GEAR MINI TESTS
We put a pro-level card reader and hub, cost-effective wireless audio kit, two zoom lenses, a funky camo backpack and more under the microscope
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
SANDISK PROFESSIONAL PRO-DOCK 4 £529/$450 westerndigital.com With so many filmmakers using MacBooks as full-time workstations both on location and in the edit suite, plugging in all the peripherals can be a mission. The same goes for PC laptop users who rely on USB-C connections. The Sandisk Professional Pro-Dock 4 acts as a powered hub to connect displays, card readers, AV devices, Ethernet and more by running the included 76cm/30in cable to your laptop’s Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C port. You can then use it as a fast hub, as other ports include a second Thunderbolt 3 socket, two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports, two
SWITCH STATION
A headphone jack, four USB ports and four card reader bays feature on the Pro-Dock 4
5Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 socket, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack. And it’s all plug-and-play with the latest MacOS and Windows computers. This means it can be employed for daisy-chaining accessories like hard drives. With the built-in 260W power supply, you can charge compatible devices and accessories with up to 87W power delivery. So your MacBook Pro is being charged while it’s plugged into the dock, for example. At the heart of the Pro-Dock 4 are four card reader bays designed for Sandisk’s Pro-Readers, to enable simultaneous, high-speed offloading of media cards from cameras. None of these are included, though. The reader for CFast 2.0 is £97/$80, a multi-card reader with micro SD, SD and CF £86/£73, CFexpress Type B £109/$75, SD and micro SD £61/$50. There’s also a Red Mini Mag reader for £216/$80. However, the SD card readers are only UHS-I speeds and
“With the built-in 260W power supply, you can charge any compatible devices and accessories with up to 87W power delivery” there isn’t a CFexpress Type A reader for most of the latest Sony mirrorless and cinema cameras yet. These readers could be used as stand-alone devices as they have a Thunderbolt/USB-C connector on the back and come with a cable. Or, slot them into the front of the Pro-Dock 4 to keep things neat and fast. The dock itself is well-made and heavy, which always gives an air of quality. Just plug it in and it works, silently. You have to pull down the
ONLY CONNECT The rear has two Thunderbolt slots, Ethernet and DisplayPort
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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