Open camera bag on a stone wall at dawn holding a card case, a portable SSD and a mirrorless camera.

Matching memory cards and SSDs to your camera’s video mode

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Quick answer: Find your camera’s heaviest recording mode, convert its bitrate to megabytes per second, and buy the cheapest media that clears it with headroom. A UHS-II V90 SD card such as the SanDisk Extreme PRO covers standard 4K; Sony shooters step up to CFexpress Type A (Lexar GOLD or SILVER), and Canon, Nikon and Panasonic RAW shooters to Type B (ProGrade). Cameras that record to USB can use a Samsung T9 SSD for cheap bulk capacity. Everything below is based on manufacturer specifications and named published reviews, and prices are in flux as of 3 November 2026.

Start with the bitrate, not the brand

Card packaging leads with read speed, which tells you how fast you can offload. What decides whether a recording survives is the sustained write speed, and the SD Association expresses it as a floor: Focus Camera’s explainer lists V30 as 30MB/s, V60 as 60MB/s and V90 as 90MB/s minimum write. CFexpress uses the equivalent VPG rating, where VPG200 and VPG400 guarantee 200MB/s and 400MB/s.

Camera bitrates are quoted in megabits per second, so divide by 8. The Post Flow’s card guide puts the Sony FX3 and FX30 at roughly 1,200Mb/s in 4K120 slow and quick mode, which it pairs with CFexpress Type A at VPG200 or better. It lists the Canon EOS R5 Mark II’s 8K60 RAW at 2,600Mb/s and says that needs CFexpress Type B at VPG400.

Our calculation (using The Post Flow’s 2,600Mb/s figure, decimal gigabytes, and ignoring formatting overhead): 2,600Mb/s ÷ 8 = 325MB/s. A 512GB card holds 512,000MB, so 512,000 ÷ 325 = about 1,575 seconds, or roughly 26 minutes of 8K60 RAW per card. That 325MB/s is already above the 260MB/s maximum write most SD V90 listings quote, so no SD card can take that mode, whatever its V rating.

The same sum works for the FX3 figure: 1,200Mb/s ÷ 8 = 150MB/s. That sits above the V90 floor of 90MB/s, which is why Type A is the match there.

Which format your camera body actually takes

The card has to fit the slot, and Lexar’s CFexpress guide is blunt about the split. Type A is the compact format, 20 x 28 x 2.8mm, and as of 2026 Sony is the main maker supporting it in its Alpha and FX bodies. Sony’s Type A slot typically also accepts UHS-II SD cards.

Type B is the larger card that Lexar’s guide assigns to Canon EOS R-series, Nikon Z, Panasonic Lumix S, Fujifilm GFX and X-H bodies, and RED cameras. PetaPixel’s CFexpress roundup describes Type B as the most common next-generation format and notes that only Sony uses Type A in its mirrorless cameras. In that roundup the Lexar Silver Series Type B is the best-value choice and the OWC Atlas Ultra (CFexpress 4.0) the best overall.

Plenty of bodies mix formats. The Canon EOS R5 Mark II, for instance, has one CFexpress Type B slot and one SDXC UHS-II slot, which suits an SD backup card running beside a fast primary. Check the maker’s approved-card list for your exact mode, because a retailer guide from AWPRO warns against buying by capacity alone: a 1TB card can still be too slow for a high-bitrate mode.

The six picks at a glance

These are the options that match the formats above, using each manufacturer’s stated figures. Read and write numbers are best-case; the sustained column is what to compare against your bitrate.

Pick Slot or port Max read / write (MB/s) Sustained write (MB/s) Suits
SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-II (V90) SD UHS-II 300 / 260 (retail listings) 90 minimum (V90) Standard 4K, stills bursts, backup slot
Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Type A CFexpress Type A 1,800 / 1,650 1,400, VPG400 Sony 8K and high-bitrate 4K
Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A CFexpress Type A 1,750 / 1,650 up to 1,300, VPG200 Sony 4K120 on a tighter budget
ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Gold CFexpress Type B 3,400 / 3,000 850 (256GB, 512GB); 1,500 (1TB, 2TB) High-resolution stills and bursts
ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B Iridium CFexpress Type B 3,550 / 3,000 850 (400GB); 1,500 (800GB, 1.6TB); VPG400 Type B RAW video
Samsung Portable SSD T9 USB-C (3.2 Gen 2×2) 2,000 / 2,000 (sequential) up to 1,000 Direct-to-SSD recording, bulk capacity
Stated sustained write speed (MB/s). Sustained write (manufacturer-stated): Lexar GOLD 4.0 Type A 1400, Lexar SILVER 4.0 Type A 1300, ProGrade Gold Type B 512GB 850, ProGrade Gold Type B 1TB 1500, Samsung T9 SSD 1000 (MB/s)
Stated sustained write speed (MB/s)
Source: Manufacturer figures: Lexar, ProGrade Digital, Samsung (via Canon Rumors); 'up to' values

The chart compares stated sustained write speeds: 1,400MB/s for the Lexar GOLD Type A, 1,300MB/s for the Lexar SILVER, 850MB/s and 1,500MB/s for the ProGrade Gold at 512GB and 1TB, and 1,000MB/s for the Samsung T9. The SanDisk SD card is left out because its 90MB/s is a guaranteed floor, a different kind of number.

