# CFexpress buying tips



## Pixelparty (Sep 3, 2021)

I am looking for advice on a few items for my new Canon R5. I am mostly shooting stills with my telephoto lens. I have been using my existing ScanDisk SD cards but read that the CFExpress is essential in read/write speed for both still and/or video. Looking for advice on which SD and CFexpress cards to buy for ample results. Since I don’t intend to shoot video any time soon, I am mostly interested in a product to support my photography. What is the ideal read/write speed for photography only? Thanks in advance.


----------



## john1970 (Sep 4, 2021)

Just go with one of the major brands: Sony, Sandisk, or Prograde. Buy the largest size you can afford. 

Memory Cards for Canon R5

I personally use Sony Tough cards (CFExpress 512 GB and SD 128 GB) in my R5.


----------



## YuengLinger (Sep 4, 2021)

And make absolutely sure to get genuine cards! Pay sharp attention on Amazon. Make sure you have a good return policy. Forget about gray market or used, etc. I've had great performance for stills from Prograde and Sandisk, seeing no difference in transfer speeds when loading from a card-reader to my hard drive.

Invest in a good card-reader. Prograde makes one for SD and CFExpress.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 4, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> And make absolutely sure to get genuine cards! Pay sharp attention on Amazon. Make sure you have a good return policy. Forget about gray market or used, etc. I've had great performance for stills from Prograde and Sandisk, seeing no difference in transfer speeds when loading from a card-reader to my hard drive.
> 
> Invest in a good card-reader. Prograde makes one for SD and CFExpress.


I just download from the camera using the cable. Do you find it better using the reader?


----------



## neuroanatomist (Sep 4, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> And make absolutely sure to get genuine cards! Pay sharp attention on Amazon.


I’d suggest not buying from Amazon at all. Buy from B&H, Adorama, or a reputable local shop (if one exists in your area).

The problem with Amazon is that they co-mingle their stock. So while the cards Amazon buys from Sandisk, etc., in the warehouses the genuine cards are mixed with those from 3rd party marketplace sellers, and some of those may be counterfeit. The one you end up getting is a crapshoot.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 4, 2021)

neuroanatomist said:


> I’d suggest not buying from Amazon at all. Buy from B&H, Adorama, or a reputable local shop (if one exists in your area).
> 
> The problem with Amazon is that they co-mingle their stock. So while the cards Amazon buys from Sandisk, etc., in the warehouses the genuine cards are mixed with those from 3rd party marketplace sellers, and some of those may be counterfeit. The one you end up getting is a crapshoot.


Amazon has greatly reduced this by identifying who provided the item being sold. That allows them to purge inventory if a crooked seller slips thru. Sellers can opt out from co-mingling as well. I ship my products to Amazon for them to sell on Prime. I have my own Brand to prevent others from slipping junk in and I opt out from co-mingling as well.

Still, there is always someone managing to cheat you. I've bought many cards from Amazon and have yet to get a fake. I buy batteries from the big camera stores.

One product I won't buy from Amazon is Kenko TC's. I did that once and got a 3 generation old version that would not work with my camera. The product is genuine but Kenko has a silent upgrade process such that its easy for someone to ship old stock to Amazon. I wrote to Amazon and explained the issue as I returned the old stock TC.


----------



## Pixelparty (Sep 4, 2021)

Great advice regarding Amazon. My son asks me not to buy his Adidas shoes through Amazon for the same reason. Do I need the maximum read write speed even if it’s for Photography stills vs. video? I’m already invested in this expensive journey, so it’s not about the $ as much as I want to make sure I’m buying the correct gear for my purposes.


----------



## Nemorino (Sep 4, 2021)

AlanF said:


> I just download from the camera using the cable. Do you find it better using the reader?


So do I. But how can You update the lens firmware???


----------



## JPAZ (Sep 4, 2021)

If you are not planning to do 4K or lots of video, any reputable card should be fine. For video, smaller cards lack the speed.

Since I hardly do any video, I am happy with my Prograde 128gb cards and Angelbird reader. CFExpress cards are still a bit pricey but there are sales from time to time. A 128gb card holds a lot of still images and 2 cards suffice for me.


----------



## YuengLinger (Sep 5, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> So do I. But how can You update the lens firmware???


Not being flip or impatient about being off topic here, but if you mean RF lens firmware, the instructions that are on the Canon website with the firmware are very straightforward. Pretty much the same process as for the body firmware, but you choose lens firmware from the body's Utility menu (the one with the little wrench icon). So you are using the body, not some separate device to update the lens firmware. You can use an SD card or a CFExpress to load the firmware.


----------



## YuengLinger (Sep 5, 2021)

AlanF said:


> I just download from the camera using the cable. Do you find it better using the reader?


I like using a card reader because it is easier than finding a place for a body on my desk (or generally on a hotel desk by the time my stuff is all strewn about). And I don't worry about the body's port, or knocking the body to the floor, etc.

The last time I downloaded from my camera was probably ten years ago. The 60D!

Whether the readers I use are faster than just connecting to the body, I have no idea. The readers are very fast with my tower and my laptop.

EDIT: AND I use the card for backup until I've backed up from my tower or laptop to an external HDD. So I stash the card that has the RAW files and immediately insert another card to format and use for more images. Once I'm backed up, though, the stashed card goes into the "Scratch" pile. (Older IT center hands will remember "Scratch" was the term for a tape that no longer needs to be saved, and is ready to be written over with new data. I was a systems operator and data librarian in an IBM Enterprise environment for too many years. Pulling cable under the floor-tiles was how we broke up the routine!)


----------



## Nemorino (Sep 5, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> . You can use an SD card or a CFExpress to load the firmware.


Yes, I know. But afaik you have to load it with card reader directly on the card not by cable. And I don't own a card reader neither SD nor CFE.

BTT: I bought a Sony though 128G to use with the R5. Had no lock ups or other problems with the card.


----------



## YuengLinger (Sep 6, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> Yes, I know. But afaik you have to load it with card reader directly on the card not by cable. And I don't own a card reader neither SD nor CFE.
> 
> BTT: I bought a Sony though 128G to use with the R5. Had no lock ups or other problems with the card.



No laptop with a built-in SD card reader?


----------

