Sony FX5 camera news now comes with a strict media rule: the FX5 needs VPG400 CFexpress Type A cards for its most powerful recording modes, including internal 16-bit RAW Open Gate recording. Buyers who want those features have to budget for certified media before the camera lands in their kit.
Jordan Drake and VPG200
Jordan Drake tested the FX5 with a VPG200 card and saw the camera display, “Not guaranteed media.” He still recorded without dropped frames, so the warning reads like a policy fence rather than an immediate performance failure.
VPG400 on Sony FX5
VPG means Video Performance Guarantee, and the Compact Flash Association uses that certification to define sustained write performance. A VPG400 card guarantees 400 MB/s, which is higher than the FX5’s 200 MB/s X-OCN 16-bit Open Gate RAW files, so the requirement looks conservative on paper even though it is the first Sony FX or Alpha Series camera to demand VPG400 for some options.
Prices for VPG400
That conservatism has a cost, because VPG400-certified cards run from $100 for an 80GB Lexar card to nearly $1,500 for Sony’s own 1920GB Tough card. The FX5’s top recording modes are therefore tied to media that can cost more than the accessory budget many buyers expect for a camera at this level.
The open question is whether the shipping FX5 will hard-block incompatible recording choices or keep the warning-and-continue behavior Drake saw on pre-production firmware. Buyers who need the highest-end recording modes should check the certified card list from the Compact Flash Association before they build a purchase order around the FX5.
