Sandisk Extreme USB 2.0 3in1 Card Reader (SDDRX3-3IN1-901, US Retail Package)
by SanDisk
|
List Price: Our Price: $15.00 You Save: $9.99 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sandisk Extreme USB 2.0 3in1 Card Reader (SDDRX3-3IN1-901, US Retail Package)
Customer Review: Chuck the included Mini-USB up-front for an Amazon-Basics
Summary: 5 Stars
We have 3 of these readers as well as several others from Kingston. This one has worked the best for SD or SDHC cards.
Our Sandisk reader units stay in the office on a desk until they are plugged in for use - maybe 50 times total on each. These units - in my opinion - won't travel well.
We wrote dozens of SDHC 4GB Class 6, 8GB Class 6 & 8GB Class 10 images to these cards (full 4GB/8GB). The SDHC cards used were from Transcend or Kingston with some 4GB Sandisk SD cards (slow speed Class 2).
The weak link is the cheap mini-USB cable supplied with the unit. Chuck it immediately... It became the culprit on failed 'Input/Output error' writes from Ubuntu directly to the Reader. This happened with *2* Sandisk USB cables.
When we replaced the Sandisk-included USB cable with Amazon Basics cable [...]
... all the write errors/problems went away.
You can see the quality of the "Amazon Basics" near 1/4" diameter cable is much higher than the 1/8" diameter cabling that came with the reader. We could actually INDUCE an 'input/output write' error with the Sandisk 1/8" cable by picking up the unit (causing the cable to bend slightly).
Otherwise, this writer is bulletproof.
One user mentioned the cheap USB plug on the actual reader and he's probably right. For our uses we've had no issues with that connection because it's not moving in and out of a suitcase where the wiring and connection gets pulled, bent, plugged/unplugged, etc. Something to be aware of.
If you want a portable SD reader, check out ones that have the USB Male "Plugs" (look more like Flash drives) that plug directly into the USB port without cabling.
Customer Review: It's Fast
Summary: 5 Stars
I just filled a 4GB CF card this past Saturday at my parents' anniversary party. As luck would have it, my card reader arrived that same day.
To test the speed, I transfered the files a total of four times:
- Camera to desktop via camera's USB 2.0 cable
- Camera to laptop via camera's USB 2.0 cable
- CF in this cardreader to desktop
- CF in this cardreader to laptop
The camera used is a Canon EOS 40D. Memory card is a 4GB Sandisk Extreme III CompactFlash. In each of the four tests, I transfered the files using Canon's ZoomBrowser EX transfer tool (included with the 40D).
Results:
Average transfer time via the 40D's USB 2.0 cable was 8:48.
Average transfer time via the cardreader was 4:36.
That's nearly twice as fast as the camera's USB 2.0 interface. That could quickly add up if you shoot a lot.
Other than that, I'm pleased with the appearance, size and feel of the reader. The cord detaches so it will fit in my camera bag easily, or it looks good just sitting on my desk. There's a small blue LED that indicates when a card is inserted.
EDIT:
The reader has spent the vast majority of the last 7 months loose in the top compartment of my camera bag along with some filter cases, remote shutter release, and other various extras. I'm surprised to see that it isn't really scratched up. It still works great.
Customer Review: Great Product, Nice Design, Fast Speed!
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros:
I have a few card readers and this it the newest one that I have purchased in February 2007. The design of the Sandisk reader is pretty cool, I really like the black finish. As a usb reader, its speed seemed only limited to the interface and the current memory cards. I have used it to test various cards such as Sandisk Ultra Extreme III (CF), Ultra II (both CF and SD), Kingston Elite Pro (CF), PQI, Panasonic, Viking. Toshiba... etc. With all these devices, the highest transfer speed between the card reader and my laptop rates at 18.80mb/s. It is pretty much almost the limit of the current high speed usb 2.0 interface.
Cons:
The cable provided is a little bit "too slim" and you should take care of it. It is just a common usb cable that you can get anywhere. I heard some others mentioned that you have to use this cable to get the high speed, it is not true. The only bad thing about the cable is it is too slim. It only takes CF and SD cards (MMC too maybe). I hope it can accept more different cards but it is fine for most photographers since most of our cameras only use either CF and SD cards at this point.
Overall
I think the product is pretty good, It is a worth buy for the price.
Customer Review: Fast and reliable
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this unit a year ago and use it about once a week. It is very fast, depending on your CF card. I've offloaded images at 30 MB/second, which is about all USB 2.0 can do. I use it with Lexar 133X/300X cards and SanDisk Extreme III cards - they all perform impressively. The SD/MMC slot works equally well. I've used it with SanDisk, Sony, and Lexar cards.
The unit has only two limitations, but they weren't limitations when I purchased it. It doesn't do SD/HD and it doesn't do CF UDMA, but it never was represented as such. Maybe SanDisk will do an upgrade in the near future.
I purchased this unit for $25, so I don't understand the current high price. But, if it drops in the future to a more reasonable, affordable price don't hesitate to buy one. Given the current economic climate, SanDisk could modernize the unit or they could stop manufacturing it and you'd be left to purchase one of the many cheaper pieces of junk that are out there. My opinon.
Customer Review: Smokin!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is definitely a USB 2.0 HIGH SPEED reader. I got 17.1 MB/s and the package up "up to 18 MB/s". I was using a Sandisk Extreme III 2GB Compact Flash card. That means you can move 1 GB of data in about 60s. The speed difference between this reader and my USB 2.0 full speed reader is like night and day.
A word of caution: USB 2.0 is not necessarily faster that USB 1.x. What you want is USB 2.0 "High Speed", with the high speed being 480 Mbit/s data rate. A device can be USB 2.0 compliant and not be high speed, which is typically the old 12 Mbit/s rate. Many people get confused on this point and think USB 2.0 means the device is faster, but this is not necessarily the case.
Rest assured, this Sandisk Extreme Reader is a USB 2.0 high-speed device. If take a lot of pictures and fill up card above the 1 GB level, this beauty will save you lots of time. I am totally satisfied and would highly reccommend this card reader to friends.