or CFexpress A |
| XAVC S 4K | 280 Mbps | 35 MB/s | SDXC V60 or higher, or CFexpress A |
| XAVC S-I HD | 222 Mbps | 28 MB/s | SDXC V90 or higher, or CFexpress A |
| XAVC HS 8K | 520 Mbps | 65 MB/s | SDXC V90 or higher, or CFexpress A |
| XAVC S-I 4K | 600 Mbps | 75 MB/s | SDXC V90 or higher, or CFexpress A (see below) |
The pattern follows the maths, with a margin. 280 Mbps is 35 MB/s, so a V30 would be too slow and a V60 has room. 520 and 600 Mbps are 65 and 75 MB/s, which is why they ask for V90. CFexpress Type A has to be VPG200 or higher, and the guide says CFexpress Type B cards don't fit this camera at all.
A lot. Slow motion and proxies are where cards that looked fine start to fail.
| Mode | Format | Max bitrate | Card Sony lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&Q Motion | XAVC HS 4K | 500 Mbps | V90 or CFexpress A |
| S&Q Motion | XAVC S HD | 250 Mbps | V90 or CFexpress A |
| S&Q Motion | XAVC S-I 4K | 1200 Mbps | CFexpress A only |
| Proxy on | XAVC S-I 4K | 600 + 16 Mbps | CFexpress A only |
| Proxy on | XAVC S-I HD | 222 + 16 Mbps | CFexpress A only |
| Proxy on | XAVC HS 4K | 200 + 16 Mbps | V60 or CFexpress A |
Look at the 250 Mbps XAVC S HD row. That's about 31 MB/s, which a V60 could handle on paper, and Sony still asks for V90. So the rule isn't only bitrate divided by 8. Sony builds in headroom for high frame rate recording, and the guide itself warns that in slow motion the recording bitrate is higher than usual.
The proxy rows are the ones people get caught by. The same S-I format that runs on a V90 on its own becomes CFexpress only the moment you turn on a proxy file.
This is the footnote on the XAVC S-I 4K row, and it's easy to miss. Sony says a CFexpress Type A card (VPG200 or higher) is required for S-I 4K when you record 96 kHz 32-bit float in 4 or 2 channels, 96 kHz 24-bit in 4 channels, or 48 kHz 32-bit float in 4 channels. It's also required if you record a 32-bit float WAV file alongside the movie.
Normal two-channel 24-bit audio doesn't trigger it. If you work with float audio, take note: a V90 that's fine for your picture can stop you choosing the audio mode you wanted. We covered the other half of that chain in what a DJI Mic 3 float recording actually delivers to the camera, and the timecode side in our Sony timecode guide.
Nextorage's NX-F2AE series is the reason this came up now. It's a UHS-II SDXC card sold in 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB versions, aimed at 4K, 6K, 8K and high frame rate video. Photo Rumors published the press details on 5 November, and PetaPixel covered the 1 TB card two days before.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sizes | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| Video Speed Class | V90, minimum sustained write 90 MB/s |
| Max read and write | 300 MB/s, under Nextorage test conditions |
| Memory | 3D TLC NAND |
| Operating temperature | -25 to 85 °C |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Prices reported in the US | $299.99, $529.99, $999.99 (we couldn't confirm on the page) |
| Euro and pound prices | Not found |
The 300 MB/s headline is a maximum, and it's the sustained figure that matters when you roll for 20 minutes. Nextorage's text names the 90 MB/s minimum and doesn't list any heat or sustained-speed test beyond that. It also doesn't name any camera it was tested in.
Our A7S IV rumor piece is relevant if you're waiting for a new body, because the card you buy now has to match whatever that camera asks for.
Our arithmetic, for the video stream only. Audio, metadata and the file system take a bit more, and cards show less than the printed capacity, so real times are a little shorter.
| Format and bitrate | Per hour | 256 GB | 1 TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| XAVC HS or S 4K, 280 Mbps | 126 GB | about 2 h | about 7.9 h |
| XAVC HS 8K, 520 Mbps | 234 GB | about 1.1 h | about 4.3 h |
| XAVC S-I 4K, 600 Mbps | 270 GB | about 57 min | about 3.7 h |
| XAVC S-I 4K slow motion, 1200 Mbps | 540 GB | about 28 min | about 1.8 h |
This is the part that changes the purchase. If you shoot S-I at 600 Mbps, a 256 GB card is under an hour of footage. A 1 TB card is a day of interviews. If you shoot 280 Mbps HS, you may prefer two 512 GB V60 cards over one expensive V90.
| If you shoot... | Card | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4K XAVC HS or S, proxies off | V60 | Sony lists V60 for 280 Mbps. A V90 costs more for no gain here. |
| 8K XAVC HS | V90 | 520 Mbps is the reason the V90 class exists. |
| S-I 4K or S-I HD, normal audio | V90 is enough | The 1 TB size makes sense for long takes. |
| S-I with a proxy file | CFexpress A | The V90 isn't listed once proxies are on. |
| S-I 4K with 96 kHz or float audio | CFexpress A | Sony requires it in its footnote. |
| 4K S-I slow motion | CFexpress A | 1200 Mbps is beyond what V90 guarantees. |
One more opinion that isn't in Sony's table. Buying a V90 "to be safe" is reasonable when the price gap is small, and it isn't when you shoot only 4K at 280 Mbps. The money is better spent on a second card and a reader.
Only when the format needs it. V90 guarantees 90 MB/s against 60 MB/s, which matters for 8K and all-intra at 520 to 600 Mbps. For 4K at 280 Mbps, Sony's A7R VI table lists V60.
It's a Video Speed Class that guarantees a minimum sustained write speed of 90 MB/s. The maximum read and write speed printed on the card, such as 300 MB/s, is a different number.
On the A7R VI, S-I 4K slow motion, S-I with proxies, and S-I with 96 kHz or 32-bit float audio are listed as CFexpress Type A only. Your body may differ, so read its own "Memory cards that can be used" page.
Not necessarily. We read only the A7R VI guide for this article. Older and cheaper bodies have different formats and card lists, and some have no CFexpress slot.
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