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.

Key Features

Superior Ingest Performance

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

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 Thunderbolt Device

This Thunderbolt 3 device provides four lanes of PCIe 3.0 (two lanes to each card slot). Thunderbolt 4 would be limited to one lane total. Learn more about Thunderbolt 3 performance benefits over Thunderbolt 4.

Compact, Rugged, Stackable

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

Rackable

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

Two Thunderbolt Ports

One port connects to computer; second port supports daisy chaining of up to five additional SF3 Series pro card readers.

Apple M1 and M2 Series Compatible

Supports M1, M2, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra Macs.

Intel® Macs Compatible

Supports Intel Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports, and Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 1 ports (with adapter plus Thunderbolt 2 cable, sold separately).

Windows Compatible

Supports Windows computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Free Lifetime Tech Support

‍Sonnet was established in Irvine, California in 1986. Since then, we’ve pioneered and brought to market many innovative and award-winning products that enhance the performance and connectivity of Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. Many of our employees (including engineers) have been with the company for more than 20 years (some have been here since the beginning). We have a wealth of knowledge about our current and past products. Should you ever need technical support on one of our products, contact us; we’ll be around to help you.

Why Thunderbolt 3 Instead of Thunderbolt 4?

Sonnet‘s line of pro card readers rely on Thunderbolt 3 technology for maximum performance. Learn Why ›

“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

The 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.

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

The CFexpress/XQD Reader for Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs)

Measuring 5.75 inches wide by 1 inch tall by 3.5 inches deep, the 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.

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!

AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader ›

CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader ›

RED MINI-MAG Pro Card Reader ›

SXS PRO X Card Reader ›

40Gbps Thunderbolt

Fastest External Interface Available

Featuring a dual-port 40Gbps Thunderbolt interface, this reader ingests footage from all CFast memory cards to Mac and Windows computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports — on location, in the studio, or in the edit suite — at up to the fastest speeds the cards will support.

Dual 40Gbps Thunderbolt Ports

One port is reserved for the connection to your Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 computer; the second port enables expansion of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices in a daisy chain.

10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Support

10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 support allows you to connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter.

Provides 15W of Power

For peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to bus-powered devices.

Supports Connecting One 5K 60Hz Display

Maximize the utilization of one computer Thunderbolt port.

All the Right Connections

40Gbps Thunderbolt Cable and ThunderLok 3 Included

Sonnet includes a Thunderbolt cable that supports Thunderbolt‘s full 40Gbps bandwidth, and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 computers. Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok™ 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip that prevents accidental cable disconnections — just slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the reader by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok remains on the cable so it won’t get lost when not in use.

40Gbps Thunderbolt Cable with ThunderLok 3

Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 Computers and Apple M1 and M2 Macs

SF3 Series professional card readers are fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 computers. Sonnet’s media readers 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. Learn more about the performance benefits of Thunderbolt 3 over Thunderbolt 4.

compatible with Apple M1 and M2 series computers

see Tech Specs for details

See Tech Specs for footnotes.
Product specifications and information subject to change without notice. Computer hardware and accessories featured in photos that are not included with product are shown for illustration purposes; items sold separately.