Digital Foci Picture Porter 35, 3.5" Portable Digital Photo Manager with 250GB Hard Drive and Built-in Card Reader

2011-12-19T19:00:00

I use this product when I an traveling and need extra storage for my photos. Using the picture porter is cheaper than buying multiple memory cards. It is also cheaper and lighter than bringing a laptop. Another advantage is that it can be connected and transfer files to an external hard drive, meaning even more memory space for photos. The setup is not as easy to use as it could be.

stripedkelpie

2011-11-20T19:00:00

When traveling I transfer images from my camera memory card to the Picture Porter on a daily basis. I can verify that the images are safely stored -- then format the memory card for the next day's shooting. I shoot in RAW format and take lots of images. Picture Porter had the capacity to store all safely.

TOM W.

2011-11-20T19:00:00

The Digital Foci works well when one has mastered the controls. The unit has a shallow insert for memory cards, and in my unit the pins got bent very quickly when inserting memory cards. The unit would not read the inserted memory cards, and I sent the unit back to the manufacturer for repair. This was done under warranty and I had to pay for return shipping which was no big deal. So, one has to be very careful when inserting the memory cards. I was informed by technical services staff that the unit will not read SD memory cards directly when inserted into the unit. Image transfer from SD memory cards has to be done using a separate card reader and connecting to the USB port on the unit. I find this to be slightly irritating and Digital Foci should upgrade the memory board in future units to handle SD memory cards directly since they are now the major format for memory cards on the market. On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being the lowest and 10 the highest, I would give the unit about a 7. My rating would change to an eight if the unit could accept SD memory cards. The high storage capacity, 250 and 500 mb, is good for storage and retrieval and the various alternative viewing formats for pictures stored on the unit is a nice feature. The picture quality is pretty could, but the unit should not be used to routinely edit pictures. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and other professional editing software should be used to review picture quality. Jobo and Epson units, if available, have more enhanced picture viewing modes than this unit. So, if one is looking for a product to store and retrieve digtal pictures from, this unit will meet your needs very well if one is careful when inserting memory cards.

RICHARD P.