{"id":355,"date":"2025-05-03T13:25:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T13:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flumsetravig.com\/?p=355"},"modified":"2025-07-23T09:28:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T09:28:08","slug":"review-synology-ds925-for-photographers-is-this-your-new-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flumsetravig.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/03\/review-synology-ds925-for-photographers-is-this-your-new-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers \u2013 Is This Your New Cloud?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers \u2013 Is This Your New Cloud?<\/a> appeared first on Digital Photography School<\/a>. It was authored by Sime<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers \u2013 Is This Your New Cloud?<\/h2>\n

We were sent the newly released Synology DS925+<\/strong> a four-bay NAS (Network Attached Storage) unit\u2014for review, and we\u2019ve been putting it through its paces. But rather than focusing only on the raw specs, we\u2019re looking specifically at how the DS925+ can help you build your own personal photo ‘cloud’<\/strong>. Let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\"A<\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ve reviewed Synology NAS units before, and we\u2019ve always spoken highly of DSM (DiskStation Manager)<\/strong>, Synology\u2019s operating system. Since then, DSM has seen a few updates, but it remains a powerful and intuitive system for managing your NAS\u2014whether you\u2019re working at home on your desktop or accessing files remotely via mobile apps.<\/p>\n

As a photographer and content creator, I\u2019ve found the updated Synology Photos app<\/strong> (formerly Photo Station and Moments) to be especially useful. It\u2019s packed with new features that genuinely improve productivity.<\/p>\n

New Synology Photos vs. the Old Apps<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/strong><\/th>\nSynology Photos (DSM 7+)<\/strong><\/th>\nOld Photo Station \/ Moments (DSM 6)<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Interface<\/strong><\/td>\nUnified, modern UI combining personal and shared libraries<\/td>\nTwo separate apps (Photo Station = pro, Moments = personal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Photo Organisation<\/strong><\/td>\nAlbums, folders, timeline, tags, face recognition<\/td>\nSplit between albums and AI sorting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Facial Recognition<\/strong><\/td>\nBuilt-in, smarter, faster<\/td>\nMoments only, and it was a bit hit-and-miss<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AI Features<\/strong><\/td>\nSmart albums (people, locations, objects)<\/td>\nLimited to Moments<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Permission Control<\/strong><\/td>\nGranular controls per album, user, group<\/td>\nPhoto Station had it; Moments didn\u2019t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sharing<\/strong><\/td>\nDirect links, QR codes, expiry options<\/td>\nPhoto Station had basic link sharing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RAW File Support<\/strong><\/td>\nYes, with thumbnails for many models<\/td>\nPatchy across both older apps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mobile App<\/strong><\/td>\nAll-in-one Synology Photos app<\/td>\nDS Photo and Moments were separate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Photo Backup<\/strong><\/td>\nEasy automatic mobile backup<\/td>\nOnly in Moments; DS Photo was manual<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metadata Editing<\/strong><\/td>\nTitle, tags, description in-app<\/td>\nLimited support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Performance<\/strong><\/td>\nMuch faster, handles large libraries well<\/td>\nMoments could lag with 100k+ images<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Smart Search<\/strong><\/td>\nBy face, object, location, date<\/td>\nOnly in Moments, and not great<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Third-Party Integrations<\/strong><\/td>\nSome (e.g. PhotoPrism via Docker)<\/td>\nMinimal AI support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Migration Tools<\/strong><\/td>\nYes, built-in from old apps<\/td>\nNone \u2014 upgrade to DSM 7 was one-way<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Watermarking<\/strong><\/td>\nBuilt-in for shared images<\/td>\nOnly in Photo Station<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Slideshows<\/strong><\/td>\nSmooth, modern<\/td>\nBasic and clunky<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best For<\/strong><\/td>\nPhotographers, families, prosumers<\/td>\nSplit use cases; less cohesive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

As a photographer, I also store business files on my NAS\u2014everything from invoices to contracts\u2014which makes the Synology a fantastic central hub for both creative work and admin.<\/p>\n

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The Elephant in the Server Room…<\/h2>\n

Now, you might have heard some chatter (ok, a lot<\/em>) about drive compatibility changes<\/strong> with this new generation of Synology NAS. Without diving too deep, here\u2019s the gist: Synology now requires Synology-branded drives<\/strong> (co-manufactured by Seagate) for full feature support. Using third-party drives may limit features or even block DSM installation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s caused a stir in the community, especially for those who prefer brands like WD Red or Seagate IronWolf. If you want more detail, the folks at DRN<\/a> have a good wrap-up.<\/p>\n

For our review, the unit came pre-installed with four Synology HAT3300 4TB drives<\/strong>, giving us around 10.5TB of usable storage<\/strong> once RAID (We opted for SHR – Synology Hybrid Raid, which allows for one-disk fault tolerance) is configured.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\"Review:<\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Hardware Overview: Synology DS925+ Specs<\/h2>\n

The Synology DiskStation DS925+<\/strong>, launched in April 2025, succeeds the DS923+ with several hardware upgrades\u2014along with the aforementioned drive restrictions.<\/p>\n

Key Specifications<\/h3>\n