Topic: Storage device (Read 6893 times)

seamus finn · « **on:** June 22, 2007, 07:52:28 am »

Hi all,
I will be in Bali in October for three weeks. I shoot RAW with a Canon 5D. Can anybody suggest a device other than a laptop to which I could download the kind of volume likely to be generated over that period. I understand transferring raw files to CDs or DVDs is not possible and I would prefer avoiding JPEGs if at all possible. On a shoot along the west coast of Ireland this week, I quickly discovered that a few large-volume CF cards really don't go very far. I ended up deleting in the camera, not properly seeing the pictures in bright light - desperate measures. Given the difficulties with air travel nowadays, I would prefer not to have to worry about carrying a laptop as well as a bagful of photograhpic gear which I don't want to let out of my sight. Some lightweight, reliable storage device seems the answer. Any suggestions much appreciated.

Seamus Finn

pixelpro · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2007, 08:00:23 am »

Quote

Hi all,
I will be in Bali in October for three weeks. I shoot RAW with a Canon 5D. Can anybody suggest a device other than a laptop to which I could download the kind of volume likely to be generated over that period. I understand transferring raw files to CDs or DVDs is not possible and I would prefer avoiding JPEGs if at all possible. On a shoot along the west coast of Ireland this week, I quickly discovered that a few large-volume CF cards really don't go very far. I ended up deleting in the camera, not properly seeing the pictures in bright light - desperate measures. Given the difficulties with air travel nowadays, I would prefer not to have to worry about carrying a laptop as well as a bagful of photograhpic gear which I don't want to let out of my sight. Some lightweight, reliable storage device seems the answer. Any suggestions much appreciated.

Seamus Finn
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=124332\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hi Seamus,

I use the Jobo Giga Vu Pro Evolution - 120GB. I love it and use it a lot. You can see the images and download from your camera or cards. Worth a look.

Tim Gray · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2007, 09:20:36 am »

AFIK, as long as you don't want image preview, the state of the art is either Nexto or Hyperdrive. Here's a link to a recent thread on dpr: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat...thread=23689848

I use the Hyperdive, very very fast, and great battery performance...

usathyan · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2007, 09:42:07 am »

I have used a wolverine data's backup product
http://secure.serverlab.net/shop/merchant....y_Code=FlashPac

Its cheap and works. Although the battery life is not that fantastic, but lasts quite a long time (about 12GB transferred from CF before the battery life dropped to 1 bar from 3 bars a.k.a full).

Samotano · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2007, 11:29:48 am »

I use Sanho's Hyperdrive which I purchased without a HD and added a HD from a broken laptop. It works great and never gave me any problems. If you are looking for something with an image preview then I heard very good things about the Epson P-series (P3000, P5000 etc.).

gerry s · « **Reply #5 on:** June 22, 2007, 01:56:18 pm »

Ive been using the epson P2000 which was brilliant, obviously the larger models are becoming more and more neccesary with the file sizes but for ease of use and viewing screen it really is great.

spidermike · « **Reply #6 on:** June 22, 2007, 02:18:20 pm »

I would add another vote for the Epson P2000 (if you want to be able to review files - which I presume you do from your comments).
It supports Canon RAW, has excellent screen quality (with 15x zoom) and 36Gb of disk space. You can put the saved files on as a slide show if you wish and batch delete those pictures you don't want. It also saves all the camera shooting information when you download to computer so you can check out the settings later on. I mention these only because they are the bits I found really useful with 2 of us shooting grizzlies in Canada for a full week - and boy! did we go snap-happy!
Size-wise it covers my extended hand (except about the last 4cm (1.5inches) of my fingers and is about as thick as the palm of my hand.
Strictly it is a multimedia viewer so you can also add music and even movies if you want to!
Using it purely as a storage device, battery life is good. Once you start viewing, zooming, deleting etc it lasts about 2-3h with very heavy use before needing a charge.

From reading reviews (and there are a few on the net), it is a close call between this and GigaVu Pro for quality but review the specs carefully. After that you pays your money and takes your choice.
If you want to be really paranoid (or if the shots are really important), then think about 2 downloads - one to a viewable device (Spson, GigaVu) and one to plain HD. This is cheaper than buying a handful of CF/SD cards!

seamus finn · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2007, 11:37:31 am »

Thanks everybody for the overwhelming response. One thing to keep in mind - I live in Ireland. European prices for anything photographic are much more expensive than their American counterparts.

