Nikon Image Space, Online or "Cloud" Storage

Has anyone used Nikon Image Space? How does it work and how do you like it?

I am looking for reliable and well-organized online image storage. I have used something in the past but the organization was terrible.

Being an Amazon Prime member, I believe they provide storage, so does Google, but are they any good (reliable, easy to use, etc.)? I would prefer a setup organized for images.

Thanks.

There may be better solutions and I’m not generally up on the latest but I put all mine on a stand alone hard drive. I can put an awful lot on a 2tb.

Rick H.

Not wanting to bash on any brand, but I wouldn't trust any online storage offered by a company whose primary business interests are elsewhere.

Canon recently shut theirs down:

Canon is shutting down its cloud-based photo platform Irista

Clouds have a tendency to evaporate...

Clouds have a tendency to evaporate...

Kinda agree. That's why I have been apprehensive.

I put all mine on a stand alone hard drive.

That's what most of us do, I believe, on one or more hard drives.

Hmm... just did some Google and came up with a few suggestions to look at...

Best cloud storage 2021 for photos and pictures: free and paid | Tom's Guide

Best photo cloud storage in 2021 for GIFs, images and pictures: Free and paid | TechRadar

My purpose is for secure storage as an additional venue to saving on hard drives. Some of you may remember I mentioned that all my more recent images on my computer and nearby hard drives were destroyed by a house fire, though I did have older images on other drives that were not affected.

Hmm... just did some Google and came up with a few suggestions to look at...

 

Best cloud storage 2021 for photos and pictures: free and paid | Tom's Guide

 

Best photo cloud storage in 2021 for GIFs, images and pictures: Free and paid | TechRadar

 

My purpose is for secure storage as an additional venue to saving on hard drives. Some of you may remember I mentioned that all my more recent images on my computer and nearby hard drives were destroyed by a house fire, though I did have older images on other drives that were not affected.

You can create your own cloud using a securely web-connected NAS. Works as easy as any of the clouds offered by companies, but it is all your own.

A NAS, though already more secure than a single external drive, must be backed up regularly. That can be to another NAS, or on external hard drives. The thing to do is indeed keep those in a different location. A secure (locked) outbuilding, a second home, at neighbours or friends, the workplace.

You can create your own cloud using a securely web-connected NAS. Works as easy as any of the clouds offered by companies, but it is all your own.

Thanks but that's not what I prefer to do. That's why I am asking if anyone has any good experience with online storage that he/she can recommend.

Guess not. Thanks anyway. :)

My purpose is for secure storage as an additional venue to saving on hard drives.

I am looking for reliable and well-organized online image storage.

If the former is more important for you than the latter (which in some regards you have control over yourself) - have you considered Backblaze? Not cloud storage in the usual sense but I've only heard good things about it. I have no personal experience with it or any of the others though. Backblaze would appeal to me simply because of the ability to back up or restore via mailed drive as I would never be able to upload/download all my image files within a reasonable amount of time.

Backblaze?

Conceivable. I am looking into it. Thanks Dieter.

You can create your own cloud using a securely web-connected NAS. Works as easy as any of the clouds offered by companies, but it is all your own.

Thought I prefer not to do this, but I did look into Synology. Will see if it's not a pain in the b*.

Thought I prefer not to do this, but I did look into Synology. Will see if it's not a pain in the b*.

Setting a Synology NAS up, including web access, takes a bit of time. But once done, it works well enough.

The advantages of storage available from wherever you are (with internet), and keeping things in your own hands (noone but you has access, not dependent on companies' policies and how well they do).

And if you use multiple computers in your home network, you'll find, i think, that central storage and access using a NAS is what you need anyway. A small step, then, to extend that access (securely) to wherever you are away from home.

Although my on-line connection is OK, its past history has left me convinced that I would not trust my precious images to remote sites. Where I live, we're at the bottom of the well, so to speak.

I just have gobs of multiple TB storage with automatic backup and periodically make additional backups of individual folders and files to a bunch of 1TB drives that I store separately.

I have a suggestion - a version of my own non-professional backup idea.

As an amateur, my tolerance for the risk of losing my images isn't isn't like that for a pro whose livelihood depends on those images. I use my own backup method and store my data on duplicate disk drives kept at two homes.

