Hey folks, I'm going to buy an HD80 ( possibly, an 40Gb unit... being serious, my biggest photoshoots reach 3Gb over a weekend... 40 is already overkill, and I could use the extra 100 dollars to get myself a much needed tablet... 40Gb would allow me to stay a whole month away shooting raw, because I usually reach a bit uder 2Gb a day, so, it will do nicelly ).
But meanwhile, that was his comments. Between the Wolverine and P-2000, in his opinion, every single wolverine unit he buys for a client, is a sure return to BH for replacement, and maybe a 3rd trip for replacement. The regular AA batteries are a plus for me. Not due to recharging and all, but because they are very likelly to die when I am shooting in a beach, and the only thing I can get my hands on, is walking into a local supermarket and buying a 4-pack of alcaline AA batteries
I'm trusting you all that I won't regret this purchase
I suggest buying an empty HD80. Drive installation and upgrades are easy and a drive purchased separately will likely have better warranty and service options.
I suggest buying an empty HD80. Drive installation and upgrades are easy and a drive purchased separately will likely have better warranty and service options.
EB
EB, thanks, but the 40GB drive for around 50 dollars is a far better deal than I could pay for a notebook HD in Brazil ( starting at 150 dollars in stores, I checked ). I MAY eventually get the 80GB or 60GB ones, but being objective, the 40Gb is the best deal for me It's affordable and cover my current and near-future needs. But being able to upgrade in the future, is a big bonus for me
I'm planning a 6-week asia trip with my 5d. Has anyone experienced any difficulties with their microdrive over a long term use? I feel awfully nervious about relying on this device holding all my photo info. Please comment.
I've been using the HD80 and its predecessor, PD7X for over a year now. Both units have been very reliable.
However, if you are worried about reliablility, you might want to consider 2 units, one as the backup to the other. The chances of both units going bad are extremely low. You are more likely to have them stolen.
The electronics may be very simple, and the firmware, very reliable. Just keep in mind tho, that any solution will have Notebook HDs or microdrives inside, and those react badly to hard impacts, drops, water coming in, snow, and those kinds of hazard
I can say it's hard to wait for an incoming payment when you are this eager to put your hands on the item right now Everytime I think about it, April sounds so far away,
Has anybody else had their HD80 be very picky about what batteries it uses? Mine works OK with the Sharp rechargeables that came with it, as long as they are fully charged. But I get an Error 20 with plain old AAs I bought at the drug store, and with other brand (powerex I think), fully charged rechargeable 2500mah AAs.
I emailed Hyperdrive, and they were very responsive, but basically said I should just use their batteries.
I'm worried the unit might not work with anything other than their batteries fully charged - which they won't be after a few transfers.
I haven't done many tests yet (i.e., running down their batteries, buying several different brands of drugstore AAs, freshly recharging the Powerex 2500mah AAs, trying all of those batteries after running them down a bit, etc.), and I know I need to do those before saying there's anything wrong with the unit, but since I saw this thread, was just interested to see if anybody else had experienced any issues like this so that I could bypass all the boring tests. Heck, I'd rather work on my pictures!
I have been using three types of NiMH rechargeables, Powerex, Sanyo, and Maha. I haven't had any problems interchanging them in the HD80. I haven't tried alkalines. The key is to have NiMH fully charged when you start.
sjms wrote:
there is a high input current when it starts up so you need to have a high current capable nimh battery set.
that's interesting. Do you know how I would go about finding some more batteries that have high current capabilities? (Besides buying the same exact type of batteries.)
It seems like since they're advertising the thing to work with "AA" batteries, it ought to at least work for a few downloads off copper tops. Luckily, I mostly have access to AC power so it's not a big issue. And like everybody says, it's darn fast.
you guys might not like this - I looked up the street address for Hyperdrive's distributor, which turns out to be down the street from my work. It's a residential condo complex...
fourfa wrote:
you guys might not like this - I looked up the street address for Hyperdrive's distributor, which turns out to be down the street from my work. It's a residential condo complex...
Not sure that it makes any difference.
You actually confirm what I considered, that it was someone selling some 100 units per month from home, untill they are big enough to invest more in the business, or something like that. Otherwise, why wouldn't you find the HD80 on B&H and other photography stores?
But as long as they are reliable ( which is not really related to size, more towards commitment ), I don't see a problem.
fourfa wrote:
you guys might not like this - I looked up the street address for Hyperdrive's distributor, which turns out to be down the street from my work. It's a residential condo complex...
Not sure that it makes any difference.
yep, right down the road from Moffat Field off of 101. what did you expect some gleeming chrome and windowed tower in the middle of of silicon valley? they are a 1(at least here and now) product company as you said running out of their garage. you know just like apple and MS (or should i say trafodata corp as its roots are) along with countless others did when they started. the picture of the Ningbo innov center in China is a place where they probably have their design office about the size of the place in sunnyvale too and the total staff is 2-3 people along with 200-300 other dreamers and doers. these are people who have what they feel is a better idea and are acting on it (unlike more then a few whiners and experts on these forums here). they are trying to get it out there. they are probably working with friends here in the US to give better distribution because of the demand we have created.
Heck, I'd rather work on my pictures!