Tech Posts Best CFexpress Type B Cards (2026): Lexar vs. ProGrade vs. Kodak November 9, 20251 view0 By IG Share Share Choosing the best CFexpress Type B card in 2025 is about more than just brand names. Our detailed comparison of Lexar, ProGrade, and Kodak reveals a major technology gap. While Kodak focuses on the budget PCIe 3.0 market, the real battle is between Lexar and ProGrade in the new PCIe 4.0 space. This analysis goes beyond peak read speeds to help you find the best card for your needs, focusing on what really matters for 8K video: minimum sustained write speed, VPG-400 certification, price-per-GB, and long-term reliability. We’ll show you why one brand’s lifetime warranty and superior sustained performance might make it the clear winner for professionals. Note: If you buy something from our links, we might earn a commission. See our disclosure statement. Compare CFexpress Type B – Kodak, Lexar, and ProGrade | Faceofit.com Faceofit.com CFexpress Card Analysis Compare CFexpress Type B: Kodak, Lexar, and ProGrade Updated: October 2025 Our 2025 comparison of CFexpress Type B cards finds the market is not a three-way race. It is split by a new generation of technology. Kodak Professional uses the older PCIe Gen 3.0 standard, focusing on price. Lexar and ProGrade compete on the new PCIe Gen 4.0 standard. They target high-end professionals needing speed for 8K RAW video. What Matters: Sustained Write Speed and Warranty Professionals should look past maximum read speeds. That number is mostly for marketing and only affects how fast you offload footage. The two features that actually impact performance and long-term value are minimum sustained write speed and the warranty. Claimed Sustained Write Speeds (4.0 Cards) Lexar claims significantly higher sustained performance than ProGrade. Lexar (Gold/Diamond 4.0) 3000-3200 MB/s ProGrade (Gold/Iridium 4.0) 850-1500 MB/s Kodak (Professional 3.0) N/A Warranty: A Signal of Confidence The warranty length suggests how long the brand expects the card to last. LIFETIME Lexar 3 YR ProGrade 3 YR Kodak Understanding the Technology: CFE 2.0 vs 4.0 The performance gap comes from the underlying technology. Kodak uses CFexpress 2.0 (PCIe Gen 3.0). Lexar and ProGrade use CFexpress 4.0 (PCIe Gen 4.0). The new 4.0 standard doubles the theoretical maximum speed from about 2000 MB/s to 4000 MB/s. As of 2025, no camera hardware actually uses PCIe Gen 4.0 speeds during capture. The benefit of a 4.0 card is a faster workflow. You can offload footage much more quickly, but only if you use a USB 4.0 (40Gbps) reader with a matching USB 4.0 port on your computer. The “Performance by Capacity” Gotcha Card performance is not always uniform. ProGrade’s smaller cards have slower sustained write speeds. Lexar claims uniform performance even on its smallest 4.0 cards. ProGrade Gold 4.0 512 GB 1 TB Sustained speed is tiered by capacity. Lexar Gold 4.0 512 GB 1 TB Sustained speed is uniform. Endurance and Reliability: Beyond the Warranty A warranty covers defects, but endurance measures a card’s expected lifespan under heavy use. This is often measured in Terabytes Written (TBW). While not all brands publish this spec, it is a critical differentiator for professionals who format cards daily. Key Reliability Features 1. Thermal Throttling All CFexpress cards get hot. ProGrade and Lexar 4.0 cards include advanced thermal throttling. This slows the card down slightly to prevent overheating and data corruption, protecting your files during long recordings in hot environments. 2. Terabytes Written (TBW) This is the best measure of endurance. While Lexar and ProGrade do not publish exact TBW for all cards, their professional lines (Gold/Diamond, Gold/Iridium) are built with pSLC or high-grade 3D TLC flash, implying endurance in the 1000-3000 TBW range. Kodak’s card, aimed at a different market, likely uses standard TLC flash with lower endurance. 3. Data Integrity Lexar and ProGrade both emphasize advanced error correction (ECC) and power loss protection in their pro lines. ProGrade also offers “Refresh Pro” software (sold separately) to analyze card health, a unique feature for managing card fleets. Workflow Speeds and Reader Compatibility A PCIe 4.0 card’s main benefit today is faster offload speed. However, this speed is completely dependent on your card reader and computer port. A mismatch creates a significant bottleneck, eliminating the 4.0 advantage. Finding Your Bottleneck: Reader vs. Port Scenario 1: The PCIe 4.0 Workflow (Max Speed) 4.0 Card → USB 4.0 Reader → USB 4.0 Port = ~3500 MB/s Offload Scenario 2: The PCIe 3.0 Bottleneck (Common) 4.0 Card → USB 3.2 Reader (10Gbps) → USB 3.2 Port = ~950 MB/s Offload Key Takeaway: Do not buy a PCIe 4.0 card for its speed unless you also invest in a USB 4.0 (or Thunderbolt 3/4) reader and have a matching port on your computer. Otherwise, a cheaper PCIe 3.0 card will give you the exact same offload speed. Interactive Card Comparison Use the filters to find the card that meets your needs. Brand Kodak Lexar ProGrade Interface PCIe 3.0 PCIe 4.0 VPG-400 Certified Yes No Capacity 128-256GB 400-512GB 800GB-1TB 1.6TB+ Reset All Filters Brand Series Capacity Interface Min. Sustained Write VPG-400 Warranty Shop Visualizing the Data Chart: Minimum Sustained Write Speeds (MB/s) This chart shows the massive difference in manufacturer-claimed