Red approves Exascend Archon 1TB CFexpress card for use with Red Raptor

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That's a big deal for Red users, who until now could only use bespoke Red-branded storage

Exascend CFexpress 1TB card
(Image credit: B&H)

Memory and storage manufacturer Exascend, known for providing high end solutions to enterprise, professionals and prosumers, has had its Archon 1TB series of CFexpress cards approved by Red Digital Cinema as a third-party option to be used with Red's latest flagship, Red Raptor.

Now this might not seem like news to some, but Red had a history of only supporting Red branded cards from Red or Red approved retailers, usually at a very high cost compared to the market equivalents.

Now that Red's approved this lighting fast card from Exascend, that's able to handle 8K RAW footage with speeds of 1600MB/s write and 1700MB/s read, it means this is not only a great option for Red Raptor users, but it brings a change to Red's ecosystem that loyal Red users have been requesting for many years.

This significant change also begs the question: is Red considering testing and approving other CFexpress card options from different manufacturers - such as Sandisk, ProGrade, Manfrotto, and Lexar? 

This would certainly be welcomed by users who have had to put up with Red's previous strategy, which has left them feeling compelled to buy expensive branded media – other manufacturers offer a vast list of approved media.

However, today is a great day for Red and its cinema camera users who are now able to buy this extremely fast and capable card for their Red Raptors.

Exascend Archon CFexpress 1TB| $1,200 at B&H

Exascend Archon CFexpress 1TB| $1,200 at B&H
Approved by RED and designed to capture raw 8K video, raw photos and continuous image bursts, this 1TB card features read speeds of up to 1700 MB/s and write speeds of up to 1600 MB/s.

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Sebastian Oakley
Sebastian Oakley
Ecommerce Editor

For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and holds a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since his film days using a Nikon F5. He saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still, to this day, the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, the British Equestrian Writers' Association.

He is familiar with and shows great interest in 35mm, medium, and large-format photography, using products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2, shooting Street/Documentary photography as he sees it, usually in Black and White.