Memory cards, portable hard drives and travel

<p>Hi, I just bought a D300 and will be doing some travelling with it (about three weeks). I won't be bringing my laptop. What's the best way to store lots of images? Buy multiple memory cards? Buy the smallest portable hard drive you can and store images there in order to free your memory card? Any option for uploading them online? I don't want to necessarily be tied to always trying to find an internet cafe though. Thanks in advance for your advice.</p>

<p>How many images do you usually take per day of traveling?</p>

<p>My personal average is about 100 images per day. So, for me, the most economic solution is to bring enough memory cards. If you don't shoot sports events in continous mode, you don't need the fastest cards, and the slower cards are quite cheap in the meanwhile.</p>

<p>If you shoot 1000 images per day, a portable storage device comes handy ... just don't forget, that the "smallest portable hard drive" is filled up quite quick with such a large number of images as well. Calculate the drive-size you need and add a safety-reserve to it.</p>

<p>Whatever you do, a spare memory card and spare batteries are always a good idea. I mention that because the way you ask somehow makes me think you only have one memory card.</p>

<p>How do you intend to copy the images from the card to a porable hard drive if you don't have a computer and don't want to depend on finding an internet cafe with a computer?</p>

<p>There are devices like this that allow you to copy between USB devices without a computer.</p>

<p>http://jkontherun.com/2005/07/28/usb_copy_cruise/</p>

<p>But I would put that $80 towards a tiny $300 netbook like one of the Asus EEE models. Most of the current models have 160GB hard drives.</p>

 

<p>Wolverine. Inexpensive, dependable. No computer needed: insert card, press button, done a few minutes later. 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, 100GB etc models. Need power to recharge batteries so not good for 2 weeks in Himalayas.<br>

I use Wolverine plus an Epson portable backup device (P-3000...newer models now exist but these are pricey) with a viewer screen. <br>

Two Wolverines would work just as well. Or one Wolverine plus enough cards to not have to erase them until you get home. </p>

<p>Alex, how much are you willing to spend? You could buy a few dozen CF cards or pick up something like a Wolverine or get an inexpensive laptop. It really depends on how much you want to spend for this. The best thing for you may be a function of how much space you need, which is a function of your photo options and how many photos you plan to take. </p>

 

<p>Thanks for the very helpful responses. Here's a little more info and a rudimentary question. I don't know how many images I'll take a day since I'm just switching from film. In the film days I'd take relatively few since it was cost prohibitive. With digital, it could be around 75-100/day. I usually take a while to set up shots so I can't do that many a day. And, I will likely never shoot in continuous mode.<br>

I just ordered my D300 about three days ago so I don't have memory cards yet. I've read other posts here and will likely go with the SanDisk Extreme III given write speed is not a concern for me. So, not having the D300 in hand, I don't know how many images will fit on a 16 mb card in RAW mode. Can anyone inform me please? The devices you all have mentioned are pretty cool. For me the main concern is travelling very light, i.e. w/o laptop. The Wolverine or Epson P-3000 look great. Or is it better to just buy multiple memory cards? I guess it depends on how many images will fit on each. Thanks again for the help.</p>

<p>I use 2GB Sandisk Extreme III sd cards. 2GB is enough as you shouldn't be putting too many images on one card. It's too risky. You want to get your images off the card as soon as possible and on to a computer or a storage device such as the Epson P-3000. Format your cards after getting the images onto your computer. You will want quality cards that will be fast and accurate; cheap ones won't save you anything if you lose or sacrifice quality on your images. If you purchase the cards from a dealer like B&H you'll get a decent price and be able to take advantage of rebate offers. Enjoy your new camera.</p>

<p>Alex, I am sure you mean a 16Gb card. Shooting 12-bit RAW, the estimate is about 800 shots but in my experience with the D300, this is very conservative. I actually get about 600 from an 8Gb Extreme III even though it estimates around 400.</p>

<p>I would plan on more rather than less shots. A slow day for travel is still good for at least a couple hundred shots. It is easy to fill a card quickly if you use bracketing or a higher fps.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Alex: I was in danger of running out of space on the total of 14 GB CF cards that I carried to last year's Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Before running completely out, I found a photoshop that burned my photos on to DVDs in 2 hours while I continued shooting with my remaining CF card. It was cheap and convenient. Depending on where you are traveling, if you don't have sufficient CF card capacity, burning to DVD could also be a viable alternative. In SE Asia there are many photoshops that burn DVDs as part of their services that they offer.</p>

