Portable Storage Device

[craig_g]

I have been perusing nature and wildlife photography on a semi-pro

basis for a few years now. However, I am now making a move towards

shooting some wedding photography in my spare time. Before I begin,

I want to track down the portable storage device that best fits my

needs...

 

There are several of these devices out there, but for me there are a

few strict guidelines I need to adhere to.

 

1. I shoot Olympus RAW files, so an LCD is not necessary as none of

the portable devices with a full color LCD can decode Olympus RAW

files.

 

2. I use an Olympus DSLR that takes Compact Flash and use Compact

flash exclusively (No Microdrives).

 

3. I do need something that is highly reliable and robust so as to

ensure that I do not lose or drop any photos.

 

4. Some sort of file verification that I can trust is a must. I

would prefer verification and viewing capability, but if no one

supports Olympus RAW files viewing is out the window anyways.

 

I have considered a Portable CD burner, but am not interested for

several reasons. Does anyone out there have any suggestions as I

will be using this device for professional use?

[jim_rais]

Maybe <A HREF="http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/index.asp" TARGET="_blank">this</A> or <A HREF="http://www.mobile-harddisk.nl/imagetanks-c-21.html?osCsid=afb25b5a45d9efd449fe4d51b483558d" TARGET="_blank">this</A>?<P>

 

<LI><A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=332699">Jim

Rais</A></LI><P>

[ci_p]

I think the obvious suggestion is PD70X. It has the features you're looking for.

 

But that's not what you want. What you want are enough big CF cards to last all day. Because a PSD is just one more thing to go wrong, and if you drop it, it's probably toast. The cost of CF is probably low enough that you can get fast sandisk 4GB for the cost of a PD70X.

[mike_smith2]

2 No nonsense back updrives come to mind;

 

Hyperdrive HD80 discussed at length here;

 

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/355514

 

100gb backup, runs on 4 standard AA/NiMH batteries, faster and half the price of an Epson 4000, has CF & SD card port, not sure about XD used on on Oly 4/3 camera system

 

or Nexto system discussed here

 

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1023&message=17630648

 

smaller than Hyperdrive, similar performance but runs off LiON battery system

 

Mike

[mike_smith2]

Forgot to mention - the Hyperdrive unit has checksum verification as well, but thsi slows down transfer times

[basscheffers]

How many images are you going to shoot?

 

How many images are you going to shoot in a day, 1000? With the current prices of 4GB

cards, I wouldn't bother with a PSD anymore; three 4GB cards should do it, without the hassle

of yet another gadget in your bag.

[chris_newkumet]

What Bas said. You don't detail your intended workflow, Craig, but I hope you're not intending to download cards during a wedding and then format and reuse those cards at that same event. For one thing, there's rarely time to do that given how quickly things move in a typical wedding schedule. And I'd never trust an assitant to do that, either. As Bas said, with the going rate for CF cards, there's no good reason to do it. My advice--buy 7-8 gigs of CF capacity, fill each card, tuck them away safely and then take your time when you get back home or to the studio downloading the images. I shoot 1,500--2,000 images during a typical 10-hour wedding date, and I can tell you I need to sit down later and make sure I've accounted for all of them before I can rest easy. As for the portable storage devices themselves, the only one I have any experience with is the Epson and I can tell you it's pretty slow. I think these gadgets are fine for traveling and what not when you have time at the end of each day to download cards, plus you can then pass them around for everyone to peruse your images. But I sure wouldn't use one for a wedding. Best of luck with your emerging career.

[geoffm]

I have a Hyperdrive HD80 (= PD70X) and I like it a lot. Apart from the Nexto it is the only device (either hard drive or burner) that can transfer files at a reasonable speed. I use checksum verification on transfers, which slows it from about 3 minutes per gig to 5 minutes per gig - I can live with that(!) for the extra security.

 

Having said that, if you can get back to a computer at the end of each days shooting, why would you want a PSD? As others have suggested, more CF cards may be a better option.

[ShunCheung]

CF card prices were roughly cut in half back in February. I went ahead and bought a 4G Sandisk Extreme III from B&H at a special deal at $215. That same deal has now gone down to $197 a month later.

 

I am sure that prices will continue to fall. The easiest solution is to get more CF cards.

[james_chen6]

As for the wedding, it is a good idea to be safe. Get more cards, and after all images has been counted, and copied, backed up, then do whatever with the card. If it is for nature, in the field, or far from civilization, you can use the portable devices. Make sure that the device is rest on some solid non-moving support when in use. Because most of them has a hard disk inside! You may lose everything, if the disk head is damaged. Also the battery time and the read speed is very important. Get a car charger, and keep it full of charge when getting to the location! Back up the images whenever possible!

have fun.

[kathywilson]

I'm not even sure you'd want one if you were traveling. I took along my laptop this last weekend out in Canyonlands - has the advantage of all the gb I need, fast transfer rates, and a far larger screen to view the image right there in the back of beyond (which means, obviously, your Olympus RAW format will present no problem). Sure, it's bigger than any of the other devices discussed, but I already own the laptop, and heaven knows it's more versatile! <g>

[craig_g]

I broke down and stocked up on CF cards. I was able to get 2GB Kinston Elite Pro cards for $55 a piece on Buy.com. They are only available at that price until the end of the day today. Go get em...

[craig_g]

To give some perspective...

 

I shoot the occasional wedding but a great deal of nature photography ranging from flowers to foothills. So how much benefit would I get from an E1 or E500 as compared to the E300? I do not know it if is worth the $500 for a new body or should I get buy with $200 on a reasonable non SLR Digital (If so - any recomendations? I still want RAW capabilities). I guess, this is primarily to save my but if my equipment goes down in the middle of a wedding.