Like most photographers, I use a NAS to centralize my photos, making them accessible from all my devices. It automatically syncs with cloud storage to keep an off-site copy just in case.
My old NAS, a Synology DS216+, had space for two 3.5-inch hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration (meaning one drive can fail and your data stays intact). It also had 8GB of memory. After years of service, it started slowing down with daily tasks, and the hard drives were reaching the end of their life expectancy, increasing the risk of failure.
It was time for an upgrade. After researching for a while, I finally found a model that meets my needs and is future-proof for the coming years. The old NAS will now serve as a secondary backup system for extra redundancy.
I chose the Synology DS925+, which offers:
- Space for 4 drives (2.5″ or 3.5″)
- Expandability with an expansion unit (up to 9 drives)
- 2 NVMe SSD slots
- Up to 32GB of memory
- 5-year warranty
The only thing that made me hesitate was Synology’s new policy of officially supporting only their own brand of hard drives and SSDs. I’m not a big fan of vendor lock-in, but after testing software from other NAS brands, Synology still feels like the obvious choice. So I went for it with 4x Synology 4TB hard drives and 2x 16GB Crucial memory modules.
Why Crucial and not Synology? Simple: it works, I’ve had good experiences with the brand, and it’s much cheaper.
Unpacking and Upgrading
Synology DS925+ with 4x Synology 4TB Hard Drives and 2x 16GB Crucial memory modules.
Unpacking Synology 3,5-inch 4TB hard drive.
Standard 4GB memory module installed.
The NAS comes with 4GB of memory, expandable to 32GB. For most use cases, that’s enough. But since I’ll use it for backups and virtualization, extra memory is essential for smooth performance. Installing the two Crucial 16GB memory modules was easy no need to remove the cover like on my old NAS. It took me about two minutes.
2x 16GB Crucial memory modules installed and ready to use.
Hard drive installed in disk tray.
The hard drives are just as simple to install: click them into the tray and slide them in. The NAS also supports hot-swappable drives, meaning you can replace a drive while the system is running. It will automatically rebuild the data, though this can take a while depending on drive size.
Setup was straightforward. Synology provides an Assistant app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download it, run it, and it will detect your NAS and guide you through installation. After that, you can access the NAS via its IP address and your chosen credentials.
What is RAID?
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. In simple terms, it combines multiple drives to improve speed, safety, or both.
Think of it like organizing photo albums:
- You can keep copies of the same album in different places (for safety).
- Or split the album into sections and give each section to a different friend (for speed).
Why should photographers care?
Your photos are your business and your art. Losing them to a hard drive failure can be devastating. RAID helps reduce that risk and can speed up your workflow.
Common RAID Types
- RAID 0 (Speed Only)
- Splits files across two or more drives
- Benefit: Super fast for editing large RAW files
- Downside: If one drive dies, you lose everything
- Use case: Temporary scratch disk
- RAID 1 (Safety First)
- Mirrors data on two drives
- Benefit: If one fails, your photos are safe
- Downside: Half the storage (two 4TB drives = 4TB usable)
- Use case: Simple redundancy
- RAID 5 (Balance)
- Needs at least 3 drives
- Spreads data and backup info across all drives
- Benefit: Good mix of speed and safety
- Downside: Slower rebuild if a drive fails
- Use case: Popular for NAS setups
- RAID 6 (Extra Safety)
- Like RAID 5 but survives two drive failures
- Needs at least 4 drives
Important: RAID is NOT a Backup
If you delete a photo by mistake, it’s gone from all drives. That’s why you still need an off-site backup (cloud or external drive).
I recommend the 3-2-1 backup rule:
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different media types
- 1 off-site backup
Want to learn more about backup strategies?
Your NAS and RAID setup are great for redundancy, but they are not a complete backup solution. If you accidentally delete a file, it’s gone everywhere. That’s why a solid backup plan is essential.
Check out my detailed article below this article
This method is the gold standard for photographers who want peace of mind.
Summary
I’ve been using Synology NAS systems for years and will continue doing so. The products feel solid, and the software is intuitive, perfect for photographers who want to focus on their craft, not tech headaches.
Using a NAS with RAID 5 or 6 is a great way to protect your photos from drive failures, but it won’t save you from accidental deletions. So please, have a backup plan!
What NAS system are you using, and what are your main goals for it?
Share your setup and tips in the comments. I’d love to hear how other photographers manage their storage!
Backups, do I really need them? Or do I?
In the past, before everyone was connected to the internet, making backups was mainly important for businesses. After all, mistakes happen and hardware doesn’t last forever. At some point, digitization accelerated, and a new kind of network was built on a massive scale. Initially, it was only available to governments, businesses, and campuses, but later it was also made available to individuals. This network is better known as the internet. Nowadays, we share everything with