<p>Hi Alex,<br>

I've had my D300 for a year now and love it! here's some info for you. With a newly formatted 16GB card installed:<br>

14 bit uncompressed RAW + fine jpg = 421 shots<br>

14 bit uncompressed RAW only = 593 shots<br>

TIFF = 414 shots<br>

fine jpg = 1400 shots<br>

normal jpg = 2800 shots<br>

Now bear in mind the actual number is probably higher than that but this is what the camera tells you on the counter. As you shoot there is variance the more images you shoot and I find that the number actually goes up. Hope that helps and happy shooting.<br>

Brad</p>

<p>Alex, consider using a mini laptop like the 8.9" Acer Aspire One ($299) or the new 10.1" version ($349). They are very small and light, have a 160GB hard drive and since they are computers you can easily use a device like this to upload, sort and preliminary edit your photos.<br>

If you also carry a portable hard drive like the Western Digital My Passport series (usually under $100) you can have a backup to the laptop.<br>

This way you really do not need a lot of memory cards and that savings helps with the cost of the above hardware.<br>

I only mentioned Acer and WD as those are what I use. There are lots of other good products out there (Walt mentioned Asus) but the concept is the same. Another advantage is that your down time when sitting in an airport or plane now can be productive with a mini computer since you can continue to sort and edit.<br>

Al</p>

<p> </p>

<p>with a digital...I could see myself going well over 500 shots a day no problem. Not because of being a snapshooter, but one does not want to miss a moment. Even something as "common" as a sunset - but with the foreground of whatever place you have gone - is the next moment "the" moment? What is the clouds move and it looks even more amazing? Suddenly you've taken 80 pictures of the snset alone. </p>

<p>I get just about 200 RAW images on my D300 on a 4GB card. It says 197, I think, and I believe I have stuffed it to 221 or thereabouts (I rarely shoot them full, though). That's 2 cards a day. I own 10 cards because of my wedding photography but that would still only last me 5 days. </p>

<p>I also have 160 GB on a Hyperdrive portable device, which reads images straight off the card. You can pay as little as $100 for the case, and a 160GB drive is about $60 now. Pretty good deal. Of course you can go bigger - up to 500GB.</p>

<p>I take a lot more photographs on film than I did with film. But that means I average maybe 100 photographs per day. 2-300 photographs means a really big day for me, and probably implies I've been photographing the same tight area all day with little or no travelling. I mean even 200 per day means a photograph every 4 minutes of a 14 hour day, and I wouldn't call that discriminating. The idea of spending the time sorting out 80 different takes on the same sunset horrifies me. Even if I take 15 half of those won't make it past midnight. This means that even with a full frame digital I can get by on a trip with about one GB a day. Therefore I just take cards. No computer, no hard drive, nothing. The way I work it out for me goes like this</p>

<ul>

<li>I have no intention of doing any serious editing in the field. Its all I can do to be out there a full day, eat, sleep, travel if I'm changing hotels, decide what I'm doing the next day, call home, and get rid of the obvious dross from the card. That fills my day.</li>

<li>If I have spare space and weight I don't want to use it carrying computers, drives etc. I'll take another camera, or lens to improve the flexibility of what I do.</li>

<li>I think its more secure to keep what I have shot on multiple cards than on one drive. After all I don't choose to keep everything on one drive at home. </li>

</ul>

<p>Sorry- meant to say "I take a lot more photographs on digital than I did with film"</p>

<p>I shoot stock full time, so I need to work with a lot of images over 3-4 weeks trips, but you can modify my setup for your needs. Canon cameras, CF cards 8 and 16GB for a total of about 15000 RAW shots, Asus EEE PC 8.9" screen (Windows XP) with 160 GB HD + card CF reader (review images, backup images to external HD; safe internet; skype-calls home; movies+music-when lonely/tired; local language audio course), external 2.5" HD 250GB and 320GB.<br>

V</p>

<p>I have a Colorspace Hyperdrive 80 GB device that is terribly handy. It is blazing fast and transfers an 8GB full CF card in several minutes. I have used it in the car, in the field and also at the end of the day. It is very portable and easy to use. It is also quite a bit less expensive than the Epson products. I believe it also comes in a 160 GB model as well. When I get home, I transfer everything to my computer by USB and there you have it. No need to travel with a laptop.</p>

