Angelbird CFexpress Cards First To Get User Firmware Upgrade

Angelbird released an installer to upgrade its AV Pro XT CFexpress cards‘ firmware – an apparent first in the new CFexpress card category. The new firmware version 1.20 eliminates the a startup delay seen with the Canon R5. A mix of interactions between the original R5 firmware and the older card firmware caused a four-second each time the camera woke up, but subsequent RF firmware upgrades mostly relegated the issue to a single delay each time the camera was first turned on, or the Angelbird card was inserted into the slot. The new card firmware eliminates even that initial delay.

Other firms have released new firmware for CFexpress cards, but have asked users to return cards for replacements when necessary, such as Delkin’s proactive release in November 2020 of a new version fixing an issue affecting some people.

The Angelbird cards are among the cheapest and fastest among cards tested, and easily among the few cards that spawn the most interest and questions in regard to the Camnostic review of CF Cards published back in October.

The card firmware upgrade installer requires the use of an Angelbird CFexpress card reader and a Windows computer. A representative from Angelbird indicated a Mac version should be coming soon. A review of card readers appears here, where Angelbird card performs decently its interface type (USB C, non-Thunderbolt). That reader costs about $65 and is one of only two that come in a very portable size.