New Sony XQD S series Memory Card

Sony have launched a new super fast memory card.

Sony claim that the XQD S series memory card is the fastest ever, with 168MB/s squared read and write speed.

The card is especially useful for sports and tough shooting assignments. It out paces the maximum interface speed limit of compact flash cards.

Partnered with Nikon’s D4 professional DSLR, the XQD™ S Series effortlessly captures a non-stop burst of 108 RAW frames3 (at 12-bit compressed RAW, approximately 10.5MB file size). At a shooting speed of 10fps, this lets photographers document the men’s 100m sprint final from start to finish in a single, sustained burst of RAW images.

The new card’s blazing transfer speeds also slash PC backup times, boosting workflow for busy journalists and creative professionals facing pressured deadlines. Photo professionals can take full advantage of the card’s unsurpassed transfer speeds, with back-up times slashed by over 30%2 compared with the fastest CF cards. A high-speed driver for the MRW-E80 XQD™ card reader is available now for free download here.

A free driver software can also be used with the latest thunderbolt enabled computers through a compatible card reader.

The card is available from July 2012, and has a 64GB capacity, ideal for data heavy RAW files. It should be around £500.