Lexar 128GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card Review

Perhaps the single thing that really disturbs me is the fact that cameras have not kept up with the advances of storage performance.  Where capabilities exist to very easily incorporate hardware into a DSLR that enables the movement of data at speed of over 500MB/s, we are still left with data transfer rates that hamper continuous shooting scenarios significantly.  Ok so… that’s my gripe and it is well placed considering I have a brand new  Canon 5D EOS Mark IV in my hands that I am absolutely in love with, but for that shortfall that could easily be overcome by manufacturers.  My quest now is to find the best equipment possible for what is perhaps the best DSLR in the world right now; enter the Lexar 128GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card.

Considering that the 5D Mk IV is equipped with both CF and SD card slots, one might wonder why we are even sticking with the larger CF cards in the first place.  After all SD cards have much better availability, better capacities, are questionably faster and cheaper than the CF card.  A CF Card in a decent DSLR has quicker write performance which allows a much more aggressive workflow when needed. In other words, when shooting continuously, the CF card stores data faster, clearing the cameras buffer faster and enabling longer continuous shooting before the cameras slows while it clears its buffer.  Stay tuned as we will show you just that near the end of this report when a SDXC Card and the Lexar 1066X CF Card go head to head in this Canon 5D Mk IV DSLR camera.

The Lexar Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card is available in 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256GB capacities and has an industry leading lifetime warranty.  It is UDMA 7 certified which means that it will provide data transfer speeds up to 160MB/s, this being ideal for full HD photography, 3D and 4K video.  It also comes with a VPG-65 rating (Video Performance Guarantee) that data transfer speeds will always be a sustained 65MB/s or higher.  This card ships with a free copy of Image Rescue 5 software which provides for recovery of data on corrupted devices, but also provides for recovery of deleted files as well.  The product number for the Lexar 128GB Professional 1066x CF Card is LCF128CRBNA1066 and it can be found at Amazon for under $100 right now.

For file transfer speeds from the CF Card to your PC, you will need the right equipment as well, the Lexar Professional Dual Slot USB 3.0 Card Reader in use today and it can also be found at Amazon for just over $30.  This reader accommodates CF and SD cards and is of an amazing build quality.

Let’s flip to the next page to see just how the Lexar 128GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Card stands up in speed and comparison testing.