I suppose all I really want is a device onto which I can safely download my Canon 5D RAW files, bring them home and transfer them to the computer for processing. I don't need the ability to play music, view videos or the like - just a safe storage device without the singing and dancing. Previews would be nice, though - and the ability to delete unwanted pics. Reliability is the issue.Imagine arriving home with the pics having disappeared into cyberspace. Emigration would be the only option at that point I notice some of the devices advertised on the web seem to have relatively small capacity. Others are large but very expensive here. Would a 40GB device be enough for a three-week shoot, including my son's wedding - the family's first?

Perhaps another option would be to shoot JPEG and have the files burned locally to CDs or DVDs - but I would hate to give up shooting RAW in such a beautiful place as Bali. Luggings a laptop on board planes plus a bagful of camera gear is such a pain these days weight-wise for a start.

A word to European viewers: does anybody know where these devices are available at 'reasonable' prices?

I won't be travelling until early October but I would like to get something suitable and put it through its paces before trusting it for this particular mission.

Thanks again,

Seamus

spidermike · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2007, 12:20:12 pm »

Hi Seamus

Working on a RAW filesize of 10Mb, the Epson gives you enough space for 4,000 pictures.
Will that do ?

Here's a comparison of Epson vs GigaVu
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/249740
By the way, the P-2000 has been replaced by the P-300 at about £300 (sterling), and 40Gb portable dives (but no viewing) are considerably cheaper.

The bottom line is that you need to see if you want to be able to view the files before you come home (I bet the family will!).

Have a look at pricerunner.com, warehouseexpress. com or dabs.com and look under multimedia storage devices.
Is there a way you can check to see if the duty free in Ireland sells these things so you could buy on your way out?

RonBoyd · « **Reply #9 on:** June 23, 2007, 12:44:13 pm »

Quote

Perhaps another option would be to shoot JPEG and have the files burned locally to CDs or DVDs - but I would hate to give up shooting RAW in such a beautiful place as Bali. [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=124533\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Why would you have to give up shooting in RAW? Or do I not understand what "files burned" means? I somehow have always had the impression that "Burn" applied to optical devices meant the same as "Save" applied to magnetic media. At least, I have always been able to Burn/Save RAW files to CD/DVD and "read" them later the same as if they were on any other type of storage media.

Ron

seamus finn · « **Reply #10 on:** June 23, 2007, 12:55:13 pm »

Ron,

I thought the same, but the other day I walked into a reputable camera shop after a day's shoot and asked the guy to transfer my RAW files onto a CD. He told me he could only handle JPEGS. Maybe I picked the wrong shop!

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #11 on:** June 23, 2007, 01:13:15 pm »

You definitely picked the wrong shop (or a sales clerk who doesn't know computers). On a CD, a jpeg or raw file is just another data file.

seamus finn · « **Reply #12 on:** June 23, 2007, 01:16:13 pm »

Hello Spidermike,

Just for the record, on a trip the other day, the average raw file from the 5d was about 12mb - some were as high as 14mb. I had two 1mb cards with me - if I hadn't edited in the camera on the fly, I would have filled both cards in well under a day. It suddenly dawned on me - if I shoot like this in Bali (or Barcelona where I'm due at Christmas ) over a 21 day period, I'm in big trouble, assuming RAW files can't be transferred to CDs in local camera shops. Seeing the pics on the portable drive would be nice but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. The priority is to get them back home safely. I looked up Warehouse Express etc as you suggested and some of the non-viewer models are a lot less expensive. Would you recommend anything in that line? I really appreciate your interest in this - one of the big problems on a wonderful resoursce like LUMINOUS LANDSCAPE is that Europeans are somewhat at a loss when it comes to prices - what is good value in the US is outrageous in the UK or Ireland, as you seem to well know!

Seamus

nemophoto · « **Reply #13 on:** June 23, 2007, 02:55:53 pm »

Seamus,

I use two devices, which I alternate on jobs -- a Nexto OTG and a Hyperdrive. Both of these can be purchased fairly cheaply from different sources, then have user added hard drives. Though you are in Ireland, most places will ship internatonally. Neither device has an LCD viewing screen -- not important for me, but may be for you. I believe both drives I mentioned will allow 120GB, even 160GB drives -- should be enough for your trip. Try:
www.mydigitaldiscount.com (in the US)

There's another place in Australia, but I can't remember the name off hand.

spidermike · « **Reply #14 on:** June 24, 2007, 05:35:43 am »

At 100 photos a day (which your average will be to fill a 40Gb hard drive in 21 days) you risk your only memory of the place being through a viewfinder (been there, done that). And if you are talking about 100 'keepers' per day after editing then that is, to me, one hell of a success rate.

