Can I transfer 4k iPhone 7 video to flash drive?

Hi,


I'm thinking of finally buying an iPhone 7 and am trying to decide on the storage capacity. I would want to record some shorter clips of 4K video, but I know it takes up a lot of storage, and 32GB will go fast. Is there any way to either attach a flash drive and record video on it, or record the video on the iPhone first, then transfer the footage to the drive, delete on the iPhone and continue shooting? If the latter is possible, how long would it take to transfer maybe 25GB or so of footage? And how much would a compatible flash drive cost?


If all of this is too complicated, it may be simpler to just get the 128GB iPhone model, but it's 100$ more, so I'm trying to decide if there's any other way to increase storage.


In a related question, does the optical zoom on the iPhone 7 work while shooting video (can you zoom in or out while in the process of filming)? Is the additional camera/optical zoom worth the extra expense on the IPhone 7 plus? How far can you zoom in with just this additional optical zoom? Is the picture quality and 4K video quality generally the same on IPhone 7 and IPhone 7 plus, or does that dual camera system on the plus offer any big advantages?


Thanks!

Posted on Apr 23, 2017 10:15 PM

Reply
4 replies

Apr 27, 2017 4:40 PM in response to quiensera

Hi,


As far as I know it's not possible to record a movie and write it directly to an external drive. There are external devices like SanDisk that allow for external storage with their specific app.


Personal I would go for the 128Gb iPhone. Video takes a lot of capacity. And remember while shooting video your device needs twice the capacity during filming. E.g. if you shoot a 500mb video, you need to have at least 1Gb free on your device.


And yes, you can use the optical zoom (I just tested it on my iPhone 7plus). Keep in mind it's a digital zoom so you'll get loss of quality.

If you zoom on your iPhone 7 it's always digital zoom. The advantage of the 7plus is the ability to zoom maximum 2x with minimum loss, because for zooming 2x the iPhone 7plus uses the second lens as well.


Hope this helps.


Roy

Apr 27, 2017 4:39 PM in response to Digital-Nomad

Thanks for the reply!


Do you know if it is possible to transfer pictures and videos from the iPhone to an external drive (like a flash drive)? Or can I only transfer them to a computer (with no loss of quality.)


Too bad iPhones don't have SD card slots. I guess I may have to go with the 128GB, although I wouldn't use too many different apps, so I'd save on space there. How many GB of space does the preinstalled software and system software use on the iPhone?

Apr 28, 2017 8:33 AM in response to quiensera

I think only when the drive is directly attached to your iPhone. Or maybe if an external drive creates a wifi network.


IOS will take about 3Gb.

SO if you don't use too much apps which use a lot of space (games, navigation) or store a lot of pictures or music then a 64gb might be enough.


I had 64gb till my new iPhone. I now have 128gb. But I carry around 40gb of pictures and 10gb music.

Apr 28, 2017 4:52 PM in response to Digital-Nomad

64gb would be ideal, but looks like they only have 32gb and 128gb. I don't need to store a lot of pics, I usually transfer them to my computer and delete them on the phone. I have an Android phone right now with only 8gb, that's pretty tight, especially with a lot of pre-loaded apps that can't be deleted. It does have an SD card, though.


Thanks for all the info! 🙂

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Can I transfer 4k iPhone 7 video to flash drive?

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