SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader

Professional Dual-Slot CFexpress 2.0 Type B/XQD Card Reader for Computers with Thunderbolt Ports

SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader
CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader with MacBook Pro

Superior Ingest Performance

Whether you’re capturing 4K at 60P RAW video footage to CFexpress™ memory cards, or shooting hundreds of photos in a session and saving them to XQD™ memory cards, the generated files are huge, and the cards fill up fast. Moving those files to your computer for editing is a must, but if you use the wrong tool, you’ll spend a lot of time waiting around. Get a Sonnet SF3™ Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader; it’s the ultimate tool for finishing the job fast.

Buy Now
CFexpress and XQD Cameras

Key Features

Performance Icon

Superior Ingest Performance

Ingests footage from CFexpress 2.0 Type B cards and XQD cards at up to maximum supported speeds(1).

Ingest Times Icon

Cuts Ingest Times by up to Half

Dual card slots enable simultaneous ingest of footage from two cards for greater efficiency.

PCIe 3.0 x4 Icon

Maximum Thunderbolt Performance

Pro media card reader provides four lanes of PCIe bandwidth for maximum performance.

Rugged Icon

Compact, Rugged, Stackable

Small and rugged aluminum enclosure for reliable operation; design enables multiple SF3 Series card readers to occupy same footprint.

Rackable Icon

Rackable

Threaded mount points enable secure attachment of two readers side-by-side on a rack tray in just 1U of rack space.

Thunderbolt 3 Ports Icon

Connect Additional SF3 Series Pro Card Readers

One port connects to computer; second port supports daisy chaining additional card readers.

Apple M Series Compatible Icon

Apple M series Compatible

Supports M series Macs.

Intel Mac Compatible Icon

Intel® Macs Compatible

Supports Intel Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Windows Compatible Icon

Windows Compatible

Supports Windows computers with Thunderbolt 5, 4, or 3 ports.

Free Lifetime Tech Support Icon

Free Lifetime Tech Support

Founded in 1986 in Orange County, Southern California — the vibrant hub of technology and engineering south of Silicon Valley — Sonnet has been at the forefront of innovation. Over the years, we've developed numerous award-winning products that enhance performance and connectivity for Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. Many of our team members have been with us for over two decades, providing us with extensive expertise about our current and past offerings. If you ever need technical support for any of our products, don’t hesitate to reach out; we’re here to assist you.

Thunderbolt Logo
The Thunderbolt Interface Connection
To achieve optimal data transfer speeds, Thunderbolt provides the highest PCIe bandwidth available. Watch this video to discover the performance advantages of the Thunderbolt controller in Sonnet Thunderbolt products.
The Sonnet SF3 Series CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader is one of the few on the market today that will allow you to use your CFexpress card to its full performance capabilities.  Its build is beyond reproach with a smooth brushed aluminum exterior with ribbing that acts as a heatsink, two ports in the front that will accommodate CFexpress Type B or XQD cards, as well as two Type-C [Thunderbolt 3] ports at the back to allow for daisy chaining as Thunderbolt 3 does.

– The SSD Review

Cut Ingest Times by up to Half

Dual Card Slots, Less Waiting
SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader is ultra-fast, able to ingest files from CFexpress and XQD cards at their maximum speeds. Better still, it can ingest files simultaneously from two CFexpress cards — at more than double the average ingest speed of other CFexpress or XQD card readers — to cut your ingest times in half.
Performance Chart
Performance Chart
Ready for Racking
Sonnet’s SF3 Series Pro Card Readers include threaded mount points that enable you to securely attach two readers side-by-side on a rack tray in just 1U of rack space.
CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Readers Mounted On a Rack Tray
CFexpress/XQD Pro Illustration Front

CFexpress/XQD Reader for Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs)

Measuring 5.75 inches wide by 1 inch tall by 3.5 inches deep, SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader is suitable for use in any workspace and workflow; for DITs working multi-camera shoots or in a small space, the Sonnet reader’s design advantages stand out.

CFexpress/XQD Pro Illustration Back
Ingest four, six, or more cards simultaneously at up to 2800 MB/s!
Sonnet SF3 Series Pro Card Readers

Designed to be Stacked and Daisy Chained

SF3 Series Pro Card Readers feature rugged aluminum enclosures designed to be stacked and daisy chained, enabling multiple AJA PAK Media, CFast™ 2.0, CFexpress/XQD™, RED MINI-MAG®, and SxS™ PRO X readers to occupy the same footprint, while connecting to your computer through a single cable. You can take advantage of Thunderbolt’s up to 2800 MB/s of PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth to ingest four, six, or more cards simultaneously!
SF3 Series Pro Card Readers Stacked

Thunderbolt Technology

Fastest External Interface Available

Sonnet Thunderbolt products feature a high-speed Thunderbolt interface that delivers PCIe bandwidth needed to support data transfers at full speed.

Two Thunderbolt Ports Icon
Connect Additional Thunderbolt Devices
One port is reserved for connecting to your computer; the second port enables connection of additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices in a daisy chain.
10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Icon
10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Support
10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 support allows you to connect a USB device to the second Thunderbolt port using the proper cable or adapter.
15W Power Icon
Provides 15W of Power
For peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to bus-powered devices through the secondary Thunderbolt port.
8K Display Icon
Supports Connecting Up to One 8K Display
Maximize the utilization of one computer Thunderbolt port, connecting the largest display supported by your computer.
Thunderbolt Ports
Sonnet Thunderbolt Cable & ThunderLok Icon
Secure Connections for High Performance

Thunderbolt Cable and ThunderLok Included

Sonnet includes a Thunderbolt cable that supports Thunderbolt’s maximum bandwidth and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt 5, 4, and 3 computers. Sonnet also provides ThunderLok,™ a Thunderbolt connector retainer clip, that prevents accidental cable disconnections.
Sonnet Thunderbolt Cable with ThunderLok
Thunderbolt Port with Threaded Hole Icon

ThunderLok Advantage

Many Sonnet Thunderbolt products featuring Thunderbolt ports come equipped with threaded mounting holes to securely attach Sonnet ThunderLok retainer clips, preventing Thunderbolt cables from accidentally disconnecting.

Thunderbolt 4 Computers

Compatible with the Latest Thunderbolt Computers and Apple M series Macs

SF3 Series Professional Card Readers are fully compatible with the latest Thunderbolt computers, including Apple M series Macs. Sonnet media card readers are purposely designed are purposely designed with a Thunderbolt 3 controller and its four lanes of PCIe (not available in a Thunderbolt 4 peripheral) to achieve maximum simultaneous ingest speeds. Watch this video to learn more about the performance benefits.
Apple M Series CPU

Compatible with Apple M series Macs

(See Tech Specs for details)

Older Macs with Thunderbolt 2 Ports

Backward Compatible with Older Macs

SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader is compatible with Macs with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 1 ports when used with the bi-directional Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt cable (both sold separately).

SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader