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Archive 2013 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage

  
 
redbarn
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


I am going on a trip in April and I was considering taking some kind of back up device to transfer the images from my CF and SD cards. I don't have the budget to get something like the Epson or Hyperdrive. These are way above my budget.

I have also read some reviews about the Foci and Wolverine they both had very poor reviews. My other option, which I really hate is to take my ASUS Netbook and attach a portable HD. However, I don't think that a) I don't know how to set it up b) the processor its very slow , to transfer RAW files.

I tend to travel light, so I'd rather take my iPOD touch and maybe my Galaxy 7" tablet (not sure if I need it). So taking the Netbook it would be my last resort. If you are going to suggest to use my Netbook please let me know the best and fastest way to transfer RAW files from CF card to an Ext HD using the ASUS Netbook



Feb 15, 2013 at 01:11 AM
Wobble
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


You have time to upgrade your Netbook and make it a screaming little machine. Add all of the memory it will take (probably 2Gb) and put in a solid state hard drive. Pick up a 3TB portable USB hard drive from your local Walmart for $190.


Feb 15, 2013 at 01:32 AM
redbarn
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Unfortunately, this is a chepo netbook. I bought it for another trip and I never used it. It can't be upgraded there's no access to get under the hook. I'd have to literally break it. Besides, as I said that would be my last resort I'd hate to schlep around a laptop to a developing country.


Feb 15, 2013 at 03:12 AM
Lars Johnsson
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


CF and SD cards is the safest, lightest, smallest and best way to go. If you don't need the fastest cards, which I suppose you don't need for travelling. Then you get a good brand 32GB CF card for around $ 30. And a 32GB SD card for around $ 20


Feb 15, 2013 at 06:20 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Like Lars, I take plenty of CF/SD cards with me, so that I don't have to re-use any of them. Sometimes I do some PP on my notebook while travelling, especially if I photograph events, and then I save the downloaded & processed images in the notebook and on an external, ruggedized Transcend 500 GB USB micrdrive. I always leave the original images on the acquisition cards, until I get home and have made backups.


Feb 15, 2013 at 07:11 AM
binary visions
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


I have a Wolverine which works okay. Battery life is not stellar, and it doesn't do differential backups - so when I say "backup" it grabs everything on the card, even if it already had some of the files. It's also not a speed demon.

That's what I get for such a cheap device. It serves its purpose, with limited features. I am satisfied for the price.



Feb 15, 2013 at 07:14 AM
redbarn
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Lars,

I think you answered one of my previous postings before I left to an African Safari. I took my notebook and I regreted every second schlepping it for the entire trip. I do to be honest when I'm traveling I don't want to be in my bed editing or working on a laptop. I went camping during my safari trip, try doing that in a tent etc.

Fortunately, I had some extra cards. One thing that I don't agree with you is using large memory cards simply because if something should happen to your mem card, you are going to be SOL. I'm using 4 or 8GB cards I'm just saying.

Besides schlepping around the netbook, I found out that the entire process of copying pix from the mem cards its a very slow since I have a cheap netbook and with a low end processor.

I wish they would come up with a small portable HD with mem card port as a stand alone fast.

Binary
I think you confirmed exactly what I have read about Wolverine, that it will grab everything on the card so you might ended up with duplicates etc. I have do more calculation to see how many more cards I'd need to buy since I shoot RAW. At least my SLR doesn't create big files I think they're around 12-14G



Feb 15, 2013 at 01:14 PM
Roland W
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


I will agree with others and suggest you consider just getting more cards. If you like smaller cards, that is fine, but quality cards are very reliable, so the risk for using larger ones is very low. The sweet spot for CF cards is in the 16GB to 32GB range right now, so consider one of those sizes. If you have a choice between CF and SD cards, go with CF, because they are almost impossible to damage, while SD cards are basically fragile, as well as easily lost.

The simplicity of no time required for down loading, no batteries to play with, no power required, no significant bulk to haul around, and very reliable storage on CF cards, all make the card route the best. If you have a computer or storage device, and really go prepared to truly backup on a trip, that doubles your external storage requirements, and takes a lot of time.

Another thing that I often do is borrow cards from others I know for trips, and also loan out cards to others for their trips.



Feb 15, 2013 at 08:11 PM
redbarn
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Roland,
Yes, I think I'm leaning toward that option. As I said on my recent safari trip I took several CF for my SRL and SD for my point n shoot that shoots RAW. I took my cheapo notebook a total waste of time. The good thing that in spite of all the shooting I didn't run out of cards.

Unfortunately, I don't know of anybody that can loaned me some cards.



Feb 15, 2013 at 08:16 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


redbarn wrote:
...Unfortunately, I don't know of anybody that can loaned me some cards.


Consider it to be part of the cost for the trip.



Feb 15, 2013 at 08:59 PM
sjms
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


I guess you never spent money on film. avg 36 shot roll of Kchrome 64 with processing for me was between $10-$12 per roll and that was back a ways. on a 1 month trip to Japan it would be 100 rolls+ and you were careful in your shooting style unlike todays spray and pray methodology. in fact even with large amount of space available I still shoot the same way, where less turns out to be more. I have a hyperdrive and it has proven to be reliable as I fit the drive I liked in it. I now have a surface pro which has opened up a fair amount of opportunity for drives and usage.



Feb 15, 2013 at 09:17 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


I averaged about 10 rolls per week, at home. More when travelling. Whatever 'rolls' is.


Feb 15, 2013 at 09:37 PM
Lars Johnsson
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


redbarn wrote:
Lars,

I think you answered one of my previous postings before I left to an African Safari. I took my notebook and I regreted every second schlepping it for the entire trip. I do to be honest when I'm traveling I don't want to be in my bed editing or working on a laptop. I went camping during my safari trip, try doing that in a tent etc.

Fortunately, I had some extra cards. One thing that I don't agree with you is using large memory cards simply because if something should happen to your mem card, you are going to
...Show more

The risk that something will happen with a memory card compared to a portable HD or portable card storage is very very small.
And if you are scared of that you can always make a backup in your camera and save the pics on both the CF card and SD card

And about the cost: 4 & 8GB cards that you like to have. They cost nearly nothing if you add it to the cost of your trips. Maybe $ 4-5 each at Amazon



Feb 15, 2013 at 10:01 PM
redbarn
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


yes, thanks I will then stock up with CF and SD cards


Feb 15, 2013 at 11:28 PM
Paul Mo
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


In Thailand I have found the Sandisk Class 4 16GB SD cards to be the best value per GB.

On eBay I recently bought some 400x 32GB Transcends which are also great value for money - being back ups for if/when I fill my Sandisk CF's.



Feb 16, 2013 at 03:43 AM
Rodney O
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


With the discussion of using CF cards for travel photo storage, a couple of things come to mind.

First how many photos do you take on a week or two week or month trip?

Second how much backup storage would be sufficient to hold that number of photos?

Third it takes a lot of larger cards to provide the storage we can easily get on 2.5" HDs.

For serious trips, I often take with me as much 500 gig HD storage as 2 250 gig HD's and sometimes have taken 2 500's. Though I don't tend to completely fill them, (my trips have not been more than a week at most). However on one great day shoot with migrating Bald Eagles, I might easily shoot 32 gigs & more if the conditions lend themselves to shooting with 2 bodies.. The point being that at 23 to 28+ megs per click (raw), one's click volume adds up quickly.

Maybe I click more than some of you do. But 500 gigs of 32gig CF cards adds up to a decent pile of change at ~16 cards. At BH current prices that's around $670 bucks. That cost comes close to and may now exceed the cost of a decent Nexto or other good psd.

Plus its a lot of individual cards to keep track of and safely carry around. So I'd suggest that considering using HD's is still a valid approach. Particularly it's a valid choice since we often are taking some kind of computing "gadget" on our longer trips anyway.

well just a thought.