From my own experience, I travelled for 2 years through Asia (with a film camera) and shot about 120 films - and that number of RAW files would have all fitted on one 40Gb hard drive. Bu then again, I had to pay the developing charges for all of those so that helped me keep the shoot rate down!

Again, it all comes down to how you prefer to work. Personally, I quite like getting back to the hotel in the evening and reviewing my photoshoot and as I go through them I take the opportunity to delete photos as I go. As I was new to digital at the time, I was also able to learn about my technique each day and (I hope) improve as I went.
But if you prefer to do all editing when you get home, then a non-viewing device is the way to go (100Gb fo £100).

I went through the same dilemma (viewing vs non-viewing) when we went to Canada last year and part of the decision to get the Epson came down to the fact that £350 on a storage device was not expensive compared to the holiday - especially as it will last for years afterwards.

One piece of advice - leave the canmera in the hotel occasionally and enjoy Bali as a place rather than a sequency of photo opportunities! You may regret at the time missing the photo, but you will not regret later on that you saw it without a camera glued to your eye!

seamus finn · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2007, 02:17:37 pm »

Spidermike,

You're right about the 100 shots a day - no way would I have too many keepers in that lot. Unfortunately, I'm not that good....However, I have a terrible habit of judging the non-keepers in Lightroom or Bridge when I get home rather than deleting all but the most obvious directly from the card. I'm just too hasty and most of the time in bright light, the LCD picture isn't that visible anyway. Then there's a family wedding thrown into the mix - a minefield when it comes to discarding or keeping pics!!

To everyone who has replied to my original question: very many thanks. I am now much more knowledgeable on the subject of Portable Storage Devices - and their prices here. For example, in the Dublin camera shop where I usually deal, the price of an Epson P3000 is 600 euros (over 800 US dollars) while a P5000 costs 840 euros (about 1130 USd). I would dearly love an 80GB model, the P5000 , but its price is prohibitive for the number of times I will need it. I could buy a serviceable laptop for that. Thus, I am leaning towards some of the other devices with non-viewing capability as advised here. I may even buy an 'empty' one and have a 160GB hard drive installed locally- unless somebody on this site warns me against it. If this is not a good way to go, please tell me now or forever hold your silence!!

Seamus

Christopher · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2007, 07:13:20 pm »

Hi, I use 4 Nexto Ultra with 120GB each. I can only say It is the fastest I ever used before. I don't care to much about viewing the images on a small screen. (I don't see the sense...) So I take the CF card when it's full, pop it in one one Nexto Ultra and copy the files, after that I do it with a second Nexto Ultra.

I'm using this system for over 12 months now and I'm really happy with it. I never really needed the second copy of the CF card, but when I have two copies I can pretty savely delet the images and re-use the CF card.

mistybreeze · « **Reply #17 on:** June 26, 2007, 06:17:37 am »

You could easily call me an edit happy photographer but you will never see me delete an image while on the road. I completely rely on a large professional viewing screen before I make any decision to trash an image.

If I were you, I'd take a reliable portable hard drive. The 160GB LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Firewire would be my choice because it has yet to let me down. The Epson P5000 is a convenient tool for in-the-field professionals and I'm glad to own one but the viewing screen is just a modest step up from the back of a pro camera. I would never pay $1100 for it, either. None of these screens can compare to any laptop or pro monitor experience.

If my trip calls for light gear, I have no problem viewing my photos before bed through the lcd screen on the back of my camera. In some ways, the anticipation of having to wait for a larger view can be a great motivator to shoot more.

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #18 on:** June 26, 2007, 08:34:15 am »

I'm with MistyBreeze on this one. Never delete before I can see it on my "real" monitor. I now have a Hyperdrive Space 120G and a Hyperdrive HD80 120 GB and I make dual backups every day on the road.

The dual backups is a good idea: I first used a Nixvue device which worked fine for a while. I added the HD80 and started downloading onto both devices. On a trip this past winter, the old Nixvue died half-way through the trip, so it was a good thing I had another copy on the HD80. I ordered the Space as soon as I got home. The Hyperdrives both are well-made and work just great.

feppe · « **Reply #19 on:** June 26, 2007, 02:09:14 pm »

I'm a fellow European, and ordered my HyperDRIVE directly from their website. You might end up paying customs and duties, but it'll still be cheaper than buying it from a euro vendor - if it's even sold in Europe. I ordered the casing-only, and bought a HDD locally. This is much cheaper than paying the HyperDRIVE people for the HDD and installing it is a breeze, as the drive includes quite good instructions and even the tool needed (tiny screwdriver).

Love the drive, btw. Great battery life, blazing fast and small.

Author Topic: Storage device (Read 6893 times)