Nextorage NX-B1PRO Series CFexpress Type B Memory Card VPG400 review

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO series CFexpress Type B memory card is aimed at high-end enthusiasts and professionals using cameras that take the CFexpress Type B format. These include the latest Canon R and Nikon Z cameras, which use this format to maximise performance and enable ultra-high-resolution video recording.

The B1PRO offers fast transfer rates for both read and write operations. While it isn’t the top-level card produced by Nextorage (the B2 cards offer even higher transfer speeds), the B1PRO is still an ideal solution if you need a high-quality, high-capacity CFexpress Type B card. It is competitive in terms of quality, capacity, and speed when compared to market leaders.

Although Nextorage is less well-known than some of its competitors, the quality of its products is on par, and so is the price.

The quality of the NX-B1PRO 660 GB card we reviewed is exceptional. In terms of build quality, there is very little, if anything, to separate it from the Lexar equivalent.

When tested with the Canon R5, the CFexpress Type B card slotted into the camera without any issues, showing that the high-quality build is absolutely spot on for this card format.

Once the card is in place, it’s always a good idea to reformat it within the camera to ensure maximum compatibility and clear any factory formatting glitches. Once reformatted, the camera writes its file structure onto the card, ready for shooting both video and stills.

Testing that everything was set and ready the camera was set to burst mode with both JPEG and RAW files, this instantly showed the card can instantly write data from the camera at a speed more than adequate for capturing wildlife or sports. Switching over to video mode and shooting 4K video again demonstrated that this card has the credentials to keep up with the highest resolution video and stills that the Canon R5 C can deliver.

The Nextorage NX-B1PRO series CFexpress Type B memory card meets the VPG400 specification, which means it has a minimum write speed of 400 MB/s. This makes it ideal for 4K and 8K video capture and high-speed burst shooting for high-resolution cameras like the Canon R5 or Nikon Z8.

The card is available in a variety of capacities, with the largest being 1.33 TB. The 660 GB version was used in this review, with 330 GB and 165 GB versions also available. As this card is aimed at high-end enthusiasts and professionals, it is priced accordingly, so it’s worth considering cheaper alternatives. However, if you’re a pro who needs absolute performance, the Nextorage B2PRO offers even faster read/write performance and is worth a look.

The NX-B1PRO series features PCIe 3.0 x2 and NVMe 1.4 technology, making it an excellent choice for both enthusiasts and professional filmmakers. It can keep up with the demands of most of the latest cameras on the market, with a maximum write speed of 1900 MB/s and a read speed of 1950 MB/s. This card is more than capable of capturing 8K video with ease, and it has a minimum sustained speed of 1800 MB/s, supporting the VPG400 certification across the entire range, from the 165 GB card up to the 1.33 TB model.

While VPG400 certification and performance guarantees are relatively new, many cameras now support this card. It is fully backwards compatible, so if you have an EOS R5, EOS R3, or Nikon Z8, you can be confident that your camera will operate at its full potential with this card.

One feature worth highlighting in the NX-B1PRO series is Nextorage’s Dynamic Auto Power Save technology, which reduces power consumption by up to 68% compared to non-equipped CFexpress cards. This not only helps reduce battery usage but also lowers the card’s temperature, preventing thermal throttling.

The card can operate in temperatures ranging from 14°F to 158°F and is resistant to shock, X-rays, UV light, magnetism, and static. In terms of compatibility, it works with a wide range of cameras from manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Panasonic, and RED. The CFexpress Type B format is becoming one of the most popular emerging formats on the market.

Additionally, Nextorage offers Memory Card File Rescue software, which can be downloaded from its website. You’ll need to enter the card’s serial number and email address to access the software, but once you do, it’s a powerful tool for recovering deleted files and maintaining your card.

To get the maximum quality out of the CFexpress card, it’s recommended as always that the card is formatted in the camera before use. This ensures the file format is correct for the camera and allows it to write any necessary folder structures to the card.

Starting with the CFexpress card loaded into the Canon EOS R5 C, the card was instantly recognised by the camera and formatted. Testing both stills and video proved the card worked as expected.

For this test, due to the card’s quality and cost, I used it consistently over a month before writing this review to ensure any glitches or long-term issues would be highlighted. The card worked flawlessly throughout, performing without issue over several events and projects for both video and stills.

When shooting stills, the CFexpress card was used to capture wildlife, utilising the camera’s burst mode to capture both JPEG and RAW files. The card had no issues quickly transferring the files to its large storage capacity. Back in the studio, I was able to download all of the files relatively quickly from the card to an external SSD using the NX-SB1PRO CFexpress card reader.

The next test was to use the CFexpress card to capture some 4K video at 60 fps on the Canon R5. Once again, the card had no issues capturing the video at all resolutions, frame rates, and picture quality settings tested. Over the month of testing, the card served as the primary storage for capturing footage, and there were no issues at all. The CFexpress card was paired with an Atomos Ninja V, which was also recording raw footage via HDMI, with a UHS-II card used as a backup to the main storage (although the UHS-II couldn’t handle some of the video options).

At the end of the test, the B1PRO card delivered excellent performance. There was little to no fault with the card in terms of build quality, design, and performance. The only slight issue is that CFexpress Type B cards remain phenomenally expensive.

Benchmarking tests further demonstrated the card’s reliability:

Crystal Disk Mark: Read: 1591.09 MB/s | Write: 1599.33 MB/s
ATTO: Read: 1500 MB/s | Write: 1520 MB/s
AS SSD: Read: 1452.03 MB/s | Write: 1466.77 MB/s
AJA System Test Lite: Read: 1410 MB/s | Write: 1484 MB/s

With the NX-B1PRO, Nextorage is targeting the high-end and professional market, and the price tag reflects that. However, compared with newer CFexpress cards like the B2PRO, this card is just about affordable and will meet the needs of most cameras on the market today, being more than enough for the Canon EOS R5 C.

The card can easily keep up with the action in nearly any camera you use, with write speeds actually exceeding the requirements of most current cameras. It matches the performance of the highest-end cameras and can handle 4K and 8K footage without issue.

While next-generation cards offer even faster transfer speeds, the B1PRO shows that, for most cameras like the Canon R5 C and Nikon Z8, there’s little point in spending extra on higher-end cards when the B1PRO offers sufficient performance.

If you’re a high-end enthusiast shooting sports or wildlife or a professional photographer who needs ultimate reliability, speed, and capacity, the Nextorage B1PRO is a superb option. Despite its high price tag, its performance is comparable to market standards.