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You are here: MacNN Forums > Our Archives > General Archives > Digital Video & Audio Archives > Is a FW card reader worht it?

 
Is a FW card reader worht it?
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Keda
Senior User
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Alexandria, VA USA
Status: Offline
Jan 24, 2005, 02:55 PM
 
I'm getting a Digital Rebel and want to buy a good card reader for it. Is it worth the extra cash to get a FW reader over a USB?
     
Finrock
Forum Regular
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Tampa, Florida
Status: Offline
Jan 27, 2005, 07:43 PM
 
It really depends on the speed of your card. For low-speed CF cards, the FireWire reader didn't give me much of an advantage, but for my new high-speed card it sure is and advantage over USB.
Two atoms were talking one day. One atom said to the other "you know, I think I've lost some electrons." The other atom said "are you sure?" The atom said "yeah, I'm positive." www.thisoldpodcast.com
     
ranga
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: San Jose CA
Status: Offline
Jan 27, 2005, 10:32 PM
 
When I had a slow 256 MB CF card, it didn't matter whether my reader was usb or fw, but I recently bought a SanDisk Ultra II 1 GB CF card for by Rebel and decided to try shooting raw.

It was very slow to transfer pictures over usb, so I bought a SanDisk Firewire CF card reader. It is much faster than my usb 2.0 card reader.

Switching to a FW CF reader also freed up one of my usb ports allowing me to keep my my scanner and my ups connected to my mac all the time.

--ranga
     
spork
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Status: Offline
Jan 31, 2005, 11:57 AM
 
absolutely.
Get a sandisk firewire reader (www.jr.com, maybe 35 bucks) and enjoy. about the same speed as usb2, in my non scientific tests with some photographer friends, but the reader pulls free from the firewire cable, excellent when travelling or on location for emergencies and networking. Also starting two computers connected via firewire, hold down t key at startup and second unit becomes hard drive on desktop of running unit. all of this impossible via USB or USB2.
highly recommended
     
 
   
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