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SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader

Professional Dual-slot AJA PAK Media Card Reader for Computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Mac® | Windows®‍

Compatible with Apple® M series Macs; Thunderbolt™ 3 Intel® Macs; and Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 Windows computers

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Supports AJA PAK Media Cards at Full Speed

Superior Dual-slot Ingest Performance

When your multicam live event production, documentary, news or sports programming is captured to AJA® Video System’s Ki Pro® Ultra 12G 12G-SDI4K/UHD/HD recorder and player, your footage is recorded on ultra-reliable AJA PAK Media SSD cards. With the recorder’s ability to support four channels of simultaneous 1080p at 60 fps recording — or a 4K at 60 fps recording in single-channel mode — those cards fill up fast. The need for a tool that accelerates offloading media files from multiple cards is greater than ever, too. The Sonnet SF3™ Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader is the perfect tool for the job.

SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader Next to AJA Ki Pro

Ingest Simultaneously from Two Cards

Dual Card Slots, Double Productivity

Certified by AJA, the SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader ingests media files from PAK Media memory cards at the fastest speeds the cards will support to any computer with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports. And, for even greater efficiency, it can ingest files simultaneously from two cards at high speed — up to 1030 MB/s — to cut your ingest times in half.

SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader Speed Chart

Key Features

Superior Ingest Performance

Ingests footage from all AJA PAK media cards at maximum supported speeds.

Cuts Ingest Times In Half

Dual card slots enable simultaneous ingest of files from two cards for greater efficiency, up to 1030 MB/s aggregate.

PCIe 3.0 x4 Thunderbolt Device

This Thunderbolt 3 device provides four lanes of PCIe 3.0. Thunderbolt 4 would be limited to one lane total. Learn more about Thunderbolt 3 performance benefits over Thunderbolt 4.

Compact, Rugged, Stackable

Small and rugged aluminum enclosure for reliable operation; design enables multiple SF3 Series pro card readers to occupy same footprint.

Rackable

Threaded mount points enable secure attachment of two readers side-by-side on a rack tray in just 1U of rackspace.

Two Thunderbolt Ports

One port connects to computer; second port supports daisy chaining of up to five additional SF3 Series pro card readers.

Free Lifetime Tech Support

‍Sonnet was established in Irvine, California in 1986. Since then, we’ve pioneered and brought to market many innovative and award-winning products that enhance the performance and connectivity of Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. Many of our employees have been with the company for more than 20 years. We have a wealth of knowledge about our current and past products. Should you ever need technical support on one of our products, contact us; we’ll be around to help you.

Three AJA PAK Media Pro Card Readers Stacked Together Next to a MacBook Pro

Ingest Six Cards Simultaneously

Daisy Chain Power

Because Sonnet’s PAK Media reader features a dual-port, 40Gbps Thunderbolt interface, you can daisy chain up to six of them together to a single port on your computer. Connecting three readers to your computer enables you to ingest six cards simultaneously at full speed to complete the process — without swapping cards — in about one sixth the time required using a single-slot reader!

Ingesting Speed Example of Six Cards with a Thunderbolt Reader Compared to a Single-slot USB Reader

Read speeds vary and are dependent on card type, host devices, the OS version, and usage conditions

SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader with AJA PAK Media Cards

Compact, Rugged, Stackable

The PAK Media Card Reader for Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs)

For DITs working multi-camera shoots or in a small space, equipment size and design features matter. The SF3 Series – AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader measures just 5.8 inches wide by 6.1 inches deep by 1.4 inches tall, making it suitable for use in any workspace and workflow.

SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader Dimensions

Sonnet SF3 Series Pro Card Readers

Designed to be Stacked and Daisy Chained

SF3 Series pro card readers feature rugged aluminum enclosures designed to be stacked and daisy chained, enabling multiple AJA PAK Media, CFast™ 2.0, CFexpress™/XQD™, RED MINI-MAG®, and SxS™ PRO X readers to occupy the same footprint, while connecting to your computer through a single cable. You can take advantage of Thunderbolt’s up to 2800 MB/s of PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth to ingest four, six, or more cards simultaneously!

CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader ›

CFexpress/XQD Pro Card Reader ›

RED MINI-MAG Pro Card Reader ›

SXS PRO X Card Reader ›

SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader Thunderbolt Ports

40Gbps Thunderbolt

Fastest External Interface Available

Featuring a dual-port 40Gbps Thunderbolt interface, this reader ingests footage from all PAK Media memory cards to Mac and Windows computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports — on location, in the studio, or in the edit suite — at up to the fastest speeds the cards will support.

Dual 40Gbps Thunderbolt Ports

One port is reserved for the connection to your Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 computer; the second port enables expansion of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices in a daisy chain.

10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Support

10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 support allows you to connect a USB device to the second Thunderbolt port using the proper cable or adapter.

Provides 15W of Power

For peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to bus-powered devices.

Supports Connecting One 5K 60Hz Display

Maximize the utilization of one computer Thunderbolt port.

All the Right Connections

40Gbps Thunderbolt Cable and ThunderLok 3 Included

Sonnet includes a Thunderbolt cable that supports Thunderbolt’s full 40Gbps bandwidth, and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 computers. Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok™ 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip that prevents accidental cable disconnections — just slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the reader by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok remains on the cable so it won’t get lost when not in use.

40Gbps Thunderbolt Cable with ThunderLok 3

Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 Computers and Apple M series Macs

SF3 Series professional card readers are fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 computers, including Apple M series Macs. Sonnet’s media readers are purposely designed with a Thunderbolt 3 controller and its four lanes of PCIe (not available in a Thunderbolt 4 peripheral) to achieve maximum simultaneous ingest speeds. Learn more about the performance benefits of Thunderbolt 3 over Thunderbolt 4.

Compatible with Apple M series Macs

see Tech Specs for details

Backward Compatible with Older Macs

No Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3? No problem — the SF3 Series - AJA PAK Media Pro Card Reader is also compatible with Macs with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports when used with the bi-directional Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt cable (both sold separately).

See Tech Specs for footnotes.
Product specifications and information subject to change without notice. Computer hardware and accessories featured in photos that are not included with product are shown for illustration purposes; items sold separately.