:NEXTO CF ND-2500

I bought a Canon D20 in April, and it's a truly superb 8MP digital camera. One of its big advantages is that it uses the RAW mode for the pictures, but this also means that my 1Gb Cf cards are easily filled up, so I had to find a solution... Thanks to AkihabaraNews I was able to test the Nexto-CF ND-2500 from the Korean company SavitMicro. This test is not based on any scientific method, it's a report from an average user (me) that was trying to get by with his own knowledge










In the carrying pouch (closed)







One I particularly like about the NEXTO CF is the fact that it's sold without a HDD, so you can equip the device as you like.
I looked through AkihabaraNews' desk drawers and found an old 12Gb IBM HDD spinning at 4500 rpm (I think). Inserting the HDD is as easy as ordering a BigMac at McDonalds, you just have to unscrew 4 screws with the supplied screwdriver.





Using the Nexto-CF is very easy: pop in your compact Flash card in the appropriate slot and follow the on-screen instructions (in English).



The menu is very intuitive and there is no real need to learn the manual by heart before using it for the first time. anyway, does any geek really consult that document? The machine only has one button, and you can use it in two ways: a long click and a short click. nothing more simple to use it when following the instructions on the screen.






The LCd screen, approximately 2.6cmx2cm in size, is very basic and useable even in outdoor lighting conditions. This is the meaning of what is written on the screen:

*11.6G: the remaining free space on the HDD, next to it you can see the remaining charge of the battery
7/228: copy in progress, 7 pictures on a total of 228
L cancel: a long click on the button to cancel
S OK: a short click on the button to accept








Equipment used to perform the speed tests:
APN Canon EOS 20D
CF card 1GB 80x Pretec 12MB/sec
CF card 1GB 40x Lexar 6MB/sec

Full CF cards

CF card 1GB 80x: 114 photos in Raw + 114 photos in JPG



CF card 1GB 40x: 508 photos in JPG



Results Connection: USB 2.0

Timing of the transfer time between these 2 CF cards and the Nexto CF.


CF card 1GB 80x: 2 minutes 04 sec
CF card 1GB 40x: 3 minutes 37 sec

Timing od the transfer time between the digital camera and PC:


CF card 1GB x80: -------------------
CF card 1GB x40: 9 minutes 54 sec
For an unknown reason, my desktop PC (as opposed to my laptop) does not load the RAW pictures but only the

JPG's. That is the reason why I did not do the test with the 1Gb CF 80x card. Anyway, the difference is clear, the transfer to a HDD is much faster using the NEXTO_CF. The reason for this is simple: your PC needs to pass by the CPU to look at the data and write it on it's HDD, as opposed to the NEXTO_CF. So that explains the time difference...


With a PC

With the NEXTO_CF




To measure the battery life of the device, I decided to copy the same CF card (Pretec 1GB 80x) and visually observe the indication of the battery charge on the screen.



The battery level did not change after 5 copies of my CF.



after 12 times



after 21 times



after 22 times

Keep in mind though that the device is not charged through the USB port, so it's adviseable to do the transfers from the PC to the Nexto_CF quickly. Even though I was able to copy my CF card 22 times on one single battery cycle, I think that an intense and realistic use could present some problems for demanding customers. It's a fect though that there cannot be a big battery in the reduced dimensions of the device and that a HDD spinning at full speed sucks up a lot of energy. so all in all, we can say that this small device has an acceptable battery life.




After emptying the battery completely, I measured the time to charge the device using the supplied A/C adapter. It's possible to charge the battery through a IEE!#($ cable or a car charger, but not with the USB cable. Time needed: 1h22m38sec (+/-1h30 according to the manual)





CF card slot



Power Connector (Battery); USB Connector; IEEE1394 Connector; Power Connector (AC Adapter)



Accessible even when inserted in the pouch






Nexto-CF





Carrying pouch



Manual (in Korean and English)



AC Adapter (100-240V~50/60Hz)



IEEE1394 Fire Wire cable



USB 2.0 cable



4 spare screws
A screwdriver
(They really thought of everything)



Car charger






This is the sheet that sums up the specifications of the NEXTO-CF


FAT 12, FAT 16, FAT 32
Dimensions: 128x70x23mm
Weight: 240gr with the IBM HDD and the battery; 275gr with the carrying pouch