Feb 17, 2013 at 03:05 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


The best options now are the latest Hyperdrive or Nexto units. However, I gather neither are cheap enough for your needs. Fast memory cards are will quite expensive so you will limited to buying the slower cards. The break even point depends on how much you shoot on a trip and how cheap/slow the cards are that you are willing to use. There is no free lunch.

EBH



Feb 17, 2013 at 03:35 PM
Rodney O
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Here's some more specific details regarding viable psd's for the OP to consider. As mentioned by EB1 above Nexto & HyperDrive are viable options.
$-wise it would seem that the OP's choice depends on the expected shooting volume.

The Transcend CF cards mentioned above were 32 gig 400x @$42. 600x UDMA = $96
Thus 500gig = $670 non-UDMA and $1530 for UDMA. Pretty steep. And the OP would not have any backup copy. Once "clicked" the card space is locked up for the rest of the trip.

Once one gets up in the click volume, one psd or two psd's are still viable options. And the cost is still equivalent. And you can put a SSD in them also. The ssd would add a bit of data safety. But ssd's are still fairly expensive.

NEXTO DI ND2730G Nexto Photo Storage Portable Backup Drive (500GB HDD) == BH $400
I didn't find the bare case-only Nexto's for sale anywhere. That is what I've used and still use with WD HDs. I do wish they made one that you could easily swap HDs into & out of.

Sanho 500GB HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2 Multimedia Player / Storage Device == BH $400

Assemble your own = (saves $90)
Sanho HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA2 Backup Storage Device (SATA Casing Only) == BH $240
Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s == NewEgg $70

So depending on the value one places on the photo part of one's trip and your click volume, a one or two psd's are a reasonable investment.

Plus even cheaper is the option of a couple of 2.5" drives in external cases along with the laptop or netbook, etc and a card reader is even more cost effective. WD black 500gig sata =$70; 2.5" USB 2 case <$15; small psu for the HD <$10; decent little card reader <$25;. overall <$125 for the first 500 gigs & then ~85 for the second. So that makes 1 Tb storage or 500G w a duplicate copy for < $250.

HyperDrive link
Nexto Link (product info is in pdf form)

Edited on Feb 19, 2013 at 11:11 AM · View previous versions



Feb 17, 2013 at 07:49 PM
Lars Johnsson
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Rodney O wrote:
With the discussion of using CF cards for travel photo storage, a couple of things come to mind.

First how many photos do you take on a week or two week or month trip?

Second how much backup storage would be sufficient to hold that number of photos?

Third it takes a lot of larger cards to provide the storage we can easily get on 2.5" HDs.

For serious trips, I often take with me as much 500 gig HD storage as 2 250 gig HD's and sometimes have taken 2 500's. Though I don't tend to completely fill them, (my
...Show more

A couple of things also comes to mind when reading this When reading the thread and what the OP have been saying here, I don't belive he will shoot 30k+ amount of pics. His files was 12-14GB because his camera didn't create big files even when shooting RAW. And he talked about lending cards from a friend also. He was also using both SD and CF cards. You can buy them for $ 20-35 for a 32GB cards. Most people don't need fast cards for travel. And with the size of his files I belive it's not a new model camera. So a fast card will be of no use when shooting.



Feb 17, 2013 at 08:23 PM
Rodney O
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Suggestion for a portable memory card storage


Lar's,

I would agree with what you are saying for the OP & his current trip plans. One reason I posted this info on the psd's was my surprise when I looked at what psd's are now available. With all the talk about just using more CF cards, it surprised me that psd's are still a viable option. Particularly surprised considering how long ago I got my first NexTo. 80 gigs was pretty big even for a psd back then.

And I probably do click a fair amount. Still I can't see going back to Costa Rica, Brazil or maybe next to Africa without lots of storage & backup duplicates.

Just wish my 50% or more of my clicks were as good as those you post, Lars.



Feb 17, 2013 at 08:44 PM
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