SanDisk's Pro-Cinema is a CFexpress 2.0 Type B card built around a 1400MB/s minimum sustained write speed, which earns it VPG400 certification. Digital Camera World benchmarked it at 1646MB/s read and 1441MB/s write, close to the 1700/1500MB/s SanDisk claims, and recorded 6K 60p RAW on a Nikon Z6 III without dropped frames. It comes in only 320GB and 640GB, and the outlet found it relatively expensive.
Full review
Built around sustained write speed
Digital Camera World explains that SanDisk is selling this card on its minimum sustained write rate and not on headline peaks. The card is rated for a 1400MB/s minimum sustained write speed, which qualifies it for VPG400 certification, and SanDisk claims it will record 8K video. Maximum rates are 1700MB/s read and 1500MB/s write.
The review calls those peak figures good but not the fastest among Gen 2.0 Type B cards and far short of the 3500MB/s-plus of Gen 4.0 cards, and adds that no current consumer camera can use a Gen 4.0 card's extra speed.
In a Nikon Z6 III
Digital Camera World tested the card in a Nikon Z6 III recording 6K 60p RAW and saw smooth video with no glitches or dropped frames. In the camera's fastest burst mode it captured the full 200-frame limit and cleared the buffer to the card with no noticeable delay. A V60 SDXC card given the same test needed several seconds to clear the buffer.
Benchmark results
With a USB 4.0 card reader from ProGrade Digital and an HP ZBook Studio laptop, CrystalDiskMark returned a maximum read speed of 1646MB/s and a peak write rate of 1441MB/s. Digital Camera World says it is not often a CFexpress Type B card performs this close to its advertised speeds, since most fall short of their makers' claims by some margin in its benchmarks.
Capacities and price
Only 320GB and 640GB versions exist, which Digital Camera World lists as a reason to avoid. At the time of its review the two were priced at $399.99 and $699.99, and the outlet's one black mark is that pricing was higher than similarly quick cards of the same capacity. A separate 256GB 'Pro-Cinema CFexpress VPG400' card has a minimum write speed of only 400MB/s, and the review does not treat it as a genuine alternative.
Strengths
- +Benchmarked at 1646MB/s read and 1441MB/s write by Digital Camera World, close to SanDisk's claims
- +1400MB/s minimum sustained write speed with VPG400 certification
- +Recorded 6K 60p RAW on a Nikon Z6 III with no glitches or dropped frames
- +Enclosure rated by SanDisk for 1-meter drops and 50 newtons of crushing force
Watch-outs
- −Only two capacities, 320GB and 640GB
- −Relatively expensive next to similarly quick cards, per Digital Camera World
- −Peak speeds are well short of CFexpress 4.0 cards
How it compares
The Pro-Cinema and the Lexar Professional SILVER are the two CFexpress 2.0 cards on this page. The Pro-Cinema's rated 1700MB/s read and 1500MB/s write are close to the Lexar's 1750MB/s and 1300MB/s, and about half the 3650MB/s and 3000MB/s listed for the two OWC CFexpress 4.0 cards. Its 1400MB/s minimum sustained write rating is higher than the 800MB/s sustained figure listed for the OWC Atlas Pro and the 480MB/s listed for the Lexar SILVER.
Rating sources
Our 4.3 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
