Working photographers, and fanatics who simply love taking loads of photos, know that even the largest SD playing cards can typically replenish, particularly if you’re working with massive file sizes, taking pictures each JPG and RAW, and taking pictures 4K video. The answer? An excellent cellular backup drive. There are plenty of choices on the market that match the invoice, however the newly launched Gnarbox 2.0 could be the perfect of all of them, as a result of it really works like a miniature unbiased photograph laptop along with packing speedy SSD storage onboard.
This is the second technology of Gnarbox’s backup answer, and whereas I used the unique, HDD-based model to nice impact for a very long time, the two.0 model provides a ton of helpful options, together with super-fast SSD storage starting from 256GB to 1TB in capability, a brand new OLED show that makes it even simpler to make use of within the discipline, and a detachable battery which means you may pack spares to remain powered up and prepared.
Simple, no fuss backup
It’s not the fanciest function that the Gnarbox 2.0 provides, however it could be the one you employ most: Quick and painless backup of SD playing cards. There’s an SD port on the machine itself that may switch at hurries up of to 75MB/s, and it has USB-C ports that may switch direct from cameras or from card readers at as much as 350MB/s relying on their switch capabilities. When you plug in an SD card or digicam, you get an possibility on the display to completely again up the contents of the hooked up drive with one click on, which makes it extremely simple to dump and delete and clear up area to maintain taking pictures.
During a 9-day journey that included two occasions and a trip to shoot, I made frequent use of this function. Shooting with the brand new Sony A7R IV in each RAW and JPG, even my 128GB SD + 64GB SD backup playing cards crammed up fairly shortly, however I might simply slide one of many playing cards into the Gnarbox’s slot and hit the backup button earlier than altering venues and it’d be absolutely backed up inside a couple of minutes.
In my expertise, this course of has been rock-solid dependable, and provides me successfully 10x the area for a shoot vs. simply counting on my playing cards alone (I don’t usually have an identical sized backup SD card on the highway, not to mention 10). By default, the Gnarbox 2.0 shops all of your media in backup folders organized by seize date, too, which makes them tremendous simple to kind by when you get again to base.
A cellular assessment and score machine
Once all that nice seize content material is in your Gnarbox 2.0, you may as well very simply connect with the drive utilizing Gnarbox’s cellular apps to both assessment what you’ve bought, or undergo and fee your photographs shortly to make the method of working by them when you’re put in at your workstation simpler.
There are two apps from Gnarbox accessible proper now, together with Gnarbox Safekeep and Gnarbox Selects. Safekeep offers you entry to all of your machine’s settings and may also act as a file browser for shuttling photographs between apps. But Selects might be what you’re going to be utilizing most – it not solely provides quick RAW previews (suitable with each main digicam’s RAW codecs) but in addition permits you to shortly add scores, keyboard tags and extra to ensure your assortment is primed for edit if you get again to your desktop.
With Selects, you may assessment both information on the Gnarbox SSD itself, or on hooked up reminiscence playing cards or storage media (so sure, you need to use this with one thing like a Samsung T5 for those who’re already utilizing that as a backup answer). All this data will then present up in purposes like Adobe Lightroom to expedite your workflow.
This can shave hours off the method of organizing your photographs, because it means you are able to do the score and reviewing up entrance with out having to attend for every thing to import after which attempting to recall what you have been going for with the shoot within the discipline after the very fact.
Easy sharing from the sector
Speaking of saving time, the Gnarbox 2.0 additionally helps you progress extra shortly from seize to sharing, which is extremely helpful for those who’re engaged on a reside occasion or doing photojournalism of one thing occurring within the second. The machine helps Lightroom cellular out of the field, which means you may navigate to it as a supply for a brand new assortment and transfer information over immediately when linked to your cellphone or pill. This makes it superior for including fast edits to RAW information, exporting completed JPGs and sharing on to social apps and web sites.
With Apple’s new iOS 13 filesystem modifications, the Gnarbox 2.0 may also be addressed as a mass storage machine, so try to be fairly broad open by way of choices for working with varied enhancing software program. This can also be nice for cellular video workflows, since Gnarbox 2.0 works simply as nicely for storing video seize in addition to photographs.
Home workstation companion
The Gnarbox 2.0 is nice on the go, however it’s additionally good for plugging in as a house work drive when you’re again from the shoot. I’m reviewing the 1TB model, so the quantity of obtainable on board storage is an enormous benefit right here, since it may possibly basically present all of the area you should provide you with all your working information in a single place.
As talked about, it helps high-speed USB-C switch, which makes working with the information immediately from the drive in your foremost workstation rather more nice. That additionally means you don’t essentially have to maneuver issues over native to get to work, which saves you a step and spares your laptop’s disk area.
Gnarbox 2.0 switches to USB Mass Storage mode fairly simply, utilizing the onboard OLED menu system. You do must make this swap manually nevertheless, as a result of by default the USB-C port that it makes use of to make the pc connection is used for charging the Gnarbox’s battery. Once you’re in that mode, nevertheless, it’s as simple as connecting Gnarbox 2.0 to your laptop after which navigating to it as you’ll every other linked mass storage machine.
Photos on the drive are organized by seize date, as talked about (you may customise the way it creates its folder construction if you need) and you may as well choose it as an import goal in any photograph enhancing software program, like Lightroom or Capture One.
Bottom line
Gnarbox has taken their time to create a considerate and thorough successor to their unique product with the Gnarbox 2.0. It’s a singular mix of discipline photograph server and mini laptop, made extra versatile with intelligent touches just like the detachable battery packs and dirt/splash resistance. Ultimately, there actually isn’t something available in the market that may compete with the Gnarbox 2.0 on every thing it offers, although units like WD’s My Passport Wireless Pro and the LaCie Rugged Boss SSD can supply some key elements at decrease costs relying in your wants.
At $899 for the 1TB model I reviewed, ($499 and $599 for the 256 and 512GB variations, respectively), the Gnarbox 2.0 clearly isn’t for everybody. It’s knowledgeable software for knowledgeable workflow, and it’s priced as such. That stated, the worth it offers for busy photographers who want a companion storage answer with utmost flexibility for working each at house and on the highway is unquestionably going to make it price the price of admission for some.