Zippity-Doo-Disk

My wife is awesome - let me preface this review by saying that. I've been consulting for the last year, and working my tail off recently - and so she surprised me this weekend with an upgrade to my Nikon D70 - a new Nikon D200 (that's another review, though). I was psyched, but a new camera meant some new accessories needed to be purchased - and one of those was the SanDisk ImageMate USB 2.0 CompactFlash card reader/writer.

[ • why a CARD READER? • ]
My D70 was a 6.1 megapixel¹ camera, which meant files of about 1-6MB when shooting in RAW format. A full 1GB card was transferable from the camera without too much strain on the battery. But it took a while - upward of 10 minutes at times. My wife had suggested I get a card reader but I blew it off - it wasn't completely necessary. With the D200, however, file sizes went up dramatically (it's a 10.2MP camera), meaning that to get a decent number of shots on a single card, I had to move to a 2GB flash card - which is considerably more data to pull off, and a much larger pull from the camera battery. Although rare, running out of battery during transfer can result in a loss of images. That, coupled with the prospect of 20-25 download times made me reconsider my hesitancy toward a card reader. So, off to Staples we went for a quick solution.

[ • zooommmm.... DOWNLOAD'S DONE! • ]
The ImageMate USB 2.0 CompactFlash reader's contents are simple - a reader and a USB 2.0 cord, and that's all you really need. The reader is only for CompactFlash² and CompactFlash II cards - no other card types are supported, unlike some other readers. I didn't mind, however, since I only use CompactFlash in my devices. I got home and plugged it into my rear USB port (*hint: the USB ports on the rear of a computer tend to be faster than the more convenient ones in the front because they are attached to the motherboard. Always use these when possible). I then slipped a CF card in, pressed the button on top and a window showed up asking me what I wanted to do. I chose to open the folder then moved the files to my PC. ZIP! the files transferred at blazing speed. The SanDisk drive doesn't give any stats as to how fast it is, but I would say that it maxed out the read/write speed of my CF card (which is 10MB/s minimum). A set of about 20 pictures took about 45 seconds, and a full 1GB card was complete in less than 3 minutes. This was easily 2-3x faster than my direct-from-the-camera feed - and didn't drain my battery in the interim!

[ • some small CONCERNS • ]
This drive is small (3" long x 2.5" wide x 0.5" tall) and made of light plastic. In fact, it doesn't feel too durable - however, I don't plan on tossing it around much, so I'm not too worried. If I find any problems in the future, I'll come back and update this review.

[ • i'm sold on SANDISK • ]
I've been a fan of SanDisk CF cards for a while, but this drive has made me more of a fan. Refreshingly simple to set up and use, and small enough to hide away in a small nook or cranny, it's something that anyone can get and use easily. But the performance is what will have you smiling as you use it.

[ • NOTES • ]
¹ Megapixel - 1,000,000 pixels; the typical way that digital camera image sizes are shown.
² Compact Flash - a type of memory card, about the size of a large postage stamp that holds between 256MB and 8GB of memory. They are typically used in digital SLR cameras where fast writing is necessary.

[ • tech SPECS • ]
Manufacturer » SanDisk
Reader Type » CompactFlash
Reader Connection » USB 2.0 high-speed
Size » 3" L x 2.5" W x 0.5" H
Weight » about 4 ounces
Warranty » 2-Year Limited
Included in package » CompactFlash Reader, USB 2.0 cord, Adobe PhotoShop Album 2.0 starter edition

[ • related REVIEWS • ]
SanDisk Cruzer Micro 512MB Flash Drive
SanDisk 1GB CompactFlash Card