With D60's and larger file sizes I'm now having to consider temporary storage until I can get pics to a computer. I've read loads of posts on the digital wallet where some users think they are OK others think they are more trouble than they are worth.
I read this in a UK magazine and wondered if this new device (Image Tank) was any good.
hello kyle don,t know about this one, if you have the possibility of firewire i would go for a mindstore 1720
superfast (only problem) buy an extra sets of battery,s
because after three times uploading a 1mb microdrive it has to be reloaded.
on the other hand (it,s a fine piece of equepment(firewire /usb and if you see how fast it is-you want one-
usb is to slow, only use it i i make a few pics
Hope this helps
John
I use the 20gig digital wallet and I am very pleased with the results. The battery will hold up for about 3gig transfers. You can either buy an extra battery or use a power source to load additional pics. Hope this helps.
I have just received an Image Tank (yesterday) and haven't had time to try it out 'in the field' as it were.
However, my first impression is that it is OK.
I acquired mine with a 15gb drive (you can choose how big a drive you need (it takes a standard 2.5" drive). Operating the machine is quite simple and despite the instructions being written by someone whose first language isn't english it wasn't hard to follow.
To deposit images into the Image Tank requires you to plug in the separate battery (no, it doesn't have one built in), push a button to turn the machine on, insert the card from which you want to transfer files and then push the 'GO' button.
It then happily transfers files onto its hard drive (which you can also partition if you so desire).
Transfer to the PC is via USB cable unfortunately so it is a bit slow if you have lots of files. I haven't attempted to transfer a large volume of data as yet, but USB is very slow compared to Firewire.
The manual (on CD) is straightforward.
I bought this instead of a digital wallet as it was far cheaper, I had read reasonable reviews on the net and needed to do somewhing about storage (it is far cheaper than buying extra CF cards - about 3.4 cents Australian per meg).
I can venture no opinion as to how robust it may be but mine came with a protective case, battery to tank power cord, car charger, mains power adapter, battery (with case) and a USB cable. The two cases are separate and would involve a fair bit of fiddling to join them together.
The various bits probably won't worry me as I tend to work out of my car and so can leave all these bits and pieces there. On the other hand, the whole kit is very lightweight and shouldn't prove a problem weight-wise, although all the cables make it fiddly.
I'm just back from a 5 week trip in Ethiopia (Africa). I had my D60 with me and wanted to shoot raw. As I only had 2*512Mb and 1*256Mb flash cards I could only do one thing before leaving : buying a storage device. I wanted to buy the Nixvue Vista but that was not on the market yet (don't know if it is now) so I bought the Digital Album.
I caried it in my backpack for 5 weeks. I traveled a lot with the public transport. You need to know that 90% of the roads there is unpaved, there is ALWAYS a lot of dust flying around (and I really mean a lot), luggage is trown on and from the roof of the busses, ... With all this in mind, I hope you understand the Digital Album really did get a serious stress test :-) But, it never failed. I could load my images on it every evening. When I came home, it nicely returned me my pictures. No problem at all. For me, this is the best proof it is a solid product and honestly, I cannot miss it anymore.
kyle wrote:
With D60's and larger file sizes I'm now having to consider temporary storage until I can get pics to a computer. I've read loads of posts on the digital wallet where some users think they are OK others think they are more trouble than they are worth.
I read this in a UK magazine and wondered if this new device (Image Tank) was any good.
I've got the Digital Wallet and have had incredible battery problems..thjey seem to charge and fizzl;e out..tried two other batteries same thing..sending the S.O.B. back..Color me a non fan of Digital Wallet. I bought an expensive laptop that I use at home and on trips...problem solved.
Not saying this to debate anyone on the merits or lack thereof regarding Digital Wallet, just relating my experience.
LM
The digital Wallet - now called the MindStor - discharges slowly if the battery is left in, even if the unit is off. Solution seems to be to disconnect the battery until you need to use it.(or recharge often)
Steve L wrote:
The digital Wallet - now called the MindStor - discharges slowly if the battery is left in, even if the unit is off. Solution seems to be to disconnect the battery until you need to use it.(or recharge often)
It hit the trash can weeks ago...lost 50 under contract pics in Arizona...end of story..never again...same goes for that blankety blank IBM 1 gig Microdrive...same thing, it plays short wave radio static when I plug it in to a card reader.