sustained write speeds. Higher is better. Chart: Value Analysis (512GB Gold 4.0 Cards) This comparison of 512GB “Gold” cards shows the sustained MB/s per dollar. Lexar offers 3.6x the performance per dollar, based on 2025 retail pricing. Price Analysis: Cost Per Gigabyte The “Value Analysis” chart showed performance-per-dollar, but simple storage cost is also important. Cheaper cards let you buy more capacity. We analyzed the average 2025 retail price for 512GB-1TB cards in each series to find the approximate cost per gigabyte. Approximate Cost per GB (Lower is Cheaper) Kodak Professional (3.0) ~$0.25 Lexar SILVER (2.0) ~$0.35 Lexar GOLD (4.0) ~$0.38 ProGrade GOLD (4.0) ~$0.45 VPG-400 Cards (Diamond/Iridium) ~$0.60+ Key Takeaway: Lexar’s 4.0 GOLD series is priced very aggressively. It offers PCIe 4.0 technology at a cost-per-GB that is closer to older 3.0 cards, challenging both ProGrade on performance and Kodak on price. Expert Recommendations For 8K+ RAW Videographers (Future-Proofing) Recommendation: Lexar 4.0 GOLD Series. This line claims a 3000 MB/s minimum sustained write speed. This is more than enough for current cameras and should handle future 8K/12K RAW formats. The Limited Lifetime Warranty is a major factor for long-term cost. For “Peace of Mind” Professionals (Agency/Rental) Recommendation: Lexar 4.0 DIAMOND Series or ProGrade 4.0 IRIDIUM Series. These are the only lines with the official VPG400 certification. If this stamp is a requirement for your clients or insurance, these are your choices. The Lexar DIAMOND is superior on paper, offering 3200 MB/s sustained speed and a lifetime warranty, versus ProGrade’s 1500 MB/s and 3-year warranty. For Hybrid Shooters (Photo-First, 4K/6K Video) Recommendation: ProGrade 4.0 GOLD (1TB+) or Lexar 2.0 SILVER (512GB+). A sustained speed of 850 MB/s (Lexar 2.0) or 1500 MB/s (ProGrade 4.0) is sufficient for all current 4K, 6K, and compressed 8K video. The ProGrade 4.0 gives you the faster workflow (ingest) speed, while the Lexar 2.0 saves money. For Budget-Conscious Shooters Recommendation: Avoid Kodak Professional for video. The risk is not the low price; it is the total lack of a minimum sustained write speed specification. A single dropped frame on a paid shoot makes the savings worthless. A safer budget choice is the Lexar 2.0 SILVER Series, which lists its sustained write speed (480-850 MB/s) and has a 10-year warranty. Frequently Asked Questions What does VPG-400 mean and do I actually need it? VPG-400 stands for Video Performance Guarantee 400. It is a certification from the CompactFlash Association that guarantees a *minimum sustained write speed* of 400 MB/s will *always* be maintained. This is a critical requirement for high-end cinema cameras, like those from RED, which may stop recording if a card’s speed drops below this level. For most hybrid mirrorless cameras (from Sony, Canon, Nikon, etc.), even those shooting 8K, VPG-400 is not a strict requirement. However, it offers significant peace of mind that your card will never be the cause of a dropped frame. Does a PCIe 4.0 card make my camera record faster than a 3.0 card? No. As of October 2025, no camera on the market uses the PCIe 4.0 interface for *recording*. All cameras, including those that support CFexpress 4.0, still write data at PCIe 3.0 speeds. The *only* benefit of a 4.0 card is in your workflow. When paired with a USB 4.0 (or Thunderbolt 3/4) card reader and a matching port on your computer, you can offload footage at speeds up to 3500 MB/s or more. This can save significant time compared to the ~950 MB/s limit of the PCIe 3.0 standard. Why are ProGrade’s speeds different for their 512GB vs 1TB cards? This is due to the physical architecture of NAND flash memory. A card’s top speed is achieved by writing data to multiple flash chips at the same time, in parallel. Higher capacity cards (like 1TB) simply have more physical flash chips inside. This allows the controller to use more parallel channels, resulting in a higher sustained write speed. Smaller cards (like 512GB) have fewer chips and fewer parallel channels, which limits their sustained performance. Lexar’s claim of uniform speed on their 4.0 GOLD line is a notable exception and a key competitive advantage. Why do my CFexpress cards get so hot? CFexpress Type B cards are essentially small NVMe SSDs, the same technology used in high-speed computers. Transferring data at thousands of megabytes per second generates a significant amount of heat. This is normal. All professional cards from brands like Lexar and ProGrade include a feature called “thermal throttling.” If a card reaches an unsafe temperature during a long recording, its internal controller will automatically slow down the speeds just enough to cool down and prevent data corruption. This is a critical data-protection feature. 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Compare CFexpress Type B: Kodak, Lexar, and ProGrade Updated: October 2025 Our 2025 comparison of CFexpress Type B cards finds the market is not a three-way race. It is split by a new generation of technology. Kodak Professional uses the older PCIe Gen 3.0 standard, focusing on price. Lexar and ProGrade compete on the new PCIe Gen 4.0 standard. They target high-end professionals needing speed for 8K RAW video.
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