Going Digital -- Advice on file handling

[john_n._wall]

I'm about to order a D700. I have practically no experience with digital cameras. I'm accustomed to scanning film

and saving the scans as tiff files for work in Photoshop. I'm confused about how to handle the files that I will

get from my digital SLR.

 

I'm sure these questions have been asked and answered before but I don't know the vocabulary well enough to

search for the answers. Please indulge me for three questions.

 

1. memory cards. I gather there are small cards and big cards and I understand the bigger ones are more expensive

but hold more images, but there is a chance of card failure and loss of images. Looks like there should be a

sweet spot between size, cost, and risk that I ought to shoot for when buying cards. What do people use and how

risky is the technology?

 

2. downloading images. I have a card reader in my main computer which should be easy to use with these cards. But

what about being away from home on a trip? Is it good to download images to a laptop? How does one do that with a

digital SLR (my point-and-shoot has a cable that connects the camera to a USB port)? Does one need a card reader

to attach a card to a laptop? Are there portable external hard drives to which one can download images in case

one does not want to carry a laptop?

 

3. file handling. I plan to shoot RAW files and I understand these need to be converted into tiff or other files

for processing in Photoshop. Is there a RAW converter in Photoshop or Lightroom? How good is it? Do I need Nikon

Capture instead? Or in addition to the software I now have? What are the benefits/liabilities of using Nikon

Capture for RAW conversion if I will then open the files in Photoshop?

 

Again, many thanks for help, and my apologies in advance in case I have asked questions to which there are

obvious answers.

[TerryRRR]

John, I made a similar shift a few months ago, so while I am no expert, I can share some of those experiences, as I looked into many similar questions:

 

1) Memory cards: I have a couple of 8GB SanDisk Extreme IV cards which got good reviews and seem just fine. I mainly shoot RAW, and these cards will hold about 400 shots. This is plenty for me, as I don't tend to blast off huge numbers of images in one go. Perhaps this conservatism is just a holdover from many years of shooting film. I guess there is always a chance of card failure, so as long as I do not need to, and file sizes stay more or less in this ballpark, I will probably stick with 8GB cards for now.

 

2) When I travel, I almost always have my laptop with me for work. I have a little USB card reader, so if I am away for more than a few days, then yes, I download to the laptop. Because I am paranoid, I then make a backup to a portable, ruggedised external hard drive, and only then do I re-format the memory card (deleting all images). I am sure someone is going to say that a firewire connection would be faster, and no doubt it would. But I don't need the speed. If you do, then you probably want to look at the firewire options. By the way, your D700 will certainly come with a USB cable, so you could download directly from the camera instead of using a card reader.

 

3) I personally don't use Photoshop: Lightroom came out just as I was getting into digital photography, and it does everything I want to do (especially the new version). It has a RAW converter which I have found to be fine for Nikon RAWs (NEFs). I also have Capture NX which I got as a freebie when I bought a Nikon DSLR. I have heard that Capture NX, being Nikon's own software, does better RAW conversion than Adobe products. I have not really tested this out so far, but will probably have a look at it more systematically soon. As I said, I don't use PS, so I can't comment on pros/cons of using Capture NX before editing in PS.

 

Good luck! Terry

[carl_becker2]

I have a D200 and use the RAW format. Currently I have two 4 gig CF cards. If I buy more cards they would be 8 gig. IMHO its a personal choice between a few big cards and many small cards. I download files to the computer using the Nikon supplied cable. My card reader and computer are to old and both need replacing. I downloaded a couple of trail software processing packages and choose Bibble Lite for price and usability. If you travel and need to backup your files then get one of the many devices available and keep the CF card as another backup stored in a different place. Two backups in the same pocket are no good.

[mark_schafer1]

1. i like bigger cards, never had a problem, always reformat after download and keep them in in a watertight case

"Gepe". I run Apple's disk utility and reformat the cards every couple of month. Also, i stick with the best and quickest

(Sandisk Extreme IV) and upgrade every 2 years (from 2-4-8GB).

2. I like an external card reader (Sandisk Extreme, Firewire 800) for quick downloading. Once in a while we use a Epson

P- series picture viewer with build in card reader (which could also double a a second card reader while traveling. I find it

essential to have 2 copies of my images, either on the original card, the Epson and the laptop, or a external Harddrive

and the laptop.

3. The Raw converters from Adobe are outstanding. I played around with Apple's Aperture and didn't really like it. The

manufacturer software usually does a good job but for managing RAW files my absolute favorite is Adobe's Lightroom.

Here i can do pretty much everything from import, to organize and output. They have a trial version for 30 days and to

purchase it's $200, which i think is more than fair.

 

In addition, please consider a great color calibration system. I personally love the i1 Photo from x-rite and would

advocate for any of their products. It's essential for your workflow if you're remotely interested in accurate colors on your

monitor and printer.

[joseph_smith3]

I recommend you always use a card reader to download your images to your desktop and to your laptop. You run a risk when you put any card directly into your pc. Get a card reader that uses a USB port or a firewire port. This is the safest way to download images and preserve your cards. Reformat your cards only in the camera, never in the pc.

