Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series 320GB review

The Lexar 320GB Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series caters to photographers and videographers who are looking for a step up from the capacity and speeds offered by the ageing SD format of the memory card. The Type-A cards, while not as widely accepted as the more popular CFExpress Type-B cards, are used in the latest Sony Alpha and FX cameras and offer a good balance of speed and capacity, far outstripping SD but not quite keeping pace with the large Type-B.

The Silver 320GB option comes in the compact Type A form factor and features high-performance capabilities, including max read speeds of 800MB/s and max write speeds of 700MB/s.

If you’re looking for a card for video capture, then knowing that the card is rated VPG200 ensures a minimum sustained write speed of 200MB/s for smooth, uninterrupted video recording. This makes the speed and capacity of the card particularly suitable for capturing high-speed action and seamless 8K video.

The Lexar 320GB Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series maintains the same high-quality build as the Gold Series, with a robust and compact design suitable for enthusiast and professional use.

The card is easy to handle and insert into compatible cameras, such as the Sony A7 IV that I’ve used for the test.

Differentiating this card from others, the silver label clearly states the model and capacity of the card. Otherwise, this, as with other CFExpress Type-A cards, is well-made and designed around strict specifications that ensure that it will be compatible with all Type-A cameras.

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series 320GB is designed for capturing high-resolution images 4K and 8K video. It features max read speeds of 800MB/s and max write speeds of 700MB/s, with a sustained write speed of 600MB/s.

The card’s VPG200 rating guarantees consistent performance for video recording, making it an ideal choice for high-speed, high-resolution photography and videography.

As Lexar manufactures the card, it comes with all the usual warranty guarantees, helping to safeguard your investment in this small but essential piece of kit.

When it comes to tests for any Memory card, they’re essentially designed to do a job, which is to store your image and video files safely. In this test, I initially put the card through the usual set of general use tests: using the card to store image and video files and then transferring those over to the computer.

On this, there were no issues whatsoever, the card performance as you would expect, keeping pace with the camera and copying over large files at speed. Those transfer speeds were impressive, with 30GB transferring in around 40 seconds.

Putting the card through a more scientific test, I took a look at the transfer speeds in the Blackmagic Disk Speed Tool. Here, the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series 320GB recorded impressive read speeds of 686MB/s and write speeds of 1174MB/s. These results demonstrate the card’s capability to handle intensive tasks efficiently.

These results showed that the card is more than capable of matching and exceeding the demands of the Sony A7 IV and many other cameras, making it a great choice for anyone buying that camera or any other at present that offers a Type-A slot.

The Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Card SILVER Series 320GB stands out as a high-performance memory solution, especially for users of specific Sony cameras, such as the Sony A7 IV that I used for this test.

While it offers slightly lower speeds than the Gold Series, it is cheaper, and its reliability, durability, and extensive warranty make it a worthwhile investment for enthusiasts and professionals seeking quality and long-term performance.