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. Using a single Thunderbolt™ cable, it’s compatible with Apple M series Macs or Intel Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports, as well as Windows or Linux computers with Thunderbolt 5 or Thunderbolt 4 ports.

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.

Maximum Thunderbolt Performance

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

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.

Connect Additional SF3 Series Pro Card Readers

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

Mac Compatible

Supports all M series Macs and Intel Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Windows Compatible

Supports Windows computers with Thunderbolt 5 or Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Sonnet Support

Founded in 1986 in Orange County, Southern California — long recognized as a vibrant hub of technology and engineering — Sonnet has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly four decades. We’ve introduced award-winning products that expand performance and connectivity for Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. Many of our team members have been with us for more than 20 years, bringing unmatched expertise across both current and legacy products. Should you ever need technical support, you can count on our knowledgeable staff to provide the help you need.

“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.”
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– The SSD Review

Dual Card Slots, Less Waiting

Sonnet’s CFexpress/XQD media 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 Professional 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

Sonnet SF3 Series Pro Card Readers

Designed to be Stacked and Daisy Chained

SF3 Series Professional 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 ›

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.

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 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.

Provides 15W of Power

For peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to bus-powered devices through the secondary Thunderbolt port.

Supports Connecting Up to One 8K Display

Maximize the utilization of one computer Thunderbolt port, connecting the largest display supported by your computer.

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 cable lock, that prevents accidental cable disconnections.

Sonnet Thunderbolt cable with ThunderLok sitting beside it.

ThunderLok Advantage

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

Group of computers that feature Thunderbolt ports.

Designed for the Fastest Connection to Thunderbolt Computers

SF3 Series Professional Media Card 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. Watch this video to learn more about the performance benefits.

See Tech Specs for footnotes.
Product specifications and information subject to change without notice. Computers and accessories that may be featured in photos are not included with the product.