<p>What Andrew said -- Hyperdrive Colorspace. You can use two for redundancy.</p>

<p>The best answer is for you to bring a laptop if you want to be posting images while you're on the road. If you just want to store them safely until you get back, I'd consider just getting a waterproof, locking card wallet and strapping it (semi-permanently) to your camera bag. </p>

<p>Here's what I'd actually do.</p>

<p>1) bring enough cards to cover the entire trip<br>

2) bring a laptop<br>

3) bring CDRs<br>

At the end of each day (or when close to full) copy from the cards to the laptop and burn CDs for the day. Drop the CDs in the mail the next chance you get and leave the cards turned upside down in your card wallet. If you want to edit/post photos while on vacation, you can. BUT, if you're traveling with your girlfriend/wife/family and they're not photographers, they might get bored with that. </p>

<p>If you want to avoid all that hassle, just get a LOT of cards and a safe way to store them. </p>

<p>I highly recommend the Hyperdrive. I use the older HD-80 and couldn't be more satisfied. It's been around the world with me, uses rechargable AA batteries, transfers 2g in like 2 minutes, and can transfer something like 12 - 16 gb on a single charge. Plus you can use regular AA's in a pinch. I would imagine their new products are superior as well.</p>

<p>I've got the Acer Aspire One. 160 gig hard drive. It's a full-fangled PC so you don't need to find an internet cafe - if you can find a wireless network you can send emails, browse, skype (built-in webcam), blog, upload for additional backup security, and you can generally enjoy all the other bells and whistles of the interweb. Much more than just a simple backup device. Weighs 2.5 pounds, about the same size and weight as a small hardcover book.</p>

<p>16 Gb would likely last me three weeks. But other folks squeeze off that much in a few days. You could buy another card just in case. Or you could buy more as you go, depending on where you're going. CF cards are probably the lightest per gigabyte, and in all the simplest option.</p>

<p>I also recommend the Hyperdrive. I have the older model, the HD 80. I suggest that if you do not travel with a laptop, you get two Hyperdrives. You should always strive for redundancy when you backup your images. With my D 300, I use 2 GB or 4 GB cards and shoot raw. A 4 GB card holds about 192-197 raw images. You can get the Space or the Colorspace:<a href="http://www.hyperdrive.com/">http://www.hyperdrive.com/</a><br>

Joe Smith</p>

<p>At present you can buy a 8GB CF card for under $50 so for the $500 or more that a hard drive storage device (with CPU and LCD) costs you can get 80GB of flash cards that will hold roughly 7000 compressed RAW files.<br>

The real risk is theft with all your images in a single case. That is the advantage of a storage device or even a laptop if you backup your files to them or use the laptop to make DVD's which is what I do. I take 10 blank DVD's in a case and burn the edited images from the cards to the DVD and reuse the cards, having images on the laptop's hard drive and the DVD's so if one piece of luggage is stolen or even my camera bag I still have the other backup and the CF cards on my belt.</p>

<p>I got one of the Epson P2000 and love it. See now that B&H only carries the P3000 now. It has 40 gig storage. Great device from what I can tell. The lcd quality was impressive. Nice way to view images. Link below.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/463477-REG/Epson_B31B186002_P_3000_Multimedia_Storage_Viewer.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/463477-REG/Epson_B31B186002_P_3000_Multimedia_Storage_Viewer.html</a></p>

<p>To be safe, I'd recommend getting more than enough cards for how much you think you'll shoot, AND a portable backup drive like a Wolverine or Epson. Backup the cards daily, but don't erase or format the cards at all unless you run out of space. That way you have 2 copies of everything until you get home--one on your cards, one on the backup drive. FWIW, I found that the Wolverine (older model) sucks battery power, so be prepared to keep it well-charged. </p>

<p>Bruce - that presumes you spend $500 on a storage device. I got mine for $210, I think. That's about 4 of the 8GB cards. Now, that's also less storage than the cards offer (I have 160GB, you'd have 320GB in cards). But I personally think that perhaps having both makes the most sense as well. </p>

<p>And these are presumably Ultra II's (or equivalents) that are less than $50? Or are Extreme III's now in that range? Wow, how prices have dropped.</p>