The Digital Foci Photo Safe II Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit Is a portable battery powered hard drive unit that allows users to transfer data off of most popular memory card types to free up expensive memory card space so you can reuse your card to keep shooting, and provides a safe place to save your precious photos. Just insert the digital camera memory card into Photo Safe II, press the one-touch Auto Copy button and your photos are quickly transferred to the device. When you get home, simply connect Photo Safe II to your computer to retrieve your saved pictures.
Photo Safe II copies the entire content of your memory card with copy speeds of up to 5.0 MB/second, so a full 1GB card can be copied in approximately 3.5 minutes. And the Photo Safe II works with all popular card formats, including CompactFlash (Type I - with support for high speed cards such as Extreme IV & UDMA card types, Secure Digital including SDHC, MultiMedia Cards, Memory Stick (MS, MS PRO, MS Duo, MS PRO Duo) and xD-Picture cards. You can also make copies of photos taken from friend's and family's cameras by inserting their cards into Photo Safe for instant archiving of special moments. The Photo Safe II copies all file formats (including RAW images and videos) with their original file name and file structure. Its backlit LED screen shows key system information, and provides a copy status indicator.
When connected to a computer, The Photo Safe II functions as an external hard drive and memory card reader. Use it to back up and archive digital images, music and important files from your computer through its high-speed USB 2 connection. Photo Safe II is compatible with Windows, Macintosh and even Linux Systems. Furthermore, the user-replaceable Li-Ion battery is rechargeable via a computer USB port or with the included AC power adapter that can be used internationally to provide the ultimate convenience - both at home and on the go.
| Storage Capacity | 160GB |
| Compatible Memory Cards |
CompactFlash (Type I - Including UDMA) MicroDrive MultiMediaCard (MMC) Secure Digital (SD/SDHC) Card Memory Stick/ Memory Stick PRO Memory Stick Duo/ Memory Stick PRO Duo xD-Picture Card |
| LCD Display | 2.0" monochrome text/icon-based LCD screen with backlight |
| Video Out | No |
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Power Source |
Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Powered/charged via USB Port AC Adapter/Charger included (100-240VAC to 5VDC) |
| Dimensions | 4.6 x 3.0 x 0.8" (117 x 77 x 21mm) |
| Weight | 9.6 oz. (299g) |
| System Requirements |
Windows Vista, XP Home/Pro, 2000 (SP4) Macintosh OS X (10.0 & later) Linux 2.4 & later |
| Special Features | Uses a 5400rpm 2.5" hard drive, and supports FAT 32 File System |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
Works Great!
Worked fine right out of the box after charging the battery. I like that the unit provides a dust cover for each type of media stick. No monitor on the device, but that isn't...Read complete review
Worked fine right out of the box after charging the battery. I like that the unit provides a dust cover for each type of media stick. No monitor on the device, but that isn't an issue, and I wish I could rename files/folders via the device itself. Very fast transfer rate, and I can use it to copy/transfer other files between two or more computers, that are not photo oriented.
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Most Liked Negative Review
Not Reliable
Product worked fine for the first two weeks then failed. With the supplied power adapter connected the unit continually dropped out whilst transferring files to the PC. It then decided to stop copying files ...Read complete review
Product worked fine for the first two weeks then failed. With the supplied power adapter connected the unit continually dropped out whilst transferring files to the PC. It then decided to stop copying files from the CF card, and finally gave up responding to the supplied power adapter. My only consolation is that it failed on me before I had a chance to load it with 5 weeks of travel pictures! [...]. I think that given the importance of the role of these devices, you'd be better off purchasing one of the more expensive, more reliable Name brands such as Epson or Canon. With the cheaper devices, you really need to ask yourself how much risk you are willing to take.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I used the Photo Safe II 160GB to back up my photos on a trip to the UK. I was very carefully inserting my CF cards into the drive and it worked well. It I had the purchase to do over, I would probably spend the extra cash for a drive with a view screen like one of the storage drives by Epson. For the price, this product worked well.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I tested it with a CF and SD card and it worked exactly as advertised! So far, I'm satisfied. I got it to back up the dozen or so memory cards while on a trip and keep it in separate pieces of luggage from the cards.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
The Photo Safe II works as designed. I bought it to use on a trip to Europe and I've tested it for a couple of weeks. It works fine with a compact flash card but you have to be careful and not jam the card in but make sure it slides easily. I wish it were a little lighter, but other than that, it seems to work well.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
As you read the description of the Photo Safe, believe it! It's as simple to operate and as flawless a back-up as we need to feel confident. Ours is about to be tested on a six-month trip to New Zealand, but I have no doubt that all will be well. We've carried it around since purchased just to be sure it could sustain daily shocks. I'd prefer if a bit more robust protective sleeve were provided but I'm sure that a bubble-wrap bag will provide that extra confidence. But, our test back-ups were as fast as promised and the files imported without issues.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I needed something which it does only one thing: store photos, wihtout any others gizmo, screen, mp3 reader, etc.
