Angelbird has completed its fourth-generation CFexpress Type A line-up at IBC 2026, and the timing is deliberate: with the Sony FX5 and its X-OCN RAW recording now shipping, fast Type A cards have stopped being optional for anyone shooting Sony’s highest formats. The range now spans a new budget 200GB card up to a 1,600GB flagship. Details are on Angelbird’s site.

Why this matters now

CFexpress Type A is effectively a Sony-only format, and Sony’s move to X-OCN RAW internally — first on VENICE and BURANO, now reaching the FX line — demands sustained write speeds that older cards cannot guarantee. The number that matters on a memory card is not peak read speed but sustained write: the guaranteed floor below which the card will never drop mid-recording, which is what prevents a dropped frame ending a take.

That is what VPG certification exists to guarantee, and Angelbird’s new PRO cards carry both VPG 400 and VPG 800 ratings — the higher tier being what the most demanding Sony RAW modes need.

The two lines

The AV PRO CFexpress A v4 is the professional line, in 400GB, 800GB and 1,600GB, built for X-OCN RAW and high-bitrate video, with VPG 400/800 certification and sustained write speeds up to 1,600MB/s. The AV PRO SE CFexpress A v4 is a new budget tier in a single 200GB capacity, for anyone who wants v4 speed without professional-line pricing. Both share a maximum read speed of 1,870MB/s and Angelbird’s Stable Stream technology, which holds performance consistently across the whole card rather than tailing off as it fills.

All four are compatible with Sony’s Type A bodies — the a1, a1 II, a9 III, a7R V, a7 IV, a7S III, FX5, FX3, FX2, FX30 and FX6.

Our take

For FX5 owners in particular, cards like these are not an accessory but a requirement — the camera’s headline RAW formats are unusable without storage rated to keep up. Angelbird has a strong reputation for reliability and for its thermal management, which matters on Type A cards packed into a small, hot camera body.

The honest caveat is cost, and Angelbird itself has been candid about why media prices are high at the moment: the memory market is expensive across the board. Type A has always carried a premium over Type B for the same capacity, being a smaller, Sony-specific format, and these are professional cards at professional prices. For anyone shooting paid work on a Sony body where a dropped frame is a re-shoot, that is the cost of insurance. For everyone else, the SE 200GB is the sensible entry point.

Angelbird AV PRO CFexpress Type A v4: Specifications

AV PRO CFexpress A v4: capacities 400GB, 800GB, 1,600GB; VPG 400 and VPG 800 certification; sustained write speed up to 1,600MB/s; maximum read speed 1,870MB/s; Stable Stream consistent performance; advanced thermal management. AV PRO SE CFexpress A v4: single 200GB capacity, budget tier, same 1,870MB/s maximum read. Interface: CFexpress 4.0 Type A (PCIe 4.0), backward compatible. Compatibility: Sony a1, a1 II, a9 III, a7R V, a7 IV, a7S III, FX5, FX3/FX3A, FX2, FX30, FX6.

Angelbird AV PRO CFexpress Type A v4: Price and availability

Angelbird showed the full range at IBC 2026. UK pricing varies by capacity and retailer — check current listings before purchase.