Card Readers
Sonnet SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader | Cfast 2.0 Pro Thunderbolt 3 Card Reader
Product Code: SONSF32CFST
Suggested Retail Price £215+VAT
Where to buy VideosStock status: In Stock; available from resellers
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Contact Our Technical TeamAll new Sonnet products purchased on or after January 1, 2019, have a two-year limited warranty, except as listed here. All new Sonnet products purchased on or before December 31, 2018, have a one-year limited warranty, except as listed here.
With the increasing popularity of profession digital cinema cameras from Canon, ARRI and Blackmagic Design, the use of CFast 2.0 memory cards has soared, and the need for a truly high-speed card reader is undeniable. With current CFast 2.0 cards’ rated read speeds near 550 MB/s, it’s clear that USB readers don’t fill that need. Sonnet’s SF3™ Series - CFast™ 2.0 Pro Card Reader does. Featuring a 40Gbps Thunderbolt™ 3 interface, this device quickly ingests footage from CFast memory cards to any Mac or Windows(1) computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports—on location, in the studio, or in the edit suite—at the fastest speeds the cards will support.
As the industry’s first CFast 2.0 card reader for Thunderbolt 3, the SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader employs its dual card slots to take advantage of the tremendous bandwidth offered by Thunderbolt 3. Capable of ingesting files simultaneously from two cards at concurrent data transfer speeds up to 1000+ MB/s—more than double the average ingest speed of USB 3.0 card readers—using the Sonnet reader makes for a significantly more convenient and efficient workflow.
Measuring a compact 5.75 inches wide by 1 inch high by 3.5 inches deep, the SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader is suitable for use in any workspace, even where space is tight. The reader’s shell is made from extruded aluminum, making it lightweight, and yet rugged enough to be transported in an equipment bag without fear of damaging the case.
The SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader connects directly to your Mac or Windows computer’s Thunderbolt 3 port or at the end of a Thunderbolt 3 device chain. Requiring only a single cable to connect to your computer, this high-performance Sonnet reader is bus powered (no separate power supply required).
Through the use of a captive cable, the SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader’s Thunderbolt cable remains firmly connected to it at all times. Should the need arise, you can easily swap out the cable by removing the reader’s back cover plates, unplugging the cable and then plugging in a replacement.
| THUNDERBOLT 3 PRODUCTS | SKU | Big Sur Intel Macs | Big Sur M1 Macs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 Dock | SON-ECHO-DK11-TB3 | √ | √ (M1 Macs support only one monitor in TB Docks) |
| Solo5G USB 3 to 5GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter | SON-SOLO5G-USB3 | √ (Update driver to version 1.4.12) | X Marvell driver update TBD |
| Solo10G Thunderbolt 3 to 10GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter | SON-SOLO10G-TB3 | √ | √ |
| Solo10G Thunderbolt 3 to SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (SFP+ included) | SON-SOLO10G-SFP-TB3 | √ | √ |
| Twin10G Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Dual Port 10GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter | SON-SOLO10G-SFP-TB3 | √ | Sonnet X550 driver update coming Q1 2021 |
| Twin10G SFP+ Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Dual Port SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter | SON-TWIN10GCSFP-TB3 | √ | Sonnet 82599 driver update coming Q1 2021 |
| Echo Express SEL Thunderbolt 3 One-Slot Low-Profile PCIe Card Expansion System | SON-ECHOEXPSE1-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe card must have M1 compatible driver) |
| Echo Express SE I Thunderbolt 3 One-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System | SON-ECHOEXPSEL-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe card must have M1 compatible driver) |
| Echo Express SE IIIe Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System | SON-ECHOEXPSE3-E-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers) |
| Echo III Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System | SON-ECHO3D-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers) |
| Echo III Rackmount Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System | SON-ECHO3R-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers) |
| 2018 xMac mini Server with one full-length and one half-length slot Thunderbolt 3 Edition | SON-XMACMSA-TB3 | √ | √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers) |
| eGFX Breakaway Box 550 | SON-GPU550W-TB3 | √ | X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs) |
| eGPU Breakaway Box 750 | SON-GPU-750W-TB3 | √ | X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs) |
| eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex | SON-GPU-750WEX-TB3 | √ | X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs) |
| eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500XT | SON-GPURX5500XT-TB3 | √ | X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters) |
| eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700 | SON-GPURX5700-TB3 | √ | X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters) |
| Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter - Supports two 4K Displays | SON-TB3DDP4K | √ | X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters) |
| Thunderbolt 3 to Dual HDMI Adapter - Supports two 4K Displays | SON-TB3DHDMI | √ | X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters) |
| PROFESSIONAL MEDIA READERS | SKU | Big Sur Intel Macs | Big Sur M1 Macs |
| SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader | SON-SF3-2CFEX | √ | √ CFExpress | X Sony XQD driver update TBD |
| SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader | SON-SF32CFST | √ | √ |
| SF3 Series - RED Mini-Mag Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader | SON-SF3-2RMM | √ | √ |
| SF3 Series - SxS Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader | SON-SF32SXS | √ | X Sony SxS driver update TBD |
| Thunderbolt Pro P2 Card Reader - Thunderbolt 2 | SON-TBP2 | Sonnet P2 driver update coming Q1 2021 | Sonnet P2 driver update coming Q1 2021 |
| Echo ExpressCard Pro SxS Media Reader - Thunderbolt 2 | SON-ECHOPROE34 | √ | X Sony SxS driver update TBD |
| SDHC Adapter for SxS Camera Slot or SF3 Series SxS Reader | SON-SDSXS-E34 | √ | √ |
Now that pretty much every camera captures to digital media, choosing the right kind of reader has never been more important. For 35 years Sonnet has pioneered innovative and award-winning products that enhance computer performance and connectivity. This blog looks at Sonnet’s expanding range of professional media readers.
Komodo is Red’s first truly affordable camera system. It is likely to fulfil many roles - as a feature film B-camera or main camera for documentary production. Fortunately, the Komodo’s cuboid-shape lends itself very well to being rigged, powered, adapted and mounted to suit virtually any shooting style. Compact and lightweight, it’s as likely to be airborne on a drone as it is attached to a gimbal. Power to Go As a go-anywhere camera, power is a key consideration. Natively supporting dual Canon BP-type batteries, the Komodo can be adapted to take professional V- or 3-stud batteries. Core SWX’s RED Komodo plate is RED-approved. As well as feeding power to the camera, the plate offers a 2-pin Lemo output and Powertap output, giving you the ability to run monitors, viewfinder, remote focus system and transmitters. Like the Core adapter for the Sony FX9, the Komodo plate is beautifully manufactured, built to last.
NEW: Thunderbolt™ 3 External Graphics (eGPU) SolutionsAt BVE 2018, Sonnet will showcase its new eGFX Breakaway™ Box 650, a Thunderbolt™ 3 to eGPU PCI Express® (PCIe®) card expansion system designed and qualified specifically for large, power-hungry video graphics processing unit (GPU) cards, including the AMD Radeon™ RX Vega 64 and overclocked NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 10 series-based cards. The 650 model enables the use of all GPU cards that support connecting to a computer over Thunderbolt — such as AMD Radeon R9, RX, RX Vega, and Pro WX models and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9 and 10 series, Titan X and Xp, and Quadro® models — with Thunderbolt 3-equipped computers, providing GPU support for computationally intensive applications and games. (Lists of supported computers and GPU cards are available at www.sonnettech.com/product/egfx-breakaway-box.html). Mac®- and Windows®-compatible, the new Sonnet system is the coolest and quietest eGFX box on the market, with a built-in, variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan that quietly and effectively cools the installed card.
