Toshiba Canvio Flex portable HDD review

Toshiba’s line-up of Canvio Flex external disk drives offer useful capabilities and flexibility to photographers

Toshiba Canvio Flex
(Image: © Future)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Canvio Flex portable drives are high-quality products at a very affordable price. While HDD is now considered ‘old tech’ by many, a hard disk drive is still the most cost-effective way of buying lots of storage capacity that these drives back-up with decent transfer speeds – nowhere near an SSD, but certainly fast enough for the majority of photographic needs.

Pros

  • +

    Compatible with Mac/Windows PC/Tablet

  • +

    No USB adapter needed (includes USB-C and USB-A cables)

  • +

    Three-year warranty

Cons

  • -

    Not as fast as an SSD drive

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Data storage continues to be a key issue for photographers as the size of still image files continue to get bigger – especially if you regularly shoot RAW+JPEG – and more video is being shot at ever higher bit rates (up to 400 Mbps with 4K). 

There’s a huge range of options for both desktop and portable applications – with bewildering lists of specifications – but in many instances, all you really want is a straightforward, no-frills device that’s fast enough, tough enough, allows for basic file management and is affordable. 

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Paul Burrows
Editor

Paul has been writing about cameras, photography and photographers for 40 years. He joined Australian Camera as an editorial assistant in 1982, subsequently becoming the magazine’s technical editor, and has been editor since 1998. He is also the editor of sister publication ProPhoto, a position he has held since 1989. In 2011, Paul was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute Of Australian Photography (AIPP) in recognition of his long-term contribution to the Australian photo industry. Outside of his magazine work, he is the editor of the Contemporary Photographers: Australia series of monographs which document the lives of Australia’s most important photographers.