Screw'm all..good luck to the rest of you however.
LM
The digital wallet has now been updated with the new VISTA! The small battery has been changed to one with nearly twice the original capacity, and several new features have shown up as well.
Whats also interesting is that Delkin has OEM'd the device an labeled as their own. It's not cheap, but I think the combination of features is just what I'm looking for now.
I use the Nixvue Digital Album (20GB). Never has failed me once. Works flawlessly. Good support with regular firmware updates, too. I highly recommend it.
I have 2 purchase categories. Purchase for the long term (best example is lenses) and purchase to get me by (examples, D60--a 2-3 year "life" as principle camera, and memory/storage). I got the 10 gig Image Tank on email special from State Street for $227. It's not a joy to work, behold, or handle. Saw it as the cheapest way to get me by for another year or maybe two until (and if) this market/technology niche ever settles. If you can untangle the wires, it works just fine.
kyle wrote:
I read this in a UK magazine and wondered if this new device (Image Tank) was any good.
New device? I bought mine over a year ago. The best thing about it you can upgrade the HD. When I first bought it without a HD and installed a 20 Gig HD. That was my storage requirements last year when I had an E10 and needed storage for three week vacations. This year I upgraded the HD to 40 GB for $135 for my D60 photo requirement. By the way, I only shoot RAW photos and just sold on Ebay the 20 GB for $86. To me the IB is the most cost effective portable storage device out there. Has none of the extras offered by others and I really do not need the extras.
I had a Digital Wallet before the IB, nothing but headaches and the extras needed only added to the cost of owning one. Extra batteries, memory card readers and carrying case.
Must have upload over 1000 times to the IB and has never given me a problem. The only thing I wish it had was Firewire or USB 2.0. It takes over a day to download 30 GB worth of photos to my PC with USB 1.1
I had a 5gb Mindstor - it worked reliably but I ultimately I found the battey life too limiting. I replaced it with the smallest of the Sony Vaios (fits easily in standard camera bag). Since it was last years model, I got it for about 2x the price of a 20gb Mindstor, but for that I get 10x the battery life, a usable "in the field" preview screen and firewire (i-link) transfer speeds.
I have an image tank that I bought without the HD because I still had an old 4GB HD for which I suddenly had found an new use. Works perfectly is very simple to operat and very fast. Except downloading back to your pc is at USB 1.1 speed which is fast but firewire is quicker.
I'm not so sure you need the battery pack as I have enough memory for 1 day of picture taking or at least until I get back to the car. As it comes standard with a charger that works also in cars I just download once back in the car or hotel....
And the biggest advantage is that when my HD fails or I need more HD space I can just install a new one myself as it is very easy to do with the Image Tank
I bought the Plextor external burner to go along with my (older) Sony Vaio F305 where I have 4000 MB left for storage. Along with the 2 RIDATA 512 MB FlashCards it should work for me! I plan to store the images whenever it's possible and then throw away the files that are not good enough. Then I will burn two discs to have a spare one, just in case! That way I will have two sets of discs AND still the 4000 MB where I will leave the best ones. Since we rented an RV, it will not be hard to have power supply! Everything is stored in a very small case. Having the laptop gives my the option to look at my pictures right away to judge them on a bigger screen, use my camera on remote, and share them with people right away. Not to mention the fact that I rent DVD's to enjoy our nights when the kids are asleep.
Maybe an alternative for an Image Tank or Digital Wallet?
New firmware just posted for MindStor. Changes (from an e-mail from their support group):
The new 2.3 encompasses a change to the battery indicator - making it more accurate.
A fix for WinXP operating systems.
A new battery charging cycle to help charge batteries fuller.
The Jry is out... received my new model 1820 mindstore... with version 2.3. It would only charge for about 20 minutes and would not hold enough chrage to download a single card.
I saw one at microcenter yesterday. I'm not sure what brand it was but it was about 3gb and only $199. You might want to check it out. I don't think it was any of the brands mentioned.
