Freewell Pro Reader: A Fast, Versatile Reader With Bonus Storage

Freewell targets to simplify the fashionable card garage conundrum with their Pro Reader, a tool that guarantees no longer solely high-speed studying of a couple of codecs but additionally built-in garage for playing cards if you end up out within the box. I’ve been trying out one out to look the way it suits right into a author’s workflow.

The core concept in the back of the Freewell Pro Reader is compelling sufficient: mix a multi-format card reader with a protecting card holder. It’s designed to be a unmarried machine that handles each offloading and wearing your valuable media.

Storage

Let’s first have a look at the garage facet. The reader and garage are mixed into an inner setup in regards to the dimension of a sweet bar, which nests in an aluminum alloy tube. Dual buttons safe the reader into the outside housing, and whilst the seal isn’t water-proof, I’d signify it as mud resistant. It’s compact sufficient for a shuttle package, and the integrated carabiner makes it simple to clip onto a bag or strap, despite the fact that I’d most likely nonetheless tuck it inside of a bag for higher coverage. An LED indicator supplies visible comments all the way through information switch.

The aluminum alloy frame feels tough, whilst the reader is fabricated from a sturdy plastic. The reader has devoted slots designed to retailer one CFexpress Type A, one CFexpress Type B, 3 SD playing cards (UHS-I or II), and 6 microSD playing cards. There also are two slots for Nano SIM playing cards. You can not retailer the reader within the housing with playing cards nonetheless within the reader’s slots, solely within the garage slots.

For creators closely invested in microSD, possibly for drone or motion digicam photos, the six slots may well be welcome. However, for plenty of photographers and videographers, that would possibly really feel like a little bit an excessive amount of house devoted to the smaller layout in comparison to SD or CFexpress. The Nano SIM slots additionally really feel rather area of interest, in particular for customers in areas the place bodily SIM swaps are much less commonplace at the present time, since these days’s U.S. fashion iPhones don’t also have SIM slots anymore.

The most vital attention for some would be the singular slots for CFexpress Type A and Type B. If you are operating a dual-slot digicam the use of two playing cards of the similar CFexpress sort, you can want to elevate spares somewhere else. This product purposes OK as garage, however its particular configuration may well be a super have compatibility for some customers and not more than superb for others.

Card Reading

Where the Freewell Pro Reader actually delivers is in studying playing cards. It options devoted slots for CFexpress Type A, CFexpress Type B, SD (UHS-I and II appropriate), and microSD. This covers the principle codecs pros and fanatics are most likely the use of these days. Connection is treated by way of USB-C over an connected (albeit brief) cable, supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds as much as 10 Gbps. When you are coping with massive batches of high-resolution uncooked footage or 4K/8K video information, that velocity interprets immediately into much less time looking ahead to information transfers and extra time taking pictures or enhancing.

A standout characteristic is the power to learn from the CFexpress A/B, SD, and microSD slots concurrently. This is an important workflow enhancement. Instead of offloading playing cards one after the other, you’ll be able to plug all of them in and begin the transfers similtaneously. This is usually a actual time-saver on the finish of an extended taking pictures day, and is more recent habits that I’m beginning to experience on fashionable card readers.

In phrases of compatibility, it’s designed for plug-and-play operation throughout more than a few programs. I examined it totally on a Mac and PC, the place it labored instantly while not having any drivers or changes. Freewell lists compatibility with Windows going the entire as far back as XP (actually?), macOS (10.6.2+), Linux, Android, and iPadOS. For connecting to units with out USB-C, a USB-C to USB-A adapter cable is integrated, which is a pleasing contact given the integrated cable.

Freewell’s compatibility chart notes that whilst laptops and desktops strengthen studying all card varieties (CFE-A, CFE-B, SD, TF), iPhones don’t strengthen CFE-B. This is a limitation of the cellular working programs or {hardware} slightly than the reader itself, however it is a very powerful attention for customers within the most likely uncommon situation of mobile-only offloads by way of CFexpress Type B playing cards.

So, who’s the Freewell Pro Reader very best fitted to? I see it interesting maximum to touring photographers, videographers, or vloggers who use a mixture of card codecs, together with CFexpress Type A or B along SD and microSD. If you price having a unmarried, tough instrument that gives rapid, simultaneous offloads by way of USB-C and gives some extent of arranged card garage for transit, it is a compelling choice. The 10 Gbps velocity and simultaneous learn capacity are authentic advantages for simple information control.

While the precise card garage configuration would possibly no longer completely align with each and every consumer’s wishes—in particular the ones wanting to hold a couple of CFexpress playing cards or those that do not use many microSDs—the core reader capability is robust. It reliably reads the codecs it guarantees at speeds that fashionable workflows call for.

The Freewell Pro Reader is a succesful and rapid multi-format card reader with the added bonus of built-in card garage. While the garage format makes some extremely particular possible choices for the consumer, the reader’s efficiency, construct high quality, simultaneous learn serve as, and huge compatibility make it an inexpensive price even if judged only as a card reader.

The Freewell Pro is to be had now.