Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series 80GB review

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series 80GB is as an ultra-fast CFExpress Type-A card designed to be compatible with cameras like the Sony A7 IV and A7S III.

This card is ideal for high-speed photography, 4K and 8K video capture, offering impressive transfer speeds. Its robust construction ensures durability, making it a great choice for professionals who require consistent performance in various shooting conditions.

Enthusiasts will also find the performance of the card beneficial but the lighter weight Silver line of CFExperess Type-A cards with their cheaper price tag might be a better option.

The Lexar 80GB Professional CFexpress Type A Card Gold Series maintains the same high-quality build and design as its 160GB counterpart. It features a robust plastic core complemented by metal plates on the front and back, reinforcing its premium feel.

The card is fetaures the distinctive Gold label, with the only notable difference between this and the 160GB version being the capacity number indicated on the label. This subtle distinction ensures easy identification while maintaining the card’s sleek and professional aesthetic.

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series 80GB is tailored for professional creators seeking high-resolution image capture and cinema-quality 8K video. This card delivers exceptional performance with read speeds up to 900MB/s and write speeds up to 800MB/s, ensuring seamless capture and data transfer.

Designed to withstand challenging environments, it operates within a wide temperature range (-10° C to 70° C) and offers robust durability against shock and vibration. The card’s VPG 400 rating guarantees a minimum write speed of 700MB/s, essential for uninterrupted video recording without dropped frames.

Lexar’s highlight that they put their cards through rigorous testing in their Quality Labs to ensure compatibility and reliability across a variety of devices. As ever with the Lexar cards this one comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series 80GB puts in a performance that is a reflection of the 160GB version with high-speed data storage for the latest Sony cameras. Despite its compact size, the card puts in an excellent performance, keeping up with the full demands of the Sony A7 IV when filming at 4K as well as shooting high resolution RAW files. 

In testing with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Tool, the card recorded write speeds of 1347.5MB/s and read speeds of 734.6MB/s, surpassing its advertised maximum write speed of 800MB/s and closely matching the read speed specification. This performance indicates its capability to handle intensive tasks like 4K video capture and rapid burst photo shooting efficiently and through the test the card recorded faultlessly over several hour long filming sessions without pause. 

Overall the performance matches that of the larger capacity 160GB card, just with half the storage capacity at a far cheaper price. At 80GB this is still a huge amount of storage and will surfice for most stills photographers as well as videographers. 

• Write Speed: 1347.5MB/s
• Read Speed: 734.6MB/s

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series 80GB is a premium memory card designed for users who prioritize speed and durability in their photography and videography.

Despite its higher price tag compared to standard UHS-II cards, it offers exceptional value when compared to other premium SD cards. Its superior performance, offering high-speed data transfer and robust build quality, justifies the investment for professionals or serious enthusiasts.

This card is particularly appealing for anyone using compatible cameras such as the latest Sony A7 range, I used the Sony A7 IV for the test, where speed and reliability are critical, such as high-resolution image capture or 4k or 8K video recording.