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Here are some frequently asked questions about CODEX CFexpress cards.
If you don't find the answer to your question here, please contact support.
| Which cameras are CODEX CFexpress cards compatible with? |
CODEX CFexpress cards are compatible with a wide range of camera models. Please refer to our CFexpress Camera Compatibility Chart for more information. |
| Are CFexpress 4.0 cards backwards compatible with CFexpress 2.0 cameras and readers? | |||||||||
| Yes, CFexpress 4.0 cards can be used in CFexpress 2.0 devices, but will run at slower speeds than if used in CFexpress 4.0 devices. The theoretical limits are:
Cards do not reach these theoretical limits, but can get fairly close. |
| What is the difference between Excel and Elite CFexpress cards? |
| Both the Excel and Elite ranges are high quality, and highly capable CFexpress cards with impressive performance. The key differences are the VPG (Video Performance Guarantee) certification and Endurance rating. The VPG rating guarantees that the card can maintain a particular minimum write speed without dropping frames during video capture. For example, VPG400 means a guarantee of 400MB/s. For Type A cards, Excel are certified to VPG400, while Elite are certified to VPG400 and VPG800. For Type B cards, Excel are certified to VPG400, while Elite are certified to VPG1600. The CFexpress card is programmed with firmware that advertises the VPG rating(s). Some cameras will check the capabilities of the CFexpress card, and prevent recording of certain formats if the card does not meet the necessary VPG requirement. Therefore, your choice between Excel and Elite should be guided by the most demanding video format you plan to shoot, and aligned with the VPG rating of the card. Refer to https://compactflash.org/video-performance-guarantee-vpg/ for more information about VPG certifications. The Endurance rating is expressed as Terabytes Written (TBW), and defines how much data can be written to the card before it exceeds its intended lifetime. For a given card capacity, the Elite range has double the Endurance rating of the Excel range. For example, a 1TB CFexpress Type B is rated at 600 TBW for the Excel range, and 1200 TBW for the Elite range. Or, to put it another way, the 1TB Excel card could be filled 600 times, while the 1TB Elite card could be filled 1200 times before exceeding the endurance rating. If you expect your cards to be used heavily then choosing an option with a higher endurance rating is recommended. |
| What happens if I exceed the TBW endurance rating of a CFexpress card? |
| All storage products based on flash technology, be it an external SSD or a CFexpress card, have a TBW (TeraBytes Written) rating that indicates the ‘endurance’ of the product. For example, a CFexpress card with a TBW rating of 600 can have 600 TeraBytes of data written to it, whilst providing the intended performance and reliability. Once the TBW rating of a CFexpress card is exceeded then the product is beyond the intended lifespan. From this point forwards, the CFexpress card may not perform as intended, and it may not reliably be able to store data (corruption can occur). Consequently, it is recommended to replace any CFexpress card that has exceeded the TBW rating and is beyond its intended usable lifespan. |
| What is the difference between maximum write speed and sustained write speed? |
| Before we compare the meaning of ‘maximum write speed’ and ’sustained write speed’, it is helpful to understand a little more about how CFexpress cards work internally. CFexpress cards are built on SSD technology, and store the data to NAND flash chips. There are different ways of building NAND to store data, with TLC (triple level cell) being the most common for CFexpress as it provides a good balance of performance and reliability. Early SSDs used SLC (single level cell) which can provide higher performance and reliability, but requires three times as much NAND to store the same amount of data compared to TLC. SSDs built using TLC can employ a technique called pseudo-SLC (shortened to pSLC), which means a limited portion of the NAND is treated as SLC to provide higher performance. Once this pSLC cache is filled, data is then written (or subsequently moved) to the TLC which provides a lower speed. The maximum write speed is therefore the speed at which data can be written to the pSLC portion of the NAND, albeit for a limited time. This can be important when shooting ‘burst’ photography, as the size of the pSLC cache will limit the number of images that can be quickly stored at a high resolution and quality. The sustained write speed is the speed at which data can be written to the TLC NAND across the entire device until it is full. This is important for continuous video recording, where the available write speed needs to exceed the data rate of the video format to ensure there are no dropped frames or unexpected stops in recording. |
| Why do lower capacity CFexpress cards sometimes have a lower sustained write speed? |
CFexpress cards contain multiple NAND flash chips that are used to store the data. Each NAND flash chip provides a certain amount of bandwidth (speed) for writing data and, depending on the configuration, lower capacity CFexpress cards sometimes contain less NAND flash chips which results in a lower aggregate sustained write speed.
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| Can I use a CODEX CFexpress card in a non-CODEX reader? |
| Yes, CODEX CFexpress cards are compatible with non-CODEX CFexpress readers. However, performing a firmware update on a CODEX CFexpress card requires the use of a CODEX CFexpress reader. |
| What is the best way to format or erase a CODEX CFexpress card? |
| macOS The included Disk Utility application can be used on macOS to erase a CFexpress card. When this method is used the underlying process means that data recovery is not possible. Alternatively, Parashoot by Ottomatic can be used to erase a CFexpress card, and provides a method for restoring the contents of the card if required. Windows The included Disk Management application can be used on Windows to erase a CFexpress card. If only the volume is deleted then the content should be recoverable, but if the device is formatted then the underlying process means that data recovery is not possible. Alternatively, Parashoot by Ottomatic can be used to erase a CFexpress card, and provides a method for restoring the contents of the card if required. |
| What should I do if I have accidentally erased the contents of a CFexpress card? |
| If you have accidentally erased the contents of a CFexpress card, first remove the card and quarantine it whilst you decide on the next steps. Note down the date and time, and the sequence of events that led to it being accidentally erased. In some cases, data recovery may be possible. Please see our Data Recovery page for more information, or contact CODEX Support for further advice. |
| What should I do if the card has stopped working before I have offloaded the contents? |
| If your card has stopped working before you have offloaded the contents, first remove the card and quarantine it whilst you decide on the next steps. Note down the date and time, and the sequence of events before you noticed the issue. Please see our Data Recovery page for more information, or contact CODEX Support for further advice. |
| CFexpress Type A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The table below indicates the maximum write speed, sustained write speed and VPG rating for each CODEX CFexpress Type A card, and which cameras they are compatible with.
All CODEX CFexpress Type A cards are compatible with the following cameras:
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| CFexpress Type B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The table below indicates the maximum write speed, sustained write speed and VPG rating for each CODEX CFexpress Type B card, and which cameras they are compatible with.
All CODEX CFexpress Type B cards are compatible with the following cameras:
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| CODEX CFexpress Type A Excel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| CODEX CFexpress Type A Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| CODEX CFexpress Type B Excel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| CODEX CFexpress Type B Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Effective date: January 12, 2026
Last updated: January 12, 2026