Sonnet SF3 Series CFexpress/XQD Thunderbolt 3 Card Reader
Sonnet SF3 Series CFexpress and XQD Pro Card Reader is a Professional Dual-Slot CFexpress 2.0 Type B/XQD Card Reader for Computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 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.
PCIe 3.0 x4 Thunderbolt 3 Device
Thunderbolt 3 provides four lanes of PCIe 3.0 (two lanes to each CFexpress/XQD card slot). A Thunderbolt 4 device 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.
Forward Compatible
Sonnet’s pro card readers are fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 computers, and are purposely designed with Thunderbolt 3 (which has four lanes of PCIe 3.0 available).
Backward Compatible
Compatible with Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 1 Macs when used with an Apple® Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable (both sold separately).
Mac & Windows Compatible
Supports Mac and Windows computers. (Supports only CFexpress cards on M1 Macs.)
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.
“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
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(1). 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.
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.
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 CFast™ 2.0, CFexpress™/XQD™, RED MINI-MAG®, SxS™ Pro, 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 2750 MB/s of PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth to ingest four, six, or more cards simultaneously!
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 or Thunderbolt 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(2) 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 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable that supports Thunderbolt’s full 40Gbps bandwidth, and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 computers. Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok™ 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip(3) 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.
Forward Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 Computers
SF3 Series professional media 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. Also compatible with M1 Macs!
