Sonnet Fusion F2 - powered eSata on the move

Sonnet Fusion F2 - eSata RAID powered direct from MacBook Pro

For those needing high-speed transfer of data eSata the Sonnet Fusion 2 presents a solution which is reliable and faster than either FireWire 800/400 or USB. The Sonnet Fusion F2 is unique in that it provides the world's first truly portable eSata RAID which can powered direct from the Mac. This means in the field one can run MacBook Pro and the Fusion 2 RAID all from the battery of the Apple laptop.

The Fusion 2 is available in either a 640GB or 1 Terabyte capacities.

The benefits to the Sonnet Fusion 2 are several:

(1) high-speed data transfer which eSata provides

(2) self-powered in the field solution. No need for AC wattage

(3) very portable and light weight

(4) the Fusion 2 can be set up as a mirrored RAID so both drives can be written to simultaneously, providing protection in the case of drive failure; the drives can be set-up at a striped RAID for maximum throughput of data; the drives can be individually formated so they appear as separate drives mounted on the Mac desktip

Verdict

The Sonnet Fusion 2 is solidly built, provides high storage capacities with a guaranteed high-speed, sustained throughput of data. For editors working with uncompressed HD footage, Apple ProRes and DVCPro HD this drive provides throughput suitable for these formats. One can get by on lesser drives much of the time, however as the payers stack-up in the timeline, and the complexity of the edit increases, it is then that the drive proves it's worth. Note - for Sony EX1 and EX3 users the Fusion F2 uses th Express 34 slot on the MacBook Pro, meaning one would need to transfer SxS data to either a FireWire or USB drive and then across to the Fusion 2. Regardless of this, the Fusion 2 is one of a kind and provides editors with an in-field solution which no other offers.