It responds exactly to my needs.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I take the Photo Safe with me on photo shoot hikes and overnights. It provides me much needed storage at a reasonable price with compact weight control.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Very slow transfer and will not work with all my CF cards. Battery life is just ok but not when you have 3 or more 4gb CF cards to copy and you can not do the copy with it plugged into the charger, only battery power. So I now just use it as an external hard drive on my laptop to make coppies.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
This device came packaged with a small piece of paper stating that the user should "take special caution when inserting and removing your CF card into or from the CF card slot." This immediately sent up a red flag, but I thought that It would be ok as long as I was careful. I soon found out that the CF slot was very tight and awkward. I proceeded with the utmost care, but by the 3rd or 4th time inserting CF cards I realized that the pins were bent and the unit no longer functioned. What a disappointment! It seems that there is a design flaw with the CF slot, but instead of fixing it, the manufacturer decided to bury a very small disclaimer inside the packaging.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I purchased this product about a month ago and it worked GREAT. I constantly shoot in RAW so a product like this is a must. Just not this product. I used it three times and it was toast. The slot where you slide your CF card into is very shallow so if you do not line it up exactly perfect when you put your card in, you will bend the pins inside and then you just turned it into an electrical paper weight because that's all its good for now. If you do decide to buy this item, keep your receipt! You just may find yourself returning it!
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I bought one of these because I only shoot in RAW and I found myself limited by the amount of memory cards I wanted to take with me. A 4GB memory card takes roughly 5 minutes to download on this. The only problem I have with it, is the battery seems to fade pretty quick so if you buy, opt to buy the additional battery with it!
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Use to download compact cards from a photo shoot
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I bought Photo Safe as I had forgotten my Epson backup. It proved to be a bad purchase. It is difficult to get to understand the controls when up loading images.
But far worse, when I attempted to download images to the computer, I got an error message and the unit continually caused the computer to freeze. At the moment I am unable to access any of the images on the Photo Safe.
It is very very slow to down load any images but then it stopped working all together.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Very light, easy interface with camera & computer.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Used this product for image storage on a two week trip to Ecuador. Performed well. Small size is an advantage. Built in card readers advantaceous. Requires two USB ports to function properly. Short battery life.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Taking photos all weekend in digital RAW fills up 8 gig UDMA CF cards quickly. The pocket Photo Safe ll allows me to go the distance until I get home to download for post production work.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Worked fine right out of the box after charging the battery. I like that the unit provides a dust cover for each type of media stick. No monitor on the device, but that isn't an issue, and I wish I could rename files/folders via the device itself. Very fast transfer rate, and I can use it to copy/transfer other files between two or more computers, that are not photo oriented.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I bought this for a trip without a laptop where storage in excess of CF capacity was needed. I did not want the expense of a storage unit with a display. The Photo Safe II would have worked well except for two problems. One was a freeze up that is documented in the FAQs on their website but not in the manual. So the unit froze up and I was unable to use it after 3 days until I returned home and located the method of fixing the problem. Much more serious were bent pins for the CF reader. The guides are too shallow, allowing the user to easily bend the pins when inserting a CF card. The unit will be sent back for new pins (at my expense). Unless the pin alignment issue is corrected, I would recommend great care in using this product. It does the job nicely otherwise.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
I use this device to transfer digital images from my Compact Flash and Secure Digital memory cards. It takes advantage of UDMA in my Compact Flash cards so it is extremly fast.
It also serves as backup to my computer for digital images. When I travel I do not have to carry additional memory because I can down load the images from my memory card to the Photo Safe and then re-formate the card.
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Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Unfortunately it does not live up to expectations. Exchanged the drive 2 times and both of them failed. Lost data that was backed up to it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Digital Foci Photo Safe II 160GB Stand-Alone Data Storage Unit:
Product worked fine for the first two weeks then failed. With the supplied power adapter connected the unit continually dropped out whilst transferring files to the PC. It then decided to stop copying files from the CF card, and finally gave up responding to the supplied power adapter. My only consolation is that it failed on me before I had a chance to load it with 5 weeks of travel pictures! [...]. I think that given the importance of the role of these devices, you'd be better off purchasing one of the more expensive, more reliable Name brands such as Epson or Canon. With the cheaper devices, you really need to ask yourself how much risk you are willing to take.
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