Ansel Adams would not have needed it, but you do
If your camera bag is the size of a Mini Cooper, you definitely need this. If you are either a serious hobbyist or a professional photographer, you’ve undoubtedly accumulated a vast variety of cameras just in case that perfect opportunity presents itself. In addition to building strong shoulders carrying an overloaded bag, you also end up with an endless variety of media cards that need to be downloaded when you return to your studio.
Kingston Workflow Station WFS-U to the rescue
When I returned from a recent photoshoot of a new commercial property, I realized I had six devices to download. Luckily, the Kingston Workflow Station WFS-U came to the rescue.
What I was dealing with:
- SD card from my Panasonic ZS80
- SD and XQD cards from my Nikon D500
- USB-C connection to the Ricoh Theta Z1 360° camera
- USB-A connection to my Sony CX675 camcorder
- MicroSD card from Mavic Pro drone
- MicroSD cards from Nextbase 622GW dashcam
Before I discovered the Workflow Station, I was accustomed to doing a dance of swapping out adapters and cords, one or two at a time to my laptop. While I adore my Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga X1, it is not overflowing with media inputs, so as I’d download one device, I’d repeatedly have to wait to download the next.
With the workflow station and three of the miniHub modules, I was able to hook up everything simultaneously. Each of the miniHub modules is configured differently, and photogs can buy just the ones they need for their workflow. Mine were set up to cover the diversity of my cameras and devices.
- Slot one had dual SD card readers
- Slot two has dual MicroSD card readers
- Slot three has a combination USB-A Type 2 (blue) slot and a USB-C slot.
- Slot four is currently vacant, but as my workflow changes, I can purchase additional modules as needed
The Workflow Station then feeds all those streams to the USB-C 3.2 Gen2 port on my laptop for downloading. Be aware, the WFU-S does require some outside power, so you’ll also be plugging in a 110v power supply to energize the WFU-S.
The large power supply adapter comes with a selection of tips suitable when traveling overseas.
Workflow Tips
One more hint – use one finger to hold the modules in place as you pull the cards out with your other hand. You want to make sure the reader modules stay firmly seated in the station’s base.
Tip two – if you’re using just one type memory card, (i.e. microSD cards) you can take the miniHub module out of the workstation base, connect with a USB-C cable, and you’ve got a compact, dual card reader that easily fits in your travel bag.
MSRP for the Workflow Station with the USB A and C connectors is currently $135.20 at Kingston.com SD and microSD hubs are each an additional $36.40 if desired.
Looking at the Kingston memory card universe
I’ve been using Kingston memory cards for more than a decade without a single failure. Other cards have malfunctioned and a number of the more expensive ones have had their plastic case come apart. So, with the approach of CES2021, it was a good chance to catch up on where Kingston was with their media card lineup. Turns out, it’s pretty diverse.
As the price of memory cards comes down, if you haven’t bought one recently, you’ll probably be amazed at how much memory you can get for a very small investment. And Kingston cards are an investment – because they last.
For example, their 128GB High Endurance card, made for constantly running situations like dash cams, surveillance, and body cams, costs less than $30.00. It reads up to 95MB/s and writes up to 45MB/s.
The Canvas React Plus line of SD cards is the one for pros who shoot a lot of 4K or 8K video, as these write 260MB/s and the microSD versions write 165MB/s.
If you aren’t shooting 4K every day, you can probably do great and save a little money with the Canvas Go! Plus line. The SD and micro SD cards write up to 90MB/s. The microSD cards are rated A2 app support for Android.
The consumer end of their line is called Canvas Select Plus with UHS-I speed, – that’s up to 85MB/s write speed. These are ideal for small action cams and the micro cards have A1 support for Android apps.
If you are still shooting with something like my dependable Nikon D300 DSLR, Kingston still has you covered with the Canvas Focus CompactFlash (CF) cards with write speeds to 130MB/s.
Read speeds are all significantly higher – all the way up to 300MB/s in the React Plus line. Look carefully when buying as some come with readers included, while others are strictly the card itself. The microSD cards with SD holders are always a good option because you can use them in cameras that take only microSD or cameras that take SD cards only.
Check out the entire line at Kingston.com or at their Amazon Store.
Disclosure: Kingston Digital provided the above products for us to test in order to complete this review. Our opinions, however, have been and always will be totally our own.