I have my images sorted by year, all stored on a 6 TB drive I bought a few years ago. Each year's files are duplicated on a smaller drive (each smaller drive can hold more than a single year's data). The process goes like this: I have this year's images on my computer's internal drive and on the 6 TB backup. Every previous year's file are stored on the 6 TB drive in my home and on a smaller drive that is stored at my sister-in-law's home. Thus I have separated duplicate storage for all previous years, but the current year's data are at risk of a single failure event (like your unfortunate fire - I can't imagine the difficulties and personal losses that you have endured). Each year in January, I create a new folder for the new year's files, make sure the previous year's files are up-to-date on the 6 TB drive, copy that year's files to one of the smaller drives, and once I have verified the duplicate storage on the 6 TB and smaller drives, I delete that year's folder on my computer's internal hard drive, getting back to having only current year files on my computer.

I am not a fan of cloud storage - there are too many possibilities for losing the files or losing access to the files that I cannot control. Hackers are getting into what I expect should be among the most secure systems in the world, some stealing data, others installing ransomware, some just destroying data just for fun (this last phenomenon doesn't get much press coverage). Using a cloud service would entail some risk of these problems, but it still could be useful.

A system like mine, using duplicate storage in separate locations, makes maintaining separate storage for real-time new work a combination of very difficult and very inconvenient. But using cloud storage for current year, new work. However, at year's end, copying that year's data to your own duplicate storage and then deleting that same data from the cloud would provide duplicate storage for all of your data while minimizing the hassle factor for you and minimizing the risks associated with cloud storage. The idea here is that I see a greater comfort level in controlling and possessing my duplicate storage, but also making limited use of cloud storage for productivity reasons while limiting any cloud-related risk. Choosing to make use of cloud storage doesn't automatically mean using nothing but cloud storage.

I have a suggestion - a version of my own non-professional backup idea.

 

As an amateur, my tolerance for the risk of losing my images isn't isn't like that for a pro whose livelihood depends on those images. I use my own backup method and store my data on duplicate disk drives kept at two homes.

 

I have my images sorted by year, all stored on a 6 TB drive I bought a few years ago. Each year's files are duplicated on a smaller drive (each smaller drive can hold more than a single year's data). The process goes like this: I have this year's images on my computer's internal drive and on the 6 TB backup. Every previous year's file are stored on the 6 TB drive in my home and on a smaller drive that is stored at my sister-in-law's home. Thus I have separated duplicate storage for all previous years, but the current year's data are at risk of a single failure event (like your unfortunate fire - I can't imagine the difficulties and personal losses that you have endured). Each year in January, I create a new folder for the new year's files, make sure the previous year's files are up-to-date on the 6 TB drive, copy that year's files to one of the smaller drives, and once I have verified the duplicate storage on the 6 TB and smaller drives, I delete that year's folder on my computer's internal hard drive, getting back to having only current year files on my computer.

 

I am not a fan of cloud storage - there are too many possibilities for losing the files or losing access to the files that I cannot control. Hackers are getting into what I expect should be among the most secure systems in the world, some stealing data, others installing ransomware, some just destroying data just for fun (this last phenomenon doesn't get much press coverage). Using a cloud service would entail some risk of these problems, but it still could be useful.

 

A system like mine, using duplicate storage in separate locations, makes maintaining separate storage for real-time new work a combination of very difficult and very inconvenient. But using cloud storage for current year, new work. However, at year's end, copying that year's data to your own duplicate storage and then deleting that same data from the cloud would provide duplicate storage for all of your data while minimizing the hassle factor for you and minimizing the risks associated with cloud storage. The idea here is that I see a greater comfort level in controlling and possessing my duplicate storage, but also making limited use of cloud storage for productivity reasons while limiting any cloud-related risk. Choosing to make use of cloud storage doesn't automatically mean using nothing but cloud storage.

Thanks Bob for writing about your method in detail. The part about storing only new images in the cloud on a temporary basis especially makes sense. Again thanks to everyone who expressed your thought. I always learn something in these brainstorms.

Trying IDrive: It receives top reviews and is running an incredible sale. 10TB upgrade for less than $5 the first year. Can't beat that for a trial. Uploading now...

Good or bad, it's worth trying - I am your guinea pig. ;)

Uploading now... Good or bad, it's worth trying - I am your guinea pig. ;)

Ha! Slow but mission accomplished. The storage structure mirrors my laptop. I am happy. The slowness is partly me to blame for running the program off and on. To be fair, they accept files by mail, and upload speed has more to do with my wifi.