Manfrotto Launches ‘Pro Rugged’ Line of SD, microSD and CF Cards

January 17^th, 2020

Manfrotto Launches 'Pro Rugged' Line of SD, microSD and CF Cards

by Olaf von VossJanuary 17^th, 2020

There’s news from Manfrotto: A fresh line of ~~tripods~~ memory cards. Wait…what? Manfrotto ventures forth to new shores with the introduction of their Pro Rugged line of SD, microSD and CF memory cards. These seem to be a direct competitor to the already available Sony TOUGH line of cards. Manfrotto claims best-in-class resilience against the odds of nature for the Pro Rugged line.

New ‘Pro Rugged’ labeled SD, micoSD and CF cards. image credit: Manfrotto

This came a bit by surprise: Manfrotto, renowned maker of tripods, bags and all kind of camera accessories ventures into the memory card market. The freshly launched Pro Rugged line of SD, microSD and CF cards comes in both, 64GB and 128GB flavors. So far, so ordinary. But these cards seem to be very performant in terms of weather resistance, therefore the name Pro Rugged.

image credit: Manfrotto

Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards

The new cards seem to be aimed at pro photographers. In the video world CF cards are not even a thing anymore and 128GB ist OK for microSD cards but for SD? Not so much. I’d get a 256GB card instead, if possible. However, for still photography, CF is still a thing, indeed and 128GB seems to be sufficient for most jobs, even when shooting RAW extensively.

https://vimeo.com/371389430

Just like Sony with their TOUGH line of SD and CFExpress cards, Manfrotto claims that their PRO Rugged line is the “toughest in the world”… I guess we’ll have to wait and see how Manfrottos latest offering compares to the Sony cards.

Specifications

All three types of cards share the same capacities: 64GB and 128GB. However, the specs differ a bit from SD to microSD and CF variants.

image credit: Manfrotto

SD XC II UHS-II Cards

Read/Write speed: 280MB/s (read), 250MB/s (write)
V90 rating (up to 90MB/s, good for 4K and 6K video)
Temperature range: -25°C – 85°C
Payload: up to 20kg
Waterproof

microSD XC-I Cards

Read/Write speed: 90MB/s (read), 90MB/s (write)
V30 rating (up to 30MB/s, good for 4K video)
Temperature range: -25°C – 85°C
Payload: up to 20kg
Waterproof

CF UDMA 7 Cards

Read/Write speed: 160MB/s (read), 130MB/s (write)
UDMA 7 (Ultra Direct Memory Access) rating (up to 167MB/s and 12ns cycle time, good for 4K video)
Temperature range: 0°C – 70°C
Payload: up to 20kg
NOT Waterproof

image credit: Manfrotto

The SD cards come as a one-piece design, no connector ribs or write-protection switches can be found here. That’s because Manfrotto sealed off the inner electronics completely and made the cards very durable compared to ordinary off-the-shelf ones. They are bend-proof and shatter-proof up to an impact force of 20Kg and they can survive water even when submerged for up to 72 hours. However, the CF cards are not waterproof so don’t throw them into water just for the fun of it.

Pricing and Availability

All three types of Manfrotto’s Pro Rugged line of memory cards are available now. You can get them directly through their website. Prices are as follows:

64GB SD: $115 US (currently 50% off for a limited time: $57.50 US)
128GB SD: $225 US (currently 50% off for a limited time: $112.50 US)
64GB microSD: $32 US
128GB microSD: $42 US
64GB CF: $80 US
128GB CF: $150 US