crestgel:
ScubaJoel glad to see that you agree with me that it does not live up to its specs. Not everyone is well inform as you are about sequentail reads and writes, host controllers, and camera memory speeds. Most ppl believe what the manufactures tell them in the specs or box covers. Ignorant.
Well, it wasn't quite meant as an agreement to what you stated out, sorry. Maybe it's my limited english.
I believe you are one of this ppl as well. Don't want to offend you, but I agree with Liberto, related to what he said about personal experience and knowledge.
Don't get me wrong - knowing some basics about this is my job, even if its not easy for me to express in a short and 100% right manner in english - you are not to blame because you don't have to know about these things in deep.
But speaking to others in a way like it must sounds for them you DO know and you have own experience, is.
That's why I ended up in this long posts - instead of only throwing in some keywords and empty phrases - without trying to explain them as far as I'm able to.
Seems to be this will be a long posting as well. Sorry the rest - maybe there is some new or helpful information for you as well.
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Since I called the usual cardreaders "standalone readers" in my first post this might confuse, because they can't be used standalone - without a computer.... Sorry for this.
You complainig in general about "Belkin readers are slow". As said, this IS right if compared to usual cardreaders which are connected to a computer(s controller / harddrive).
But don't blame the connection for it or called it a Belkin prob.
Cause I had the focus to much on the USB / Firewire part in my first post, I didn't realized you don't know about so called data tanks (iPOD, x-Drives, Epson) at all.
Spend the money and get the Epson p2000 My friend has one I'll check it out soon.
I didn't gave this statement of yours the attention it deserves.
I would go tomorrow for the Epson, if you can tell it has a throughput ~ 6MB/s and copy 1Gb in ~ 2 - 3 mins to its internal harddrive. (Well you never know, and just in case: mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, if so
)
But I wonder how you can give such an expensive advice in advance, whithout knowing this device, claiming its fast as an usual cardreader. By thinking it must be fast as you would like it to be?
Please try to be more serious, you might play with other peoples money.
FYI
Data tanks are (have been) just like this slow.
They are terrible slow compared to cardreaders, because of the controllers, harddrives which are built ín and other limitations of the used hardware. They are not 2,6 Mhz computers with 1Gb of RAM.
Slow means - and now take a seat: it takes ~ 28 minutes by iPOD/Belkin and ~ 31 minutes by x-Drive II (VP2060) for copying 1Gb of data.
That's why I was saying "again 30 mins for 1 Gb" yesterday (the posting before).
To show you the different troughputs of harddisks:
iPOD (PIO MODE 2 or 3) = 11MB/s
Computer, UDMA 5 = 60 - 80MB/s
Theoreticall speed. Even if the harddisk is not fragmented the actuall write speed (reader => harddisk) might be 30% of the specs.
But this is not a secret - Vosonic says for the x-Drive II on its website:
"Speed test results
A full 512MB memory card is transferred in 11 mins"
Maybe that was only one a big file... I learned it took ~ 15 mins when at battery. But it could be because of the harddisk I used in my x-Drive , so I might have to admit Belkin and x-Drive II might be at same speed.
Clear spoken this is a theoretical transferrate about 775
KB/s
AFAIK is Vosonic the only manufacturer which tells about its speed tests.
Anyway - newer data tanks might be faster, but unless it's not written down in specs (you will notice in price anyway) they are not equiped with UDMA 5 harddrives, like computer usualy are today. Or they lack the speedy (UDMA-) controller.
======================
775 KB/s theoretical.
Someone have to check the pratical speed of its camera when connected via USB, cause its might be higher on newer cameras and better go for the cabel to connect to its iPOD.
Don't belive me, don't believe any one else - just do this simple test with the provided tool and do some calculations.
As told my Oly does 600 KB/s via USB. The difference to 775 KB/s seems not to be much. If you think small. For 1Gb data this means a diffference about 5-6 mins and looking forward: double of course on a 2Gb memory card.
Hope you get my point of view.
I bought the Belkin reader for 69$ (special offer) instead of paying 130$ for the Digital Camera Link, which is the unbeliveable high price here in germany (99 Euros). So it was no question for me.
You might ask "why than Firewire between Belkin reader and iPOD?" Hm, I guess simple because this interface was there (at the iPOD).
For connecting with USB they have to develop a connector and the logic / controls. Firewire controls have to be translated to USB controls.
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Make your conclusions out of this - and find out what would be best for you at home use and while travelling. Data tanks are not meant for daily usage.
Check what will fit best to your existing equipment. And have an eye on a secure handling / storage and provided service.
I might be okay when losing MP3-files, what about losing your pics after four weeks travelling?
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Anyone who is looking for an alternative have a look here:
http://www.xs-drive.com/xsdrivesuper/
- Faster transfer speed than current XS Drive models (VP2060, VP300, VP3310, VP3610)
For this one Vosonic says:
"Speed test results
A full 1GB card takes 7 to 8 minutes to download."
2 MB/s - as you see nearly three times than the older x-Drive, but nothing compared to my 13$ cardreader which do in ~2 mins, 7,75 MB/s.
Let it be 9 - 10 minutes when running at battery and fragmented - but thats quite good for data tank. And RAW-Support.
Small display. 40 Gb ~ 255 GBP
Have you had any problems with your card reader not copying your cards correctly? What size cards are you using?
2 x San Disk Ultra II 1Gb.
x-Drive II: yes, sometimes.
Belkin: no probs so far.
Sorry for disappointing you again.
