GROUP TEST
drive to a second backup, organise folders and so on. The 2TB of storage means over 60 hours of 4K 30fps video footage can be stored, which is plenty. As a hard disk it’s limited to a fastest transfer rate of about 440MB/s via its USB 3.1 Gen connection. The drive needs to be charged before use in the field, and it runs for two hours or so if used continuously, but it can be plugged in and run like a bus-powered drive on a laptop or desktop. It can also charge other devices in the field, and offers protection against drops, dust and water. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Pros: Hugely versatile, durable and easy to use, well priced Cons: Not the fastest out there
The LaCie DJI Copilot is an all- in-one mobile storage solution with built-in screen and a range of connections that mean you can back up files on location without the need for a laptop. The drive has an SD card slot, USB Type C and Type A connection, and comes with Type C to C, Type C to A and lightning leads, as well as a micro SD to SD adapter. All this allows you to download from a card, or plug your camera in directly. What’s more, you can then review footage on your mobile devices using the accompanying Copilot app. It worked really well, and is a definite space-saver as you don’t need to lug a laptop and/or card reader around with you (assuming you’re using SD cards, that is). The drive’s status screen is very simple, displaying just file transfer status, capacity and battery power, but via the app you can do more complex stuff like copy from the
LACIE DJI COPILOT 2TB £329/$349 www.lacie.com
SAMSUNG X5 2TB PORTABLE SSD £1,236/$1400 www.samsung.com
The X5 weighs only 150g andmeasures 62x119x20mm/ 2.44x4.69x0.78in, so it’s pretty much pocket-sized, and its smoothly curved designmeans it won’t catch or snag. An integral heat sink helps maintain optimal performance and temperature, and with nomoving parts and a reinforcedmagnesium alloy shell it’s also claimed to withstand up to a six-foot drop; we dropped it from that distance onto a wood floor and it seemed absolutely fine. Out of the box, it’s compatible withMacOS X Sierra and up, andWindows 10 RS 2 or higher. There’s also
Sleek and shockproof, Samsung’s new X5 2TB portable SSD enables pretty astonishing read/write speeds of up to 2800/2300MB/s via its Thunderbolt 3 connection. Samsung claims this is 5.2x/4.5x faster than a portable SSDwith regular SATA interface, and a whopping 25.5x/20.9x faster than an external hard disk drive. What it boils down to is the ability to transfer a 20GB 4K video file in around 12 seconds, and of course this means the drive can be used for seamless remote editing, not just storage, as there’s no lag to even very memory-intensive operations.
optional password protection and data encryption, plus a three-year warranty, but it will set you back around £1250. If you need the speed but not the capacity, cheaper 500GB and 1TBmodels are available. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Pros: Amazing speed, lots of capacity Cons: Needs Thunderbolt connection, quite pricey
THE VERDICT
very tough. The LaCie Rugged RAID Pro adds a handy SD card reader to the mix, and it’s a snip at just over £300. Of the SSDs, the Samsung X5 and G-Drive Mobile Pro offer breakneck speeds thanks to their Thunberbolt 3 connections, and while the Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD is slower, it’s more affordable. The Lexar SL 100 is great value, and both it and the Sony SL-E1 are genuinely pocket friendly.
With the variety of models in this guide, it’s impossible to pick a real winner: it’s all about choosing the drive that best suits your needs, and then finding it at the best price. The LaCie DJI Copilot is certainly a standout performer, bringing something unique to the group with its ability to function without a laptop on location. The Sony Pro Field Drive offers masses of versatility and storage in the field and is
105
WINTER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook