The memory card backup device you’ve been waiting for? Meet the Flash Porter
posted Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 3:00 PM EDT
DFi Gear thinks you need a device to keep your images backed-up in the field, and over 200 backers on Kickstarter think so as well, giving the company over $50,000 towards a goal of $15,000 to produce their first units of the Flash Porter.
Portable memory backup devices became quite popular in the 2000's, given the inherent limitations of the technology of the time: your average-size memory card was in the range of 64-128 Megabytes, and the prospect of lugging around a laptop to keep your images backed-up was the only practical solution. Until devices like the Nikon Coolwalker came along, that is, offering a downright spacious 30 GB of storage space at the push of a button, and then others followed. Once memory card sizes started increasing, and their prices started falling, the need for memory back-up devices dwindled at the same space.
However, many photographers still pine for a convenient way to keep their photographs backed-up in the field, without having to lug around a laptop. Manufacturers like Nexto, Sanho and Digital Foci all produce memory card back-up devices, all with different storage capacities and capabilities. The Flash Porter seeks to offer something for everyone, including the ability to swap your own hard drive, connect to common card types natively (and more via a card reader), and work wirelessly with smartphones and tablets. A 3600mAh Li-Ion rechargeable (and user-swappable) battery supplies enough juice to transfer 250GB worth of images.
The Flash Porter Kickstarter campaign ends in just over a week, on October 27. For US$150, you can sign up to get a "drive-less" Flash Porter into which you can add your own 7mm SSD or HDD, scheduled to ship in March 2017. Additional drive types, including ones with bundled hard drives and wi-fi connectivity built-in, are available for slightly more.