Sanho HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2 Multimedia Storage Review

I recently purchased the Sanho HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2 – 320GB to back up my photos on a trip overseas.  I purchased the HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2 from Amazon for $398.15.  On this trip, I did not plan to take my laptop, only an iPad.  I normally backup my photos on an external hard drive using my laptop.

Before the trip, I put the HyperDrive UDMA2 to the test.  For this review, I tested the unit’s speed, reliability, display, user interface, and wireless functions.  I tested the unit with RAW files from my Canon 5d Mark iii and Canon 6d.

What’s in the Box

The HyperDrive UDMA2 comes with:

• Main hard drive unit.
• WiFi Adapter that plugs into the mini USB port
• AC Adapter
• Mini USB to USB Cable
• User Manual
• Screwdriver – to open the case and replace the hard drive.
• Storage Pouch.

User Interface / Controls

I found the controls on the unit to be fairly intuitive.  The navigation is driven through a control dial much like the ones found on the back of a DSLR.  The menus were straight forward and easy to find what you are looking for.

Speed

The unit was responsive scrolling through the menus, previewing the photos, and zooming in on the photos.  The UDMA2 was much faster than a prior generation device that I previously owned.

I also conducted some speed tests on photos uploaded to the HyperDrive UDMA2.  The results are shown in the table below.

Display

As I had previously mentioned, displaying and navigating though the pictures on the UDMA2 was surprisingly quick.  However, the image quality of the pictures was not the best.  I would not use the display on the HyperDrive UDMA2 to determine whether to keep or delete images.  The UDMA2 also has the option to display a histogram and EXIF data along with the image.

WiFi File Sharing

I found the WiFi interface to not be really intuitive and the unit did crash on me several times and had to be reset.  However, I was able to connect to my 3^rd generation iPad and view and transfer images from the HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2.

The UDMA2 has the ability to connect to your devices through an Adhoc or existing network.  I recommend connecting through an Adhoc network as the process to connecting to an existing network is a bit clunky.  Connecting to an existing network involves first connecting to an Adhoc network, bringing up the device in the browser on your mobile device or pc, connecting to an existing network, restarting the device, then connecting your mobile device or pc back to the existing network.  Quite a few steps to connect to a network.

Once connected to the iPad, I was able to view the photos through the Safari browser by entering the IP address provided through the Adhoc connection.  To transfer files to the iPad from the UDMA2, you need to connect to the device using ftp on a file transfer app such as Good Reader.

Summary

Overall, I was impressed in the core file backup and display functions of the HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2.  I also thought the speed of the unit was acceptable. The unit also has a recovery function to recover accidentally erased files from the memory cards.

I think Sanho still has some work to do on the WiFi feature of the device.  The unit crashed on me several times while trying to connect or view files via WiFi and the interface is still a bit clunky.  For now, I plan on using the WiFi feature to copy selected files to my iPad for editing while on the road.

Related Blog Posts
Canon 6d, Hands On First Impressions
Is the Canon 6D a fit for Travel Photographers?
Nature Photographers – Should you Buy a Canon 6D?