Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A Review

Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Review: Good performance and excellent durability for Sony Alpha and FX users, but expect to pay a premium.

The Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A 2TB card is aimed at professionals working with high-resolution video or high-speed burst photography, particularly those using Sony Alpha or FX series cameras. This card delivers PCIe 4.0 speeds over the CFexpress Type A format, marking a significant step up from older PCIe 3.0-based models. Designed to meet the demands of modern 8K video production and sustained burst shooting, the 2TB model offers high performance and the capacity needed for extended shooting sessions without the hassle of frequent card swaps.

In terms of speed, the 2TB model delivers read speeds of up to 1,750MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,650MB/s, with sustained write performance rated at 1,300MB/s. That level of consistency is essential when handling high-bitrate 8K footage or working in demanding recording modes, such as All-I, where dropped frames are unacceptable. It’s also VPG200 certified, meaning it maintains a sustained write speed of at least 200MB/s under load. When used with Lexar’s CFexpress 4.0 Type A reader, you can make full use of the PCIe Gen 4.0 interface, cutting down transfer and offload times significantly.

Built for reliability, it carries an IP68 rating, drop protection up to 5 meters, and resistance to bending, shock, and compression. This makes it well-suited for outdoor and on-location work, where cards need to withstand more than just heavy data loads. This level of ruggedness is significant for professionals such as field photographers, documentary filmmakers, and anyone operating in uncontrolled or outdoor shooting environments. The 2TB capacity also allows for storing large volumes of 8K footage and long-duration time-lapse or burst sequences, minimizing the need for swapping cards during extended shoots.

Because this Lexar CFexpress card uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, it’s currently supported by only a handful of camera bodies, mainly within Sony’s high-end Alpha and FX lineups. CFexpress Type A remains a niche format compared to the more common Type B cards, but it’s growing as Sony continues to roll out new bodies that take advantage of the faster bus. For those using the supported cameras, this card offers one of the few ways to fully unlock PCIe 4.0 performance in such a small form factor. Its compact size and light weight make it an excellent fit for travel or handheld shooting, offering the speed professionals need without adding unnecessary bulk to their gear. Lexar’s included Recovery Tool software adds peace of mind, offering simple options to restore lost or deleted footage.

For workflows, you can pair this card with Lexar’s own CFexpress 4.0 Type A reader (model WF730) for faster post-production transfers, with Lexar claiming up to 2x the speed of older Gen 2 readers. This can have a significant impact when offloading large 8K projects or hundreds of RAW still images, helping to streamline the time-to-edit turnaround in time-sensitive productions.

Lexar SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Pricing and Warranty

The Professional SILVER CFexpress card 2TB model is priced around $600. It is backed by a limited lifetime warranty, providing users with long-term support and some peace of mind when investing in it for regular professional use.

Lexar SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A Specifications

Lexar SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A Design and Build

Physically, there’s not too much to note, as not much has changed over the years for CFexpress cards. At just 20 x 28 x 2.8 mm and weighing only 2.5 grams, it’s noticeably smaller and lighter than Type B cards, making it a better fit for compact camera bodies, such as the Sony Alpha series. This is especially helpful for hybrid photographers who don’t want bulky media slowing down their setup. Despite its size, the card feels solid in hand with no noticeable flex.

On the front, Lexar has opted for its usual clean and minimalist design. The silver-colored branding label covers most of the face, with clearly printed capacity and CFexpress 4.0 indicators. The surface has a matte texture that resists fingerprints and light scuffs. It’s easy to read at a glance, which helps when dealing with multiple cards on a shoot.

The back of the card contains only the necessary regulatory markings, the serial number, and the contact pins. The connector is recessed slightly into the body for protection. This side also features a black plastic ridge that helps align the card when inserting it into a camera or reader.

Lexar SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A Performance

Our benchmarking suite includes Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, IOMeter, and PCMark 10 to evaluate both real-world and synthetic performance. We compared the new Lexar Professional CFexpress 4.0 Type A Silver (PCIe 4.0) card against the previous Silver and Gold 2.0 models, which use the older PCIe 3.0 interface. This allows us to highlight the performance jump enabled by PCIe 4.0, demonstrating the significant real-world benefits users can expect from the generational upgrade.

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test

In Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test, which uses a 5GB file to simulate real-world write and read scenarios, the Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A 2TB card delivered solid performance. It’s also a good indication of the card’s sustained performance under heavier loads, which is where reliability matters most.

Write speeds came in at 1,061.8 MB/s, while read speeds reached 1,469.9 MB/s.

While these results fall short of the theoretical maximums, they still represent strong real-world performance, including 4K and even some 8K formats. This is also single-threaded, so it couldn’t demonstrate its full capabilities.

IOMeter Performance

Our second test is IOMeter, divided into two sections: single-thread and four-thread. These two sections contain six different workloads. Typically, we see the most performance in the four-thread section since it allows the media to reach its full potential.

IOMeter Single Thread

In IOMeter testing, the Lexar Professional SILVER 2TB card showed mostly solid performance across both single-thread and multi-thread workloads. Starting with the single-thread results, sequential read speeds reached 1,389.17 MB/s, while sequential write speeds reached 800.84 MB/s.

Random access performance was also good, with 2MB random writes at 1,100.3 MB/s and random reads at 1,225.43 MB/s. For smaller 4K transfers, the card achieved 16,278 IOPS in random writes and 6,960 IOPS in random reads, both of which are acceptable figures for this class of media (although it’s clearly more optimized for larger block transfers).

IOMeter Four-Thread

Moving to the four-thread test, the card scaled well. Sequential reads improved to 1,610.38 MB/s, and writes climbed slightly to 857.36 MB/s. Random read and write speeds also increased, reaching 1,480.09 MB/s and 1,020.11 MB/s, respectively, for 2 MB block sizes. The most significant gains were in 4K IOPS performance, where random writes jumped to 25,933 IOPS and random reads jumped to 19,988 IOPS.

PCMark

In PCMark 10’s Data Drive Benchmark, the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type A Silver (2TB) posted a bandwidth of 303.7 MB/s and an average access time of 80 µs, finishing with a score of 1,995. The results were steady across all tests, with quick response times that show it can handle a mix of read and write tasks without slowing down. In the real world, this translates to smooth, dependable performance when transferring large media files or capturing continuous high-resolution footage.

Conclusion

The Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A 2TB card proves itself as a dependable, high-capacity option for serious Sony shooters. Although it may not always reach its advertised peak speeds, real-world results demonstrate strong and consistent performance across demanding workloads. The combination of VPG200 certification, rugged build, and lifetime warranty makes it a card you can trust in the field.

The price, which sits around $600 for the 2TB version, is on the expensive side. There are competing Type A cards on the market that offer similar performance at a lower cost, so it’s worth weighing how much value you place on long-term durability and brand support. With its IP68 rating, drop protection, and solid build quality, this card is built for more demanding environments and long-term use. The limited lifetime warranty and Lexar’s recovery software also add some peace of mind if you’re shooting in conditions where media loss is simply not an option.

For professionals invested in a Sony-based workflow who need both speed and storage in a compact card, the Lexar SILVER 2TB is a dependable choice. You’ll get the most out of it when paired with Lexar’s CFexpress 4.0 reader, which will allow you to offload files much faster. Ultimately, it’s a solid, if premium-priced, option for serious video shooters and photographers who rely on consistent performance in the field.

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