Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1
by Kingston Technology
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List Price: Our Price: $10.99 You Save: $20.00 (65%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kingston 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader FCR-HS219/1
Customer Review: It works for SD!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used this product only for SD so far. It has worked perfectly. I will note that the cards do not slide in and out of the unit smoothly, but this may be a function of the fact that it's designed to accommodate several different types of cards in each of its slots (which is kind of amazing), and thus perfect insertion-smoothness is too much to ask for. Just be careful when popping these little cards into the unit so you don't break the (fragile) cards or the unit! * * * I found the LED on top of the unit a little confusing since its indications differ from other plug-in devices I've owned. (I would have expected the light to go off when the Kingston drive was safely dis-/un-mounted from the desktop (that is, after I safely dragged the SD card icon to the trash). The manual says nothing useful in this regard. However, Kingston Customer Service advised me as follows: "The light indicates a card is inserted. When it flashes, this indicates activity. Do not remove the card when the light is flashing. Before you remove the card, drag the icon for the card to the trash. Wait for the light to stop flashing and for the icon the icon to be removed from the desktop and then pull out the card." * * * For value, versatility, and ease of use, I would definitely recommend this item over its rivals listed on Amazon.Customer Review: Upgrade the firmware if it doesn't work!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really like this little Flash reader/writer. I've been using it for many months, and it worked flawlessly, until one day it would no longer read or format certain 2GB Transcend CompactFlash cards that I had been using with it all the time. Weird!
So, I thought this Kingston reader was broken, and I bought another one. Same problem!
So, my next theory was I thought this Kingston product didn't support Windows Vista properly, so I ordered a similar Sandisk product. Same problem!
I emailed Kingston tech support from the Kingston web site. They immediately sent me a firmware patch (version 9729) for this Kingston reader. Super easy to install the patch; just double-click on the executable file they give you, and it takes care of everything. Anyone can do it.
Now, the reader works perfectly again, it reads and writes all my CompactFlash cards, and I'm a happy camper.
This is a super flexible, small, very inexpensive flash reader/writer, and it works great. If you run into a problem, email Kingston tech support to get updated firmware, and you should be in fine shape once again. Recommended product, and an extra gold star for super responsive tech support.
Customer Review: Overall Happy Customer
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this card reader for my Canon 5D Mark II, and for the price it's not bad. I like the short cable that folds up into the body, this let's me toss it into a camera bag without a cable dangling. The design is a little strange, the body is recessed into a case that surrounds it... the idea is you slide it one way when you're using it and slide it the other way when you're not. It doesn't really reduce the size or do anything significant so I don't get it... but that doesn't really matter. The build quality is a little on the cheap side, but for $13 that's to be expected. The download times are about the same as my 5D Mark II, but that's about all you can ask for. It's on the bulky side compared to some other card readers, but it does accept a lot of different cards. It was instantly recognized by my PC and Mac, so that's always good.
I was looking for something inexpensive that just works and that's what I got. If you're looking for something compact and durable, you should probably look else where (the reader had before this was metal and much smaller but didn't accept CF cards). If you want something cheap that will work and have decent transfer speeds, this is a good pick.
Customer Review: Caution! Corrupts memory cards!
Summary: 1 Stars
All was going well until I discovered a disturbing trend: This reader corrupts memory cards.
Details:
It started when one of our new memory cards was reporting it was full only after a little use. I downloaded and deleted all of the movies off the card and placed it in this reader to verify: Empty. Wierd.
I put it back in my camcorder and immediately got a disk full message. So, I thought the card was deffective and discarded it.
Then, a week or so later, a memory card we had been using for some time and reading directly from the device had the exact same issue. Now I was suspicious as this card was 2 years old and had not once had an issue but suddenly had an identical issue to the other?
Finally, came my really old compact flash card in my DSLR. Guess what happened? Yeah, it reported disk full with only 40 pics on it (normally it would take 200+). Downloaded and deleted the images and now you can't write to it.
Maybe a reformat would fix things. I don't know. But I also can't test it either as the only device I have that could perform this operation is the very device I can't use.
Bottom line: Find another reader
Customer Review: Unique Versatility
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for a travel reader with which I don't have to hastle with an extra chord. Very small integrated USB plug SD readers are common (flash drive style), but not CF readers. I found only a couple options for CF only flash drive type readers that looked very cheaply made. I like this one because it has an integrated USB pig tail and inclusion of the USB extention chord for home use. It's a multi reader, so a little bigger than the thumb drive type. The slide seems like a bit of a waste of space, but it's not too big (about the width of a deck of cards). The reader is well made, fast (compared with my old readers), light, and travel worthy without the hastle of an extra chord to lose. It's rare to find a product that is as good for travel as home use. This is one. I was looking at the premier Sandisk readers, but this one better fits my needs and was less expensive while retaining the quality level I insist upon.
It would be perfect if Kingston would make a CF/SD only reader like this one with integrated USB that was even smaller. Doing away with the slide would save space. Another cover for slots would be fine. Keep the extention USB chord. It's a very nice add.