New CHEAP Transfer Images to HD in Field!

[dwdallam]

I've bought several different external drive bays from this company, and today I saw they had something I think everyone will want to see.

I remember a thread asking about how to store files in the field, w/o lugging a computer around. Hyperdrive was one solution.

Here's another, and I'm impressed.

http://store.sansdigital-shop.com/ms1u.html

It's on sale for 35.00. It also comes with an a 40, 60, or 80 80GB HD. You can get the 80GB model for 106.00US at www.mwave.com  This is where I buy all of my computer related hardware. I've been using them for over 10 years. Excellent return policy, etc.

Direct link to the 80GB model for 106US.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewproduct.asp...rnal+Enclosures

 I'm gonna get the 35.00 offer as a backup. It takes any 2.5' laptop drive up to 160GB. It has it's own internal lithium battery and LCD screen. You can also use it as an external drive for your computers. It seems to be a very well made product, like their other stuff.  One other thing. This unit is bare bones, which means it's like the hyper drive, but even less: On, Off, Copy. That's it.

[Tim Gray]

Didn't mention SDHC, if that matters...

I'm assuming there's some way to verify the transfer, other than just some kind of flashing light, if not, that's a problem.

[dwdallam]

Didn't mention SDHC, if that matters...

I'm assuming there's some way to verify the transfer, other than just some kind of flashing light, if not, that's a problem.
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Might have to email them for that.

[mahleu]

For that price i'm getting one. I've got a few 20gb hard drives lying around so the cost is minimal. You can't buy a decent size CF card for much cheaper.

[DarkPenguin]

For that price i'm getting one. I've got a few 20gb hard drives lying around so the cost is minimal. You can't buy a decent size CF card for much cheaper.
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I expect a mini review when you get it.

[mahleu]

I expect a mini review when you get it.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=153595\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Will do although it won't be here for a couple of weeks

[panoak]

How much is enough?  I bought my last -3- 2 Gb. CF cards for about $35 ea.  At that price, I have no problem at all with buying more than I need.  Write speed of the card just plain does not matter, because my DSLR's have huge buffers.  the life of a good CF card is longer than yours.  What is the most image data that you have ever recorded in one outing, away from your desktop?  I just bring enough CF, and don't complicate my life with another gizmo, with another battery and charger.

[dwdallam]

How much is enough?  I bought my last -3- 2 Gb. CF cards for about $35 ea.  At that price, I have no problem at all with buying more than I need.  Write speed of the card just plain does not matter, because my DSLR's have huge buffers.  the life of a good CF card is longer than yours.  What is the most image data that you have ever recorded in one outing, away from your desktop?  I just bring enough CF, and don't complicate my life with another gizmo, with another battery and charger.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=153743\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I can fill a 2GB CF card with less than 120 shots. I have a Canon 5D. I recently bought (and lost) and re-bought an 8GB CF card, San Disk Ultra II, which is about 118.00US if you're lucky. Why 8GB? Because I ran out of memory while in the middle of a shoot last summer and missed some good images. Besides, four 2GB cards will cost you much more than one 8GB card.

So do the math. If you are going to take more than 450 images and put them all on CF cards, that's going to cost you around 120.00US. Buy the above device with an 80GB drive in it for 106.00US, and you can see the benefit. Of course your argument is that if you don't need it, why buy it, which is a rhetorical argument.

I'm going to Death Valley in California (USA) this December. I intend on staying for at least 3 nights and four full days. I intend to shoot everything I find interesting in multiple lighting and points of view because I may not get back for years, if ever. I suspect in three full days--and maybe night shots too--I'll easily go over 1000 images, since we will be camping and on the road that entire time (no resort stops at all as this is purely work related). And then I have the drive back from South California to north California, which may include several hundred more shots. You get the picture.

[jing q]

I have an enclosure that works similarly to the one you've posted...they're quite easy to find actually. They're decent, transfer rate isn't blazing. I use an Archos 400 series also which has a cf card slot. transfer rate isn't blazing either, takes at least 8 minutes to transfer a 4gb cf card.

ultimately all the transfer devices out there are a hard drive with a battery, CF/SD card slot and an interface.

