A Look at the Freewell Pro Card Reader

[@ath3263]

Excellent video

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Thank you very much!

[@russellyeley2561]

Very nice. I hate getting out different card readers.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

It is super handy to just grab one! Also makes it easier to double-check if I have everything when getting set to travel (I like to make backups on the road), I just have to see if I have the one device and not have to look for 2 or 3 different things!

[@DarrenJSpoonley]

Great review Pal! All in one goodness it seems

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

@@DarrenJSpoonley Thank you! Yeah - pretty handy little device! It's hitting the road with me this coming up week!

[@TC_Conner]

Excellent review Jeffrey! I use the PGYTECH device, very similar except it doesn’t have the CFexpress card slot. Enjoy your trip brother! I was planning my first ever Milky Way shoot at a state park this weekend but the host cancelled due to bad weather predicted. 😩

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Thanks! Glad you liked it! Multi-card readers are definitely nice to have! It is definitely looking like a soggy weekend! Rain and thunderstorms it looks like for Friday and Saturday! Here’s hoping the tent stays dry!

[@TC_Conner]

@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography Here’s hoping for good camping weather!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@timroach5898]

They need to add a M.2 slot to it. That way no need ofr a hub or external ssd. They already sell devices like that on AliExpress

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

@@timroach5898 That would be even better! That is a great suggestion!

[@gregl.7465]

So what you’re saying is they should add the functionality of a hub to the device. Great idea… would eliminate the need to pack that device as well. (I use the same setup with a hub and external drive).

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Yep! Being able to plug in an external SSD drive or something without needing to use a hub would be great! It would cut down on what I need on my tech pouch on trips!

[@AlexLog314]

I really like it but my only negative is the attached usbc cable. As I understand it is not removable, correct? I’ve had a bad experience with non-removable cables in the past 😢

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

It is not removable - I *almost* mentioned that in my review - as I do like removable cables as well. But I think they did it that way intentionally to keep the space usage reduced and still always have the cable with you since it is attached. I hear you though!

[@tonytfuntek3262]

As a D850 and Z7 owner I did the firmware upgrade to utilize CF express cards. But I still have a few XQD cards leftover. Just wondering if this card reader would be able to read them ? Thank you.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

I don’t believe it does. Freewell does not mention being compatible with XQD cards.

[@robertnystrom289]

Hi! I've tried this and the bottleneck is always the ability to charge or at least power the iPad / SSD / card reader via a wall wart or equivalent. Many / most C hubs say 'does not support charging'. Have you found one that can power everything without killing the iPad battery? Cheers!

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

My on the road setup for photo backups is usually an iPad Pro connected to an USB-C Hub and then card readers and external SSD drive. That hasn't seemed to kill the battery, but I'm usually making the backups and then disconnecting the hub, readers, and such. Backups for me usually include still images and video from multiple cameras. Not sure that helps! But happy to answer more questions!

[@Northernwild]

Does it take XQD cards?

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

I do not believe it is compatible with XQD cards. I double-checked Freewell's site to see if they referenced XQD compatibility and did not see anything mentioned.

[@Northernwild]

@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography That's a pity. Looks a handy bit of kit

[@philipcooke9457]

Unfortunately Freewell have stated that XQD cards are not. compatible