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The New OWC Atlas Core CFexpress 4.0 Type B Card Delivers Serious Performance, Huge Value for Hybrid Shooters

Atlas Core packs all the performance photographers and content creators need in a CFexpress Type B card that won't break the bank.

Wayne Grayson • Jun 25, 2026

For the vast majority of the history of cameras, the camera you chose was based on the answer to two questions: Are you shooting video or stills? And how large/in what format do you want the resulting photos or footage to be? Digital cameras changed all of that.

In the last several years we’ve seen the rise of “hybrid” cameras, bodies built for high quality stills and video capture. In fact, it seems like every major release from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and Panasonic these days qualifies as a hybrid. A camera that reliably captures ~25MP stills at 10fps while boasting long 4K record times in RAW formats has become a table stakes feature set for a modern mid-range digital camera.

However, because most new cameras can now do everything, there are—ironically— a lot more questions to answer when it comes to picking the right camera for your needs. Should you pick a body with a big grip? Do you need an EVF? How large and bright should the rear display be? Which lens or lenses should you buy that are good for both stills and video? Do you really need IBIS?

But that’s exactly where our new Atlas Core CFexpress 4.0 Type B memory card comes in.

We know that if you’re a hybrid shooter you have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to your camera and your loadout. That’s why the Atlas Core is designed to take the very important question of, “Which memory card should you buy?” off your plate. This is a card designed for hybrid shooters. It handles stills photography with ease, keeps up with all but the most demanding of video workflows, and does it all without breaking the bank.

Let’s look at why the Atlas Core is the perfect choice for most creative professionals and hobby shooters in an increasingly hybrid world. To do that, let’s talk about who will be most interested in the Atlas Core:

  • Those thinking of upgrading to CFexpress Type B who are currently shooting to SD cards and
  • those currently shooting to CFexpress who are looking for the most bang for their buck in a card.

A Major Upgrade Over SD Cards

I’ll just be blunt: the Atlas Core will be a massive upgrade for any shooter that is currently shooting to SD cards.

This isn’t a knock against SD cards. The best SD cards can stand up to (mild) burst shooting even on high-resolution, medium format cameras. But when it comes time to offload your files, an SD card simply can’t keep up with a CFexpress card.

The OWC Atlas Ultra is among the fastest SD cards on the market. With 310MB/s read and 295MB/s write speeds and V90 II certification for 90MB/s sustained speeds, you can’t do much better when it comes to choosing an SD card.

But the Atlas Core? It’s as much as 10x faster with 4x the sustained write performance. Atlas Core delivers speeds up to 3571MB/s read and 2227MB/s write with 368MB/s sustained speeds. So if your camera supports CFexpress Type B but you’ve been shooting SD up until this point, not only will the Atlas Core deliver better performance while you shoot, it will greatly speed up your offload times once it’s time to backup and edit your files.

Not only does the Atlas Core deliver better performance than the best SD cards, it’s also cheaper. You read that right. The 256GB Atlas Core CFexpress Type B is only $279.99—$20 less than our fastest SD card, the Atlas Ultra, in the same capacity. Better performance, faster offloads and a lower price? At this point, there’s no reason not to upgrade from SD to CFexpress—that is, of course, unless your camera only has SD card slots.

The Atlas Core is the newest member of our Atlas family of CFexpress 4.0 Type B cards.

CFexpress Performance Without Breaking the Bank

If you’re someone who’s already shooting to CFexpress, you know well the benefits of this storage medium. But you also know that CFexpress cards can be, well, a bit pricey.

Which is why we set out to design a CFexpress Type B card that packs as much performance and capability as we could manage into a card that costs a lot less. We think the Atlas Core delivers on just that promise.

For starters, just take a look at this comparison chart. We packed a lot of the capability of our higher end Atlas Pro and Atlas Ultra CFexpress 4.0 Type B cards into Atlas Core.

Despite its lower price point, Atlas Core’s top end 3571MB/s read and 2227MB/s write speeds are nipping right at the heels of Pro and Ultra. Where Pro and Ultra separate themselves is sustained write speeds. While Core has very capable 368MB/s sustained write speeds, Pro steps things up to 800MB/s for higher resolution video workflows, while Ultra steps things up even further to 1500MB/s for use with high-end, dedicated cinema cameras like those from RED.

What all of this means is that Core is going to handle 90% or more of what most hybrid shooters and content creators will want to do with their cameras: shoot photos without worrying about a buffer while also having the ability to shoot 4K video. In fact, Atlas Core’s specs earned it a VPG200 certification. This certification guarantees Atlas Core delivers its minimum sustained write speed and an additional buffer dedicated to random write speeds for reliable, uninterrupted 4K video recording.

Now, if your hybrid setup needs to support 6K resolution, that’s when it makes sense to step up to the Atlas Pro CFexpress Type B, which can handle that and even 6K RAW. And when you need support for demanding codecs, and 8K resolution, that’s when you’d step up to an Atlas Ultra CFexpress card.

Tough Design and Total Confidence with Innergize Software

Atlas Core is fast enough to handle serious shoots, but it’s also is built to withstand a beating. Atlas Core is resistant to impact, bending, shock, UV, ESD, and X-rays.

Plus, with our free Innergize software, you’ll be able to keep your Atlas Core in peak shooting form with card health status checks, performance restoration, and firmware updates.

Plus, like the rest of our Atlas CFexpress Type 4.0 lineup, Atlas Core is backed by a 3-Year OWC Limited Warranty.

Atlas Core is the Hybrid Shooter’s Dream Card

Atlas Core not only delivers up to 10x the performance of the fastest SD cards, it also delivers all the performance photographers and hybrid shooters rely on. The 256GB Atlas Core is available now and is priced at just $279.99. Grab yours now.

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