The Sports Photo Guy

I’ve put three USB 2.0 CompactFlash readers with UDMA support through their paces with 10 different UDMA cards, and the results are in.

Crowning the USB 2.0 Champ

The Lexar Professional UDMA Dual-Slot USB Reader clocks in as the champ with an average UDMA card-to-computer speed of 26 MB/sec, with the Omniflash Uno! USB 2.0 CF Reader and the Hoodman RAW USB 2.0 UDMA Reader spaced evenly behind at 24 MB/sec and 22 MB/sec, respectively.  Note: Test results updated with six additional readers.

The Lexar reader is a slick-looking square with a pop-up, dual-slot interface that accepts both CompactFlash and SD/SDHC cards.  Not only did it have the highest overall performance with the 10 UDMA card types tested, it was consistent: speeds ranged from 23-26 MB/sec, and cards that performed poorly in the other readers fared better in the Lexar.  The fastest card in this reader was the Transcend 266x at 27 MB/sec, though several cards (including Lexar’s own 300x) averaged 26 MB/sec.  At $80 (street), ultimate USB performance will cost you, however.

The Omniflash Uno! was for many months the only option in UDMA readers using the USB interface, and it performs nicely.  At just $17 from The Sports Photo Guy Store, it is a real bargain.  It lacks support for SD cards, however.  Speeds among the 10 UDMA cards tested ranged from 20-26 MB/sec.  The fastest-performing card, interestingly, was the Hoodman RAW 280x, which clocked at an average speed of 26 MB/sec.  Alone among the three, it can attach directly to a USB port or utilize an (included) extension cable.

The Hoodman RAW reader is the only reader of the three that has a permanently attached USB cable, which can be an inconvenience.  Performance among the 10 cards tested ranged from 20-25 MB/sec.  Fastest was the San Disk Extreme IV.  Hoodman’s own 280x card only reached a disappointing 22 MB/sec – even though it downloaded at 26 MB/sec in both of the other two readers.  At $40 (street), this reader occupies the middle ground in price and, with support for both CF and SD cards, arguably in performance as well.  If flexibility is paramount, this may be the reader for you.