Sony’s newest professional SD cards are ridiculously tough (and fast)

Memory cards are one of those things that aren’t particularly interesting. Manufacturers release updated versions on the regular, and most pass by the glare of the tech media without notice. Sony’s latest offering, however, is different, as it’s reportedly “the world’s toughest and fastest SD card.”

The SF-G series TOUGH specification UHS-II SD cards are aimed squarely at digital photography pros who shoot in challenging environments. According to Sony, its newest chips are 18 times stronger than traditional SD cards.

With its new TOUGH cards, Sony uses a one-piece moulding process, which removes the write-protection switch. This might be a bitter pill for some to swallow, but it makes sense, as it’s a tricky, easily-damaged component. For professionals who require extreme reliability above everything else, it makes sense to just ditch the switch entirely.

This one-piece design makes the card almost bend-proof, and protects it against intrusion from dust and liquids. The new TOUGH cards are waterproof with an IPX8 rating, and dustproof with an IP6X rating.

In terms of performance, the new TOUGH card is no slouch, and offers write speeds of 299MB/s, which is ideal for anyone shooting in high-resolution burst modes. It also supports the V90 specification, which is handy for anyone recording high-definition video.

As you’d expect, Sony’s newest SD cards don’t come cheap. The entry-level card, the SF-G32T/T1, packs just 32GB but retails at an eye-watering $72.99. Sony also sells 64GB and 128GB variants, retailing at $131.99 and $275.99 respectively. They’ll go on sale in October.