Provided by: Kingston
No compensation was received for review of this product.
Price Point
Price: FCR-HS3 - $26.74 / FCR-MLG3 - $11.74
Class: Mainstream
The Kingston FCR-HS3 and FCR-MLG3 should be in the Mainstream category of Flash Readers.
Reviewer's Opinion
Card readers are essential for anyone that actively uses flash cards regularly. DSLR cameras and HD video recorders use a ton of memory and fill flash storage quick. A 14-bit 18 megapixel RAW file runs around 25MB. That doesn't seem big, however, on a professional shoot that is only around 1280 photos on a 32GB card. If you've ever had a professional photographer, like at a wedding, some shoots can run 1500+ photos. I know that mine had about 1000, and that was with limited time at the reception. When talking about video, a few minutes of 1080p video can run between 200MB to 2GB, depending on your camera's settings and compression. There are 2 essentials items that professionals carry; extra storage and extra batteries. Technological advancements are making extra storage a must for even the average user.
Card readers solve multiple problems. The first problem I have is that my camera doesn't charge through the USB connection, therefore, if my battery is running low, the camera will automatically shut off. Card readers give me off-device access. Next problem is that too many devices cut corners when it comes to their transfer controllers. When I plug my phone into my computer, I get half the transfer speed I would from a card reader. The same happens with my camera. Card readers ensure maximum transfer speeds from flash storage. The last problem is that I have many different devices that use all kinds of different formats. My phone uses microSD. My camera uses traditional SD. I have an old camcorder that uses compact flash. Card readers give a nice central location to transfer my files.
I recently came into possession of a UHS-I speed SD card. While very excited to have a card of this speed, I ran into a problem. All of my current card readers only used the USB 2.0 interface and would top out at USB 2.0 speeds. Card readers had just evolved, however, I didn’t own any of the newest ones yet. Then I received the Kingston FCR-HS3 and FCR-MLG3 USB 3.0 Flash Card Readers. They didn't disappoint. Both were able to match the advertised transfer speeds of the card that I used.
The FCR-HS3 looked and operated like any traditional card reader. There were some key features that stood out. One was the red LED indicator on the top. When a card was inserted, the Kingston logo would light up. The HS3 was very small and portable for a 19-in-1 reader. Kingston used a metal design that feels sturdy and higher quality. There was also a 3ft USB 3.0 cable included. The only problem that I saw with the FCR-HS3 was that the 4K speeds were about half of the MobileLite G3. This might be due to a different controller used to support more formats.
The FCR-MLG3 is Kingston's smaller portable reader. It has the same design as their MobileLite G2. The key change was the USB 3.0 interface and the blue trim color. The MobileLite G3 uses the same retractable sides that protect the USB 3.0 interface and the card slots. There are only 2 slots, however, the slots support all of the SD formats. The FCR-MLG3 is very small and looks to be positioned more for the traveler that works exclusively with SD storage.
Overall, there really isn't anything bad to say about either the Kingston FCR-HS3 or FCR-MLG3 USB 3.0 card readers. They do everything that is needed to stay current with flash memory speeds while maintaining the Kingston quality. Both are extremely mobile and easy to use. Both are compatible with multiple card formats and the newest UHS speeds. There isn't a reason to get an older card reader anymore and Kingston has two that are priced well and work flawlessly.
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