 

I use Downloader Pro to download my images. At the time of downlaod it creates file folders, renames imags, etc. I also enter metadata at this stage too.

 

I process all of my images in Capture NX or NX2. While I own PS7, I rarely find a need to use it. U point technology and Control points in NX is fantastic. You need to be aware of it and what it can do and how easy/fast it is. NX is the only raw processor that will read the settings captured by your camera. All steps in NX2 are non destructive edits and file sizes are smaller than PS file sizes. If you want to use PS, create a TIFF in NX2 and take it into PS.

 

I use a Hyperdrive (portable hard drive) and my laptop when traveling. Always double backup the images on your cards. On your desktop, try and build a workflow where you download to two hard drives--one internal and one external.

 

Joe Smith

[tri-x1]

I use 4 gig CF cards which are good for at least 200 raw images on a D300. I don't like to put more than that many eggs in one basket (although I've never had a card go bad). If you shoot raw IMO you must have Capture NX as it is the ONLY program that can make use of all he information in a raw file

.

[juanjo_viagran]

beside getting a "big" memory card, for a D700 you also need a very fast one..

 

at least a SanDisk Ultra III or IIII (I have the Ultra II on my D300 and is frustrating how slow it is sometimes)

 

 

on the other hand, I never have a problem downloading pictures straight from the camera to the PC..

been doing it that way for years, from D1H/X with firewire cable to D2H/X, D200 and D300, NEVER a problem.

[keith_b1]

CF cards from known, reputable manufacturers(last I looked, Nikon recommends only Sandisk and Lexar) have proven to be

extremely reliable. Before travel, important shoot, etc of course check any new card before counting on it. Failures have been

reported, but are very, very rare.

[Dieter Schaefer]

I use 4GB cards as the best compromise for me between size and cost - would recommend the UDMA enabled once for the D700. I have three 4GB SanDisk Extreme III for my D300 and 5 or so 4GB Ultra II for my D200. Always format the card IN the camera prior to each use.

 

I always use a card reader - I also use DownloaderPro to rename the files while downloading.

 

I use CS3 for all my processing - no need to convert RAW to TIFF or DNG. I keep the RAW file and the processed JPEG, and on occasion the PS file. It is all personal preference IMHO - I rather do another RAW conversion then take up disk space with huge TIFF or PS files.

 

Adobe just announced new camera profiles (beta versions) which will (like Capture NX) apply in-camera settings as default presets to the RAW images - sometimes this can be an advantage (and has been the only reason why I used Capture NX on occasion when the embedded JPEG file ( as viewed in BreezeBrowser) looked better than what came up initially in ACR.

[JDMvW]

Picture management is a very personal decision, and whatever you learn first will shape your subsequent views on how to do it. Aperture on the Mac or Lightroom are superb management programs. I personally just use well-organized folders and Bridge, myself. I've got almost 50 years of pictures almost all digitized now, but it works for me. I work in CS3 in general -- Photoshop and Bridge do most of my needs.

 

Whatever you do, BACK UP to DVDs and CDs all the time. I have an external 500GB drive that I back up to, and then also back up to media at intervals. Almost all of my pictures in one form or another are on 3 HDs, and many others on my laptop HD.

 

Which reminds me, I need to go backup files right now. ;)

[mendel_leisk]

I like Sandisk 2gig cards, the *original* (slowest) card, with the blue/red label, works for me. The differences in speed

seem oversold: for regular shooting, and if you've got 5 minutes to copy over (never move) a card full, no problems.

Any bigger than 2 gig and I'd never get the card filled, I'm low volume, shooting RAW.

 

I always use a card reader, also Sandisk, FWIW. I (FAT) format the cards with the reader, *never* any issues. I

always forstall the format until I'm 100% sure the images are ok on the hard drive.

 

For vacation, I've just stocked up on cards. I think I've got around 10, all 2 gig. Works with my volume.

 

My preferred Raw processor is Adobe Camera Raw, which I access via Adobe Bridge. It *is* a bit of an irritant that

each new dslr that comes out seems to require another Photoshop purchase.

 

For storage I keep my Raw files on a couple of *internal* hard drives. I keep jpeg output on *another* couple of

internal hard drives (4 internal drives on my systeme). I tend to swap the drives for larger/cheaper/faster

drives as they come along. The current sweetspot (for price vs capacity) seems to be around 500 Gigs. These are

regular 7200 rpm SATA drives, nothing fancy, no RAID. I keep the pairs of drives matched via a utility called XXCopy,

a

command line command, good in batch files.

 

Whenever any particular file type, say all the raws from my 5D, gets beyond 4.377 gigabytes (4,700,000,000 bytes,

the capacity of a single layer DVD), I make *two* DVD's, one for home, one I keep at the office. I use Taiyo Yeden

minus discs, FWIW. I always verify the burn, occasionally copy back the disc contents for test. I keep a text format

log file documenting what on the disks. I store the discs in paper sleeves, with the same info as the log file (pencilled

on before putting disc in). I write noting directly on the disc, at least for these keepers.

