Photography News | Issue 48 | photographynews.co.uk
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First tests
Accessories First tests We get our hands on the latest kit and share our first impressions – so you know whether or not to add it to your wish list
Reviews by Will Cheung and Kingsley Singleton
SamsungPROPlus 64GBmicroSD £89.99
Specs
Prices 64GB £89.99 complete with SD adaptor. 32GB £44.99 Card type microSDHC, micro SDXC Capacity 64GB tested here Class Grade 3 U3, Class 10 Bus speedmode UHS-1 SDR104 Temperature proof Yes, operating temperature –25°C to 85°C Waterproof Yes (IPX7 standard) X-ray proof Yes Magnetic proof Yes Durability 10,000 mating cycles Sequential read speed Up to 100MB/s Sequential write speed Up to 90MB/s Contact samsung.com/uk/memory- storage/
Samsung’s latest storage card addition is to its PRO Plus line-up. It is a microSD card with the option of two sizes, 32GB and 64GB. It is the bigger version tested here, priced at £89.99, and it comes complete with an SD adaptor so you’re ready to go, whether you intend to use it in a tablet, phone or your DSLR. This Ultra High Speed Class 10 rating with U3 compatibility card boasts Samsung’s four- proof features, so it’s designed for outstanding performance in challenging conditions. Of course it gives great reliability, too, so your data is as safe as possible. The four-proof feature means Samsung cards are waterproof, temperature-proof with a quoted operating range of -25°C to 85°C, X-ray-proof up to 50 Roentgen, and magnetic-proof up to 15,000 gauss. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t got access to a powerful X-ray machine nor an industrial electromagnet to test the last two proofs, so I have to take Samsung’s
word for it. The good news is that the more adventurous among you will get reliable performance when skiing, or trekking through tropical rainforests. I didn’t manage anything especially exotic for this test, but did take the card for a flight abroad and had no problems there. I also submerged it in fresh water for 30 minutes and it carried on working perfectly once dried off. My freezer provided a test for it and 30 minutes in there didn’t dent the card’s performance either. Not managing to break the card, I tried it through the Blackmagic design Disk Speed app. This test gave a write speed of 76.1MB/s and a read speed of 89.5MB/s, which compares very favourably with the claimed write speed of 90MB/s and read speed of up to 100MB/s. I then next did a test during which I moved data to and from a desktop computer, transferring 10GB of information using a Mac Mini via its built-in SD card slot. This was written in 136secs, effectively giving a transfer rate of 73.5MB/s, while the reverse process took 133secs which equates to 75.1MB/s. I also tested it in practical shooting situations and with various cameras, too, shooting videos and stills. With a Nikon D810 – with its 36.3-megapixels set to shoot 14-bit uncompressed Raws – in continuous high I got 23 shots before buffering slowed things down, and then it took about 20 seconds for the buffer to clear and the record light to extinguish. With each Raw file being round 75MB that is a lot of data to deal with, and the Samsung PRO Plus microSD card handled it impressively. I also used this card shooting 4k footage in a Fujifilm X-T2, and I’m pleased to report I had no issues here, either. WC
Verdict
I submerged it in fresh water for 30 minutes and it carried on working perfectly once dried off
Storage cards have to be reliable, first and foremost, and if that is ever compromised then you’ll never trust that card (or brand) again. No problems on this front with Samsung. Very close after reliability is performance and again no issues on that front with the new PRO Plus card. It’s fast, whether you are shooting high res still images or 4K video. Add in Samsung’s four- proofness and you have a card that is worth recommendation.
Pros Samsung four-proof design, write/read speed, comes with SD adaptor, gives reliable performance Cons Nothing of note
Left Samsung’s new PRO Plus Micro SD card comes complete with an SD adaptor.
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