Sony has announced the thrilling new FX5 cinema digital camera, and it has a ton of attention-grabbing options and enhancements. It additionally has among the many strictest reminiscence card necessities of any Sony FX or Alpha Series digital camera so far.
The Sony FX5 “requires” VPG400 CFexpress Type A reminiscence playing cards to take full benefit of its strongest video recording options, together with inside 16-bit RAW Open Gate recording.
However, the scenario is a little more advanced than that.
PetaPixel‘s Jordan Drake got his hands on the Sony FX5 ahead of today’s announcement, and examined the FX5 to see what occurs when a VPG200 card is inserted.
The FX5 delivers a warning, saying that the inserted card is “Not guaranteed media.” Drake was in a position to file utilizing the VPG200 card and located no dropped frames.
However, it’s value noting that the FX5 PetaPixel used was operating pre-production firmware, so it’s doable that the FX5 that ships to clients beginning in mid-August will as an alternative grey out incompatible recording choices. It’s additionally doable nothing will change, and customers will in the end simply run the chance of points with a card that doesn’t meet Sony’s specs.
PetaPixel has been discussing VPG for years, courting again to 2023 when quite a few reminiscence card firms had been fudging VPG certification. VPG, which stands for Video Performance Guarantee, certification requires strict, rigorous testing to Compact Flash Association (CFA) requirements. The in depth testing successfully ensures a minimal degree of efficiency with completely zero exceptions.
In the case of VPG400 certification, a examined, validated, and accredited reminiscence card is assured to by no means drop under 400 MB/s write speeds. Even although each CFexpress Type A card in the marketplace exceeds this threshold at its finest, not each card has really been verified by CFA’s rigorous testing.
Numerous Sony cameras have required VPG200 reminiscence playing cards for a few of their extra intense video recording choices, however the FX5 is the primary to up the requirement to VPG400. We’re not counting the $25,000 Sony CineAlta Burano, which additionally requires VPG400 reminiscence playing cards for all its recording capabilities.
It’s not clear why VPG400 is required, because the FX5’s decision tops out at 5K, and even X-OCN 16-bit Open Gate RAW information don’t exceed 200 MB/s knowledge charges — they’re not even 100 MB/s, really. A VPG400 requirement might make extra sense with one thing just like the Burano, although, as that data 8K video in 16-bit RAW.
In any occasion, Sony has decided that to ensure the very best efficiency, it should “lock” some codec and body choices to VPG400 (or higher) CFexpress Type A reminiscence playing cards, regardless that, as of now, it seems to be much less a locked door and extra a comfortable warning.
What this implies for Sony FX5 patrons is that they most likely ought to be utilizing VPG400 CFexpress Type A reminiscence playing cards in the event that they intend to file utilizing the FX5’s top-end RAW codecs. For peace of thoughts, reliability, and flexibility, that is the very best observe.
Fortunately, the Compact Flash Association has a repeatedly up to date list of certified memory cards on its web site, which straight addresses issues of firms not following the foundations and truly having their playing cards correctly examined.
There are a whole lot of VPG400-certified playing cards out there. However, lately, reminiscence playing cards are very costly, with costs starting from $100 for an 80GB Lexar card to just about $1,500 for Sony’s personal VPG400-certified 1920GB Tough card.
Fortunately, some high-capacity playing cards don’t price $1,500, like 1TB playing cards from Nextorage, Exascend, and Wise which are all under $700. Arguably the very best worth of all is the Novachips 1.6TB Express Series card, which is $449 and VPG400 licensed.
Of course, video can refill a reminiscence card awfully shortly, so customers might require a number of playing cards, and will definitely be utilizing some type of backup within the subject. These reminiscence prices can add up very quick.
When recording 5Kp24 RAW Open Gate video, one of many FX5’s hallmark recording choices, the bottom compression possibility requires a couple of terabyte of house per 180 minutes. A better compression alternative will let customers file 300 minutes of video per terabyte.
The very detail-oriented of us over at CVP constructed a recording media calculator, which lets customers select their digital camera, video format, and reminiscence card particulars to find out simply how a lot footage they will file in all of the out there codecs, codecs, and body charges.
While Sony has clearly not unveiled every other FX Series cameras at present, it’s a secure wager that future fashions might very effectively have the identical VPG400 requirement as the brand new FX5, not less than for some recording modes. And it’s not essentially not possible that future Alpha our bodies might up their reminiscence card necessities as effectively. While solely FX5 patrons must rush out to get VPG400 playing cards proper now, it’s one thing Sony customers on the whole ought to take into account the subsequent time they’re searching for a brand new CFexpress Type A card.
Though by that time, VPG200 playing cards could also be comparatively uncommon anyway. ProGrade’s latest cards are even VPG800 licensed, and VPG1600 ones have already hit the marketplace for CFexpress Type B.
Image creditProduct photographs by Erin Thomson for PetaPixel