 

That's about it ;)

[Rene11664880918]

1) I won't get into brands, but I don't like very large cards. At the moment I use 2 gig x 2 and 4 gig x 1. I like using the 2

gig. It is always in my camera and I never remove it unless it is full and I have to change cards. That seems enough for

me. If you are a pro or take hundreds of pictures at a time you will need larger cards.

 

2) To download the files on my computer I use an USB cable. I think removing cards on and off the camera and card

readers tend to damage the card, specially CF cards which have those little pins that bend. If one pin breaks in the

camera you are done.

 

3) I use NX2. It is the only software that can read the settings in your camera. I shoot RAW and only convert to JPG the

shots that I need. Otherwise I just keep my RAW files.

[JDMvW]

If you have a newer computer with a USB 2, then USB is workable. A generally faster alternative, if you have it, is Firewire (IEEE1394) and readers are available with that interface. Cardreaders usually work faster than hooking up the camera itself.

 

With storage so cheap, and cards getting cheaper, I usually shoot RAW and the largest jpeg available. That way you can have a "processed" shot and the digital equivalent of a negative for further development and manipulation.

[joe_a2]

Hi John. Welcome....

 

1) I like to use 4GB cards, and 4GBs is good for about 250 14-bit compressed D300 NEFs. They're cheap, they fit

on a DVD, and they fit my balance of size vs eggs-in-one-basket.

 

2) Use a card reader. On travels, you'll need to decide how YOU want to approach it. I like to leave the computer

behind and enjoy the outing and the photography. I never had film processed on vacation, so I can wait until I get

home. And I believe quality memory cards are much MUCH more reliable, start to finish, than the film itself ever was

when travelling.

 

3) I would suggest Nikon View NX in the beginning. View NX is a free download, and it's Picture Control Utility lets

you adjust most things you need to change at the raw stage of the game. You can save as a TIFF or a top quality

(12 out of 12 setting) JPEG in View NX, then open that file in any version of Photoshop. You can also use View NX

to make straight JPEG conversions when you got it right in-camera as View NX and Capture NX are the only

programs that truly read the Nikon files correctly. The thing to keep in mind about Adobe Camera Raw is that it

does not read all the Nikon shooting data that goes along with the NEF, only the white balance. ACR is great if you

are going to start from scratch with the photo in Photoshop, but I'm not a fan of it. You'll get lots of different opinions

on this topic.

[SolaresLarrave]

I'm just in the same boat with John... planning on buying a D700. My question was essentially the same: whether to use

a card reader or hook up camera and computer.

 

About storage... I had thought about burning rewritable CDs every so often so as not to clutter my laptop or desktop with

files. I will travel with the camera in the summer of 2009. I don't want to carry too much computer gear; the notion of

taking my laptop scares me silly, but I guess I'll have to do it, but I simply don't want to get an external disk as they may

not work with my laptop (a MacBook with Tiger in it).

 

So, can I store my images temporarily in one of those huge jump drives, like the 2 or 4 GB, there are out there? That, in

addition to storing them in CDs? Let's hope this thread stills sparks interest enough to get a reply. Thanks in advance

and to John for starting it!

[andrew_fedon]

whats the memory card that comes as standard with the D700 in the first place ?

[joe_a2]

Andrew.... Cameras don't come with cards.

 

Francisco.... Keep in mind a CD will only hold about 40 NEFs. Not much. When you travel in the summer of 2009: How many images will you shoot from home to home? By next spring you can probably buy 4GB cards for $10-12 and 8GB cards for $20-25. That's pretty cheap and it'll be easy to have enough cards for 5000 full NEF shots for $200 by next summer.

 

As far as backing them up on the road, you'll probably need a notebook if you're worried. BE SURE to check with the manufacturer before buying to see if any of the stand-alone drives or display devices will "see" D700 NEFs.

[andrew_fedon]

Thanks Joe. I had the impression that the DSLRs came inclusive with at least one small memory card to make them usable. Why do they not include a starter card ?

[lex_jenkins]

Andrew, dSLRs usually don't include cards supplied by the camera manufacturer for the same reason SLRs didn't include manufacturer-supplied film:

 

1. The industry believes that most purchases of high end equipment prefer the à la carte choice. Buy only what you need from each manufacturer and vendor.

 

2. Bundling creates alliances that can help and hurt. If one partner has problems, it affects the other. It's easier for distributors and vendors to handle bundling issues.

 

3. Too much of the all-in-one approach can create mistrust rather than confidence. Several year ago Olympus bundled SmartMedia cards with their digital cameras. Only Olympus brand SmartMedia cards were readily compatible with the panoramic stitching option. After-market cards needed to be modified, and the modification was risky and could render the card useless if done incorrectly. This created ill-will among users.

 

Bundling memory cards with high end dSLRs like the D300, D700, D3, is a no-win situation for the manufacturer. The only reason anyone might expect such a bundle is because Nikon has effectively marketed these cameras to people who might otherwise have purchased an entry level or mid-level dSLR. It's a mixed blessing.

 

Rest assured, you're better off having a choice of after-market components and accessories.