Who each pick suits

SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-II (V90)

This is the right default for any body with an SD slot and a standard 4K mode. The sources disagree on write speed: SanDisk’s product page lists up to 300MB/s write, while Digital Camera World and retailer listings give 260MB/s. The V90 floor of 90MB/s is the figure that matters for video, and SanDisk adds that full speed needs a UHS-II reader.

Lexar Professional GOLD and SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A

Both cards are for Sony bodies. Lexar’s announcement gives the GOLD 1,800MB/s read with 1,400MB/s sustained write and a VPG400 rating, and the SILVER 1,750MB/s read with up to 1,300MB/s sustained and VPG200. Lexar says the headline speeds apply when paired with its USB 4.0 Type A reader.

Going by The Post Flow’s mapping, the SILVER’s VPG200 is enough for the FX3’s 4K120 mode, so GOLD is for shooters recording 8K RAW or wanting a larger safety margin. Lexar’s retail listing for the GOLD says it is compatible with current Sony Alpha and FX cameras.

ProGrade Digital CFexpress 4.0 Type B, Gold and Iridium

Capacity changes the speed on the Gold line. ShutterMuse’s test of the 512GB card lists a VPG rating of none and reports it did not see the claimed 850MB/s sustained write beyond the smallest test file, so treat that figure as a ceiling. The 1TB and 2TB versions claim 1,500MB/s. For stills, bursts and moderate RAW video the Gold is a fit; for continuous RAW video the Iridium is the card with a rating behind it.

ProGrade’s Iridium announcement gives 3,550MB/s read, 3,000MB/s burst write, VPG400, and capacities of 400GB, 800GB and 1.6TB. At launch ProGrade priced its 256GB Gold card at US$169.99 MSRP; check the current price, because it will differ.

The Post Flow names other Type B options, the Delkin POWER 4.0 512GB for value and the Lexar Professional Gold 4.0 512GB for performance, and it advises Nikon RAW shooters to buy the fastest card available.

Recording straight to an SSD

When a camera can write to USB-C storage, an SSD turns capacity from a card problem into a drive problem. The Samsung T9 comes in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB with 2,000MB/s sequential speeds, and uses USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 for 20Gbps. Canon Rumors lists its sustained write at up to 1,000MB/s once the TurboWrite cache is spent.

Not every camera does this. The Panasonic Lumix GH6 gained SSD recording through firmware, and the GH7 can record ProRes RAW to an external SSD. Look for the feature in your own camera’s manual before buying a drive.

Drive choice matters because caches run out. A 2023 Theatre of Noise analysis reported that a 2TB Samsung T7 started near 867MB/s and fell to 337MB/s as its cache saturated, and recommended the T7 Shield over the plain T7. Use that as a warning to check your camera maker’s verified-media page rather than a drive’s headline figure.

Readers and offloading

A fast card in a slow reader gives you slow offloads. The Post Flow’s reader picks are the ProGrade PG05.6 for CFexpress and a UHS-II reader for SD. ProGrade pitches its USB 4.0 PG05.6 as the partner for its Gen 4 cards, and Lexar’s Type A speeds assume its own USB 4.0 reader.

Pair the reader with a port that can keep up: a USB 4.0 reader on a USB 2.0 port will crawl at roughly 40MB/s, which is the limit one SSD reviewer quotes for that standard. Offload to two drives before formatting any card.

Buying in a price squeeze

As of 3 November 2026, NAND flash is expensive. PhotographyTalk reports that Lexar raised SD and microSD prices by more than 25% on 1 June 2026. Digital Camera World, on 13 August 2026, said Samsung predicts further rises into 2027 and possibly beyond.

CineD says a camera card maker warned it directly about NAND scarcity, and expects large-capacity cards to be the hardest to find. For buying, that favours matching the card to the mode: two mid-capacity cards that meet your bitrate cost less than one flagship you only half use, and a drive handles the bulk.

Checklist before you buy

  1. Write down your heaviest mode and its bitrate in Mb/s, then divide by 8.
  2. Confirm the slot type: SD, CFexpress Type A or Type B.
  3. Check the camera maker’s approved-media list for that mode.
  4. Compare against the sustained or minimum figure (V rating, VPG, stated sustained), not the burst speed.
  5. Check capacity-specific speeds; the ProGrade Gold changes by size.
  6. Buy a reader that matches the card, and a USB port that can feed it.
  7. Confirm direct SSD recording in the camera’s manual before buying a drive.

What this means for you

You shoot stills and 4K on a camera with an SD slot. A UHS-II V90 card such as the SanDisk Extreme PRO is enough, and it doubles as a backup beside a faster card in a dual-slot body.

You use a Sony FX3 or similar and your top mode is 4K120. The Lexar SILVER Type A, with VPG200, matches the mapping The Post Flow gives for that mode. Move to the GOLD if you record 8K RAW or want margin.

You shoot 8K RAW on a Canon or a Panasonic. Buy a VPG400 Type B card like the ProGrade Iridium, and budget for roughly 26 minutes per 512GB at 2,600Mb/s. If you only shoot stills on Type B, the Gold line is the cheaper fit.

You record long takes on a body that supports USB recording. Verify support, then put a Samsung T9 or another rated drive on the camera and keep the card slot for backup.

Sources

Header image: illustration, AI-generated.