CODEX CFexpress 4.0 cards, built to last: which one suits your camera?
CODEX, the company that makes the CompactDrive media for ARRI's ALEXA cameras, has launched its own CFexpress 4.0 cards and a USB4 reader, and they're built to last. DVT is CODEX's exclusive New Zealand reseller, and the full range is on our website now.
There are two card formats and two ranges, so the useful question is which card suits the camera you shoot on. This post answers it.
Built to last
- Aluminium case: every Type B card is built into a full aluminium casing.
- Rated endurance: each card's lifetime write rating is published. A 1TB Elite card is rated for 1,200TB, about 1,200 full cards, and Elite is rated for twice Excel at the same capacity.
- Steady in the heat: HeatControl ensures optimal and consistent performance, even in demanding thermal conditions. Every card is rated to work from −12°C to 72°C. ByteGuard adds error checking and correction.
- Covered: a 3-year warranty when you register the card, or 2 years if you don't, and CODEX covers 2 years of data recovery if a card fails.
Why CODEX
CODEX media has been used on productions including Dune: Part Three, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Project Hail Mary. ARRI Rental put it this way:
"The introduction of CFexpress media is a natural progression for CODEX. They have always delivered for our ARRI camera systems."
Andrew Prior, Head of Technology and Development, ARRI Rental
Type A or Type B: check your camera first
CFexpress cards come in two sizes, and a camera takes one or the other.
Type A is the smaller card. CODEX's Type A cards are for Sony bodies:
- Sony FX6, FX5, FX3, FX30 and FX2
- Sony a1, a1 II, a9 III, a7S III, a7 IV, a7 V and a7R V
Type B is the larger card, used by most other makers and by Sony's BURANO. CODEX's Type B cards suit:
- Canon EOS C50, C400, C500 Mark II, C300 Mark III, R1, R3, R5, R5 Mark II, R5 C, R6 Mark III and EOS-1D X Mark III
- Nikon Z 6, Z 6II, Z 6III, Z 7, Z 7II, Z 8, Z 9, ZR and D6
- Panasonic LUMIX GH6, GH7, S1, S1R, S1 II, S1R II and S1 II E
- Fujifilm GFX ETERNA 55, GFX100 II, X-H2 and X-H2S
- Blackmagic Design PYXIS 12K, PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K
- DJI Ronin 4D-6K and Ronin 4D-8K
- Leica SL3
- Atomos Ninja TX, Ninja TX GO and Ninja RAW
- Sony BURANO
If your camera isn't on either list, give us a call before you buy.
Excel or Elite
Each format comes in two ranges.
Excel is rated VPG400, for uninterrupted 8K video, and its endurance covers most shoots. Excel Type A cards come in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, and Type B cards in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.
Elite is rated VPG800 on Type A and VPG1600 on Type B. Its endurance is twice Excel's at the same capacity, for kit that works every day or goes out on hire. Elite Type A cards come in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, and Type B cards in 1TB and 2TB.
Elite isn't always faster than Excel, so choose it for endurance rather than speed.
The reader
The CODEX CFexpress Type B reader connects over USB4 and offloads an Elite Type B card at up to 3,500MB/s. It's also the reader you need for firmware updates on CODEX Type B cards. It takes Type B cards only: to read Type A cards with it, you'll need a third-party adapter, sold separately.
The range
NZ pricing (inc GST) is on each product page.
Type A
Not sure which card you need? Call us on +64 9 525 0788 or email sales@dvt.co.nz with the camera you're shooting on, and we'll tell you which card to get.