ProGrade launches dual-certified CFexpress Type A cards for Sony shooters

ProGrade Digital has added dual-certified Iridium CFexpress 4.0 Type A cards in 512GB and 1TB capacities, and the real headline is not the capacity bump. The cards are certified for both VPG400 and VPG800, a detail that matters when high-bitrate video and long hybrid shooting days punish media harder than any peak-speed number on a box.

The new cards are fully compliant with the CFexpress 4.0 specification and use a PCIe Gen 4 interconnect with an NVMe 1.4c controller interface. ProGrade says they are rated for up to 1,800 MB/s read speeds, 1,700 MB/s burst write speeds and 1,500 MB/s sustained writes, putting them squarely in the lane for cameras that need steady performance more than short, headline-grabbing bursts.

That is where the VPG label earns its keep. The CompactFlash Association says VPG is a standard meant to guarantee minimum sustained write performance for high-quality video, and its Profile 5 defines VPG800 and VPG1600 for CFexpress media. The association also says VPG-5 is not backward compatible with VPG-4, and cards that support VPG200 or VPG400 in addition to VPG800 or VPG1600 will display the matching certification logos. In practice, that makes dual certification a more useful buying signal than raw throughput alone, because it shows a card has been tested to hold its line under pressure.

ProGrade says the new Dual VPG cards are aimed at high-performance cinematography and offer certified VPG400 performance today with a future-ready path to VPG800 workflows. That pitch lands hardest with Sony shooters, where CFexpress Type A media has to handle everything from fast still bursts to compressed and raw video modes without choking. Sony’s own support materials say CFexpress capabilities, compatibility and speed specifications matter to maximizing recording performance.

Pricing puts that reliability premium in view. PetaPixel reported launch pricing of $569.99 for the 512GB card and $949.99 for the 1TB version, and said both were available immediately. ProGrade’s earlier 2024 Iridium Type A cards were launched with VPG200 certification in 480GB and 960GB capacities, so the new dual-VPG models mark a clear step up in certification level.

For anyone comparing Type A cards, the choice is starting to look less like a race for the biggest number and more like a question of trust. Dual VPG certification is the part that tells you whether a card is built to keep writing when the shoot gets difficult, which is the moment memory cards usually reveal their true value.