Those Cheap New BILITU CFexpress Cards Aren't Legit

Earlier this week, a new memory card brand appeared on Amazon offering CFexpress Type A cards, CFexpress Type B cards, and other memory solutions for significantly less than competitors. Bilitu, which appears to be based in China, is too good to be true.

First noticed by Sony Alpha Rumors, the Bilitu CFexpress Type A cards promise CFexpress 4.0 speeds and VPG400 certification, a combination of high-end features that is set starkly against the low asking price. Bilitu wants just $77, $119, and $220 for 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB memory cards, which is significantly less expensive than OWC’s options — its 960GB CFexpress Type A card is $400 — and a downright bargain compared to Sony’s recently announced cards that cost $584 for 960GB.

Considering both OWC’s options are only VPG200 certified, and Sony’s VPG400 cards are over twice as expensive, what Bilitu is asking for its memory should be a red flag. If a photographer was considering buying these new cards but was skeptical, congratulations, that was warranted as these cards are not legitimately VPG verified.

PetaPixel confirmed with the Compact Flash Association (CFA) — the group responsible for VPG verification — that the Bilitu cards have not been tested for VPG certification. Beyond that, even if they are being produced by a partner of the CFA which has received VPG verification in the past, CFA rules stipulate that all brands must be independently tested to assure compatibility and speed promises. The use of the CFA and VPG logo on this card is therefore fraudulent, and none of the promises made have been independently tested nor verified.

This is not the first time this has happened. Last year, another cheap VPG400 CFexpress card under the Airusan brand appeared on Amazon and greatly undercut real, verified brands. It was also fraudulent.

This problem used to be rampant. In late 2023, PetaPixel revealed that a large number of CFexpress Type A memory cards on the market were cheating the system. Major brands were guilty of not properly following the guidelines set forth by the CFA. That said, six months after publishing that exposé, memory card manufacturers started to get their acts together and the market largely cleaned up, at least among established brands.

But that doesn’t mean that new companies won’t pop up and try to skate past the rules and undercut legitimate brands. For those wondering why any of this matters, PetaPixel explained it last year when reporting on the Airusan situation:

For photographers, it may not matter that Airusan uses the VPG logo without proper testing. If the card performs as advertised — a pretty big “if” — then so what?

However, there is something nefarious beneath the surface. Sony cameras perform a firmware-level check on CFexpress Type A memory cards to see if they are VPG certified before providing access to specific video recording modes. The card must have the proper VPG flag for all options to be available to the user. A card must be programmed to lie to the camera to pass this check without passing CFA’s tests.

If a company is willing to cheat and cut corners in this way, are they willing to do so elsewhere with the card’s performance? That’s up for the consumer to decide, or, rather, roll the dice on. But they must be aware of these misdeeds to have a clear picture.

Cutting costs comes with risks, which are directly passed on to the consumer. It’s ironic, but photographers tend to try to save money on memory cards after spending thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses. When the cameras can’t actually capture any memories without a memory card, it’s just not worth the risk to cut this particular corner.

Photographers who want to independently verify that their cards are legitimate can always check the Compact Flash Association’s list of VPG verified cards.

Image credits: Elements of header photo licensed via Depositphotos.