ProGrade Digital's new CFexpress Type A and SD dual-slot card reader is a perfect match for Sony A7S III shooters
(Image credit: ProGrade Digital)
ProGrade Digital has released what we reckon is only the second-ever card reader to support CFexpress Type A memory cards. The Type A variant of CFexpress uses a smaller form factor than the more common Type B cards used in cameras like the Nikon Z 7II and Canon EOS R5, and despite the name, Type A cards only came to market in 2020 - long after Type B cards. In fact, the only cameras that use CFexpress Type A cards are the Sony A7S III and FX6 cinema camera. For more detailed info on the different CFexpress card variants, we've got an in-depth guide here.
(Image credit: ProGrade Digital)
As for ProGrade Digital's new PG09 CFexpress Type A reader; it's a dual-slot design that also features an SDXC/SDHC UHS-II slot in addition the CFexpress slot, making it an ideal match for the Sony A7S III and FX6, both of which can record onto CFexpress Type A or SD cards.
(Image credit: Sony)
Connection to your PC or Mac is via a fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connection, which enables transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps (1.25 gigabytes per second). That's more than enough to max out the 1 gigabyte per second theoretical peak speed of a CFexpress Type A card (UHS-II SD cards can only hit 312 megabytes per second).
The ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A and SDXC/SDHC UHS-II dual-slot card reader is available now from B&H, priced at $79.99. That's big bucks for a simple card reader, but given the only other CFexpress Type A reader you can currently buy - the Sony MRWG2 - is around $118, the ProGrade Digital option seems like a no-brainer. Especially as we rate ProGrade's Gen 2 Dual-Slot SD Card Reader as one of the best memory card readers on the market today.
Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
