In partnership with TEAM GROUP Inc.
Despite the popularity of cloud storage, portable SSD drives remain a practical, highly convenient way of storing images and video, particularly large, high-resolution files and footage from high-end mirrorless cameras.
Depending on the speed of your connection, uploading high-resolution content to the cloud can be a time-consuming process, particularly if you are travelling and reliant on hotel WiFi, for example.
Leading Taiwanese memory specialist, TEAMGROUP, has released a particularly stylish and versatile SSD drive, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31. It is aimed at serious photographers and movie makers, but also anyone who creates content on higher-end smartphones, such as the iPhone 15 Pro series.
As well as cool looks, waterproofing and capacious storage, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 has a clever trick up its sleeve – you can easily connect it to camera and video-recording equipment cages.
The TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 easily connects to camera cages. This SSD stands out for its 12, 1/4″ patented screw holes and accompanying screw set, making installation very convenient. This feature enabled us to mount the SSD at various angles onto professional cages without any limitations.
A total of 12, 1/4″ screw holes, ergonomically placed around the drive, make it easy to connect to cages. We’re very pleased with this innovation, which adds significant value for photographers and other content creators.
This is a very nicely designed product. The innovative design of the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 eliminates the constraints of traditional locking point designs, allowing for easy installation on cages.
An attractive and stylish portable drive that fits well in your hand, pocket or bag, as well as being easily attached to a camera cage
Still images are one thing, but the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 really comes into its own with transferring and storing video data. Whether recording or filming at 6K or 8K resolution, the footage is quickly transmitted through a high-speed Type-C interface. In addition, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 is directly compatible with cameras from Blackmagic, Sigma and Panasonic which support the Type-C specifications.
Via the USB Type-C interface, the 4TB version of the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 delivers a blazing maximum transfer speed of 2,000 MB/s, ensuring effortless storage of large files in various encoding formats (the transfer speed is 1000MB/s on the 1 and 2TB versions, which is still extremely fast). We found the product to be fast and efficient for transferring and storing large resolution raw images and video.
Don’t worry if you have an older computer, though. We used the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 on an older Mac Mini from 2012 (2.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7) and it performed extremely well, despite this being an old and fairly slow computer compared to modern machines.
Maximum efficiency
The T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 SSD comes with a Type-C to C cable. There is no adapter attached to this product and the P31 only uses the Type-C to C cable to ensure high performance and maximum efficiency. If you’re using an adapter to connect from the faster Type-C to the slower Type-A port, its speed cannot be transferred in parallel, so the speed will definitely be affected, and it won’t reach the maximum speed of 2000MB/s claimed by TEAMGROUP. This point may require special attention during use.
With storage size of up to 4TB, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 can safely keep 960 minutes (16 hours) of 4K 60fps video.
Let’s look at the storage options on the 4TB model in more detail:
- 400 minutes (roughly 6 hours and 40 minutes) of 8K raw files
- Approximately 800 minutes of 6K raw files (roughly 13 hours and 20 minutes)
- 533 minutes of 4K RAW raw files (roughly 8 hours and 53 minutes)
- 2,000 minutes of Full HD 1080p raw files (roughly 33 hours and 20 minutes)
- The TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 is compatible with a wide range of video formats, such as raw, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, so it can easily and quickly store massive video files, which can be viewed and adjusted in real time.
Stylish and practical
Rather than looking like an ugly slab, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 is a neat, attractively designed unit made from robust aluminium. It’s so small and light that you can easily carry it around in a pocket or bag, measuring 93(L) x 51(W) x 11.6(H)mm and weighing in at a mere 97g. We found it very convenient to carry around.
So the unit won’t spoil the look of your camera or smartphone when connected to a cage, and won’t weigh you down on the road.
The TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 can withstand a lot of punishment, so it will last you a long time
The TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 can also cope with rough handling and the weather. With IP67 certification, it is waterproof, dust proof, shock proof and drop proof, up to a height of 2 metres, an industry first. This is particularly useful when shooting stills and video in more challenging environments.
The TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 won’t start to overheat whatever demands you place on it and we found this very useful when recording lots of high-resolution video, or working in hot conditions.
The unit is also very sturdy, and well able to handle being attached to your camera via a cage outside. In addition, in order to provide greater cooling performance, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 is manufactured by CNC precision machining for a more durable surface, while anodizing and sandblasting craftsmanship is used to give the aluminium surface a soft texture. The aluminium and graphene construction is also effective at heat dissipation.
The Type-C connector tongue features a red accent (see above) that mirrors the red “REC” dot indicating recording in progress. Its visual design reflects the professional sophistication of its users and demonstrates TEAMGROUP’s commitment to product excellence through meticulous attention to detail. The connector has an O-ring inside, which meets the IP67 certification standards. This makes the product more waterproof.
This is a crucial feature, as photographers and videographers often take their cameras outside for shooting. Protection against water and dust is really important.
Last but not least, the TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 is designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, with the packaging featuring over 95% paper materials to ensure a low carbon footprint. This is another attractive feature of the drive.
TEAMGROUP T-CREATE CinemaPr P31 product details
The Cinema Pr P31 comes in a choice of eye-catching black or titanium designs, with 1, 2 and 4Tb storage options, and is available now. It is an extremely well designed, fast, high-capacity drive, and the ability to connect to a camera cage is a big bonus. You can buy it from here.
