Essentials is a series featuring products we’re currently lusting over in quick, bite-sized posts.
We understand that most photographers aren’t incredibly technical. However, we’re super practical. And the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD makes practical sense for a photographer. The simplicity is a dream that every photographer yearns for. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done when you’re out on the road. When you’re back home, it’s easy to back up on a RAID if needed.
This configuration of the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is a 2TB version. That will run you around $350 on Amazon. And it works as a perfect intermediary. If you’re a travel photographer, journalist, media creator, or working abroad, pay attention. The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD has a low profile design. You can stuff it into a book, a camera bag pocket, a bag sleeve, a jacket pocket, and even your pants pocket. Thanks to its thin body, it can go anywhere with you. However, it’s not as small as a thumb drive. And that’s probably a good thing. Do you know how many thumb drives I’ve lost over the years?
It boasts a USB C port, so you can connect it to your computer or other devices using any translating cable you need. That’s probably the worst part of the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD. I wish it had an internal cable the way that some LaCie products have. But you can’t have everything, I guess. Instead, you need to bring that other cable around with you. And I think that’s not so much of a problem if you’re using the same cable to charge your phone, cameras, etc. If you’re entirely on the USB-C lifestyle, then this is just perfect.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is also incredibly durable. Because it’s an SSD, you can count on its reliability. I’ve only ever had two SSD hard drives fail on me. And I’m convinced still that it’s more of a problem with my iMac than with the drives.
So, why will photographers love the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD?
- It’s plug and play. Hook it up to your tablet, laptop, Mac, or PC, and it will just work. It prompts you to install the SecureAccess software, but you can bypass that.
- It’s very weather resistant, but I’d be cautious around the port.
- There’s a spot for a carabiner, so it can go anywhere.
- It has a nice exterior texture.
- Because it’s an SSD, you don’t need to be afraid of dropping it.
There isn’t really much else to it here. Note that I’m not telling photographers to make this their main drive. That would be pretty foolhardy. It’s an intermediary. I keep my Drobo on my desk at home. As I travel, I bring a drive with my laptop. Then, when I come home, the stuff from the drive goes onto my desktop iMac and Drobo RAID. With that said, it’s a perfect travel drive. I used to be a photographer that took a LaCie Rugged Drive with me everywhere: for many years, I loved those things. But the recent ones started burning out on us. I personally am not convinced of anything 100% yet. But the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is pretty close.