[mahleu]

How much is enough?  I bought my last -3- 2 Gb. CF cards for about $35 ea.  At that price, I have no problem at all with buying more than I need.  Write speed of the card just plain does not matter, because my DSLR's have huge buffers.  the life of a good CF card is longer than yours.  What is the most image data that you have ever recorded in one outing, away from your desktop?  I just bring enough CF, and don't complicate my life with another gizmo, with another battery and charger.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=153743\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

When I shoot in game reserves i'm often away from any form of backup device for up to a week. If I shoot 2gb a day (which I usually don't but sometmies it happens), then I need 14 gb's. This device is costing me $35 + a 20gb HD I have which is doing nothing anyway, so it's quite a bit more economical than buying 20gb's worth of CF, plus I can still buy more CF's and have 20gb's ready if or when I need it.

[andyptak]

Anyone actually buy one of these? I'd be interested to know if it will also delete from the cards, once transfer is complete and verified. I bought a similar Sony unit a couple of years ago and all it did was copy from my card, without deleting it. Waste of money. I still needed to carry a bunch of cards around with me and wait until the evening to download them onto my laptop. Kind of defeated the purpose for me.

[DarkPenguin]

Anyone actually buy one of these? I'd be interested to know if it will also delete from the cards, once transfer is complete and verified. I bought a similar Sony unit a couple of years ago and all it did was copy from my card, without deleting it. Waste of money. I still needed to carry a bunch of cards around with me and wait until the evening to download them onto my laptop. Kind of defeated the purpose for me.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=155213\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

What?!?  Why is deletion of the files of interest?

[John Camp]

What?!?  Why is deletion of the files of interest?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=155230\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

It would be of interest to me depending on how this thing works -- I would want to be able to review the photos on the storage device, to actually see that they are there. Unless I can see them, I won't delete from the card. If I'm not going to delete from the card in the camera, there's no point in using this device.

I had an Epson P2000 (still have it, actually) but stopped using it as memory card prices came down. If you're new to digital photography, buying a bunch of solid state cards all at once might seem expensive. However, if you've been in it for a while, and simply buy a card every few weeks, you quickly accumulate a lot of gigs without much thought about expense.  I now carry probably 30 gigs in 2-gig and 4-gig cards, and by the end of next year, if prices continue to drop, that could double. Since I have to carry a laptop anyway, for preliminary sorting, I see a time coming when the laptop will be my primary storage, and full CF cards will be secondary, until I can get home and backup the computer files.

JC

[DarkPenguin]

I use such a device in addition to either a laptop or a bunch of cf cards.  I have everything in 2 places that way.

[andyptak]

The reason that I want to download and them delete my cards is so I can use this type of device to substitute for the many cards I have to carry. Because of the type of work I do, I shoot quickly and I bracket a lot. I only use RAW and I can fill a 4 gig card in less than an hour - sometimes in half an hour.

Jobo make a similar device that has a small screen for viewing before deletion, something this device doesn't have. However, I have read a number of posts in various places of people complaining of file corruption with the Jobo, so I'm staying away.

I know that deleting files without actually viewing them can be potentially dangerous, but I would only consider doing so after testing a device for a while. Still potentially dangerous I know, but at what point do you draw the line? Many people won't use 4 gig cards in case something goes wrong and they lose their images. but for me the compromise is to use 4's rather than 8's or 16's, which I would prefer to be using.

While I do consider things like file corruption etc., I don't get too anal about it. Everything's a bit of a trade off and where we draw the line for our comfort level is a very individual thing.

Anyway - anyone bought this thing?

[DarkPenguin]

The Hyperdrive Space (which has a bit by bit verify mode) lets you erase a card.  But it is a second step.

I guess my confusion is that I don't understand why you need that in the reader and wouldn't just format the card in the camera.

[andyptak]

Because I will have lost all of my work. I want to transfer it in the field and re-use the cards while I'm still working. I download everything to my laptop at night, but i don't want to lug it around all day. Believe me, I go through a lot of cards in a day and would love to offload some of the files as I work.

[andyptak]

Just realized what you meant by formatting in camera and you're absolutely right. Sorry, I'm a bit thick today.

Still leaves the question of verification though. The Sony unit I have only verifies that transfer is complete - without an actual verification of the data on both ends.

[dwdallam]

Anyone actually buy one of these? I'd be interested to know if it will also delete from the cards, once transfer is complete and verified. I bought a similar Sony unit a couple of years ago and all it did was copy from my card, without deleting it. Waste of money. I still needed to carry a bunch of cards around with me and wait until the evening to download them onto my laptop. Kind of defeated the purpose for me.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=155213\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Yes verification is important for sure.

But can't you just format it or delete the images in your camera?

I just emailed the company about verification and deletion.