For those looking for a quick SxS card backup solution in the field and not familiar with this product already, check out the NEXTO NVS2500.

Product link here:
Nexto DI - Next Generation Storage with Digital Interface (http://www.nextodi.com/en/product/NVS2500_en.html)


Recent transfer speed test results here:
Preview: NEXTO DI’s NVS2500 portable media storage. | TechThoughts.org (http://techthoughts.org/2009/10/06/nvs2500preview/#)

Very interesting product. They sure do have all the bases covered, but pricey. B&H have it listed at $2000 for the 500GB version.

It is a superb unit and actually reasonable if you compare it to Sony's product which will only accept SxS cards, is much bulkier and also costs $2000.

Ned Soltz

Very confusing product line. Prices range from $500 upwards for units all called Nexto DI that don't even look identical.

$2k for a fancy copier? I'd rather invest a little more and get the AJA Ki Pro, and get ProRes

Understood... but two different concepts. And KiPro is $4K, so double the price.

My Macbook Pro does all this and so much more for less. I too maybe do not understand this - it just seems like a very fancy card reader at a very fancy price. I could not find the specs to check if it actually is a storage device - what is the storage capacity?

It actually looks pretty cool to me, nice self contained, battery operated unit that's smaller than carrying a MBP around to dump down footage.

Besides the fact that they don't know which is the EX1 and EX3 :P - nice.

The Nextos can store up to 500 gigs. There is a version without the little video screen for about a quarter of the price. And, they can store both SxS and the CF cards from the XDR/Nanoflash world. A much smaller alternative to carrying a laptop...and something to conceivably hand over to a producer at the end of a shoot for them to offload and return.

But you are right. WAY too many products in the confusing lineup of gear, and not very many places to buy them.

Apparently it also has a "host mode" where you can plug another external hard drive into it and it will do a full backup directly from itself to that other drive - no PC needed - for more protection.

My Macbook Pro does all this and so much more for less. I too maybe do not understand this - it just seems like a very fancy card reader at a very fancy price. I could not find the specs to check if it actually is a storage device - what is the storage capacity?

I'm with you on that. I can buy a cheap laptop for a fraction of the price. I think I can live with the bigger form factor at that price differential.

It's not just about form factor, for some of us.

In February of next year, I'll be filming a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Now I could rig some solar charging solution for a laptop and hope that the batteries will charge and the workflow will…well…flow. But the Nexto means I can offload using "AA" batteries instead of having to recharge laptop batteries.

In fact at the end of the month I'm headed to the heart of Brazil and the Amazon River. The last leg of our trip involves a glorified Cessna, and each passenger has a weight limit. Now, by not taking the laptop (4.5 pounds), I can take some other gear (like a Canon 7D with lens) that will add more to the finished piece.

The Nexto ain't cheap. But there is something to be said for traveling light. In my case, that something is usually said to my bank or credit card company, unfortunately.

I think I'd want to put the $2000 towards a Nano and some extra CF cards for that price...

Hmm, $2,000.00 will buy quite a a bit of SxS, 2/32B with some money left over.

Now if if this was $800.00 I would buy it right now if it works.

The $2,000 unit includes a 500GB SSD. I cannot find a price for one but given that the 256GB units are around $1,000 the whole unit could be quite a bargain actually.
500GB = 15x 32GB SxS cards. At current prices they'll cost you $12,660. In fact this device with its 500GB SSD works out at around the same price as 15 MxM adaptors and 32GB SDHC cards.

Sure you could buy a laptop with a 500GB drive in it for less but that's a mechanical disk. To have the same level of safety as an SSD you'd want an external drive for a backup of that as well.

The bottomline is this NEXTO unit is PURPOSE built - notebook PCs are not. It's aimed at people who need high-speed backups with portability, extreme environment tolerance, quick and simple usability and absolute reliability without much of a concern for cost.

By the way, there are camera shops now offering these things for rentals.

It's not just about form factor, for some of us.

In February of next year, I'll be filming a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Now I could rig some solar charging solution for a laptop and hope that the batteries will charge and the workflow will…well…flow. But the Nexto means I can offload using "AA" batteries instead of having to recharge laptop batteries.

In fact at the end of the month I'm headed to the heart of Brazil and the Amazon River. The last leg of our trip involves a glorified Cessna, and each passenger has a weight limit. Now, by not taking the laptop (4.5 pounds), I can take some other gear (like a Canon 7D with lens) that will add more to the finished piece.

The Nexto ain't cheap. But there is something to be said for traveling light. In my case, that something is usually said to my bank or credit card company, unfortunately.

That certainly makes sense for jobs like that. I'm sure there are several people that could take advantage of that convenience and portability. For the rest of us, their HDD version (Nexto DI) seems a bit more reasonable although it lacks the AA capability. B&H has those for $533.95. That being said, I can still get a laptop for close to that price although the drive would be smaller.