The Sony Alpha 7S III has dual card slots that can use SD as well as CFExpress Type A cards. Which cards you need is a matter of the kind of shooting you do. The Alpha 7S III is capable of recording a huge range of resolutions and frame rates in camera. Depending on what you intend to shoot, you’ll need to have the right card for the job. We’ve put together this guide and a chart (you can download the chart as a pdf at the bottom of this page) to help you choose the right card for your needs. Note, when it comes to SD-XC memory cards the speed rating does not necessarily equate to a v60 or v90 rating. For example, all v90 cards can be written to at 90 Mb/sec, but not all 90 Mb/sec are V90. To be sure your SD-XC cards will perform as you expect in the Alpha 7S III, use cards that are specifically v60 or v90 rated.
For a complete breakdown of memory cards for the Alpha 7S III see the charts below and watch this video that Sony Artisan of Imagery Miguel Quiles made.
Normal Recording Modes
For normal HD XAVC S-H.264/AVC recording modes, you can use a variety of SD and/or CFExpress: SD-HC U3, SD-XC U3, SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For normal 4K XAVCS-H.264/AVC and 4K XAVCHS-H.265 HEVC recording modes, you can use SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For normal HD and 4K XAVC S-I-H.264 AVC recording modes you can use SD-XC v90 and CFExpress cards.
Slow & Quick Recording Modes
For Slow & Quick shooting modes the data streams can get huge and you’ll need to have a memory card that can handle what the camera is pushing through. The A7S III will warn you if the card you’ve selected isn’t adequate. In most Slow & Quick modes SD-XC v60 or SD-XC v90 cards work just fine. For the most extreme resolution and frame rates, you’ll need CFExpress. Here’s how it breaks down:
For Slow & Quick HD XAVC S - H.264/AVC recording modes from 1p to 60p frames per second capture rate and 24p-120p record rate you can use SD-HC U3, SD-XC U3, SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick HD XAVC S - H.264/AVC recording modes at 120p frames per second capture rate and 24p-120p record rate you can use SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick HD XAVC S - H.264/AVC recording modes at 240p frames per second capture rate and 24p-120p record rate you can use SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick 4K XAVC S - H.264/AVC recording modes from 1p to 60p frames per second capture rate and 24p-120p record rate you can use SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick 4K XAVC HS - H.265/HEVC recording modes from 1p to 60p frames per second capture rate and 24p-120p record rate you can use SD-XC v60, SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick HD XAVC S-I - H.264 AVC recording modes from 1p to 120p frames per second capture rate and 24p-60p record rate you can use SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick HD XAVC S-I - H.264 AVC recording modes at 240p frames per second capture rate and 24p-60p record rate you can use CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick 4K XAVC S-I - H.264 AVC recording modes from 1p to 30p frames per second capture rate and 24p-60p record rate you can use SD-XC v90 and CFExpress.
For Slow & Quick 4K XAVC S-I - H.264 AVC recording modes of 60p and 120p frames per second capture rate and 24p-30p record rate you have to use CFExpress (note for 60p frames per second and 60p record rate, you can also use SD-XC v90).
