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09/25/2006 04:47:47 PM · #1 |
Nexto Product Page
Has anyone used this product or a similar product?
I have 3 GBs worth of CF memory for a Canon 30d (to be purchased next week) and I need more. I am going on a four day backpacking trip at the beginning of next year and am wondering whether I should buy more compact flash memory (say 8 GBs, maybe more) or a portable backup device like the one above. My understanding is that I can unload all the images on my CF cards to that device and then reformat and fill up my card again.
Any opinions out there on the topic? Which choice is the better one, portable CF capture device or more CF cards? And any specific recommendations for a Nexto-like device?
Message edited by author 2006-09-25 20:36:25.
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09/25/2006 08:36:36 PM · #2 |
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09/25/2006 09:24:28 PM · #3 |
Actually, I'm am belatedly discovering a wealth of threads on this topic. I guess maybe if anyone has a strong recommendation for any particular product, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion.
Thanks as always fine people!
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09/25/2006 09:53:39 PM · #4 |
I can't answer the question about more cards vs. a portable storage device, but I can give you my experiences with a portable storage device.
When my wife and I bought DSLRs I was afraid of running out of space while shooting, so we also got an Epson P2000.
The P2000 has a stunning screen, nearly 4 inches and 640x480 resolution. The 40gb hard drive is quite nice. My only gripes about the unit is the speed at which it downloads photos to the hard drive (slow) and the speed at which it consumes batteries (fast). My original plan was to use it when shooting events or kid's sports photos or similar. I thought I would only have 2 CF cards and have the assistant dump one while I shot on the other, then we would swap. However, if I was really shooting at a good clip I think I could fill up a card before the Epson dumped a full (1GB) card. I have not used it in the field yet.
If I had it to do over again I would probably not buy the unit, just because I don't think it's _that_ useful. 1GB cards are, what, $50 now? For the price of one of these units you could get 6-10 nice high speed CF cards. Bring along your laptop and dump them off each night and you'll be happy.
But.. if you want my P2000, I'm thinking of selling it to help finance a D200. :)
FWIW, I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, YMMV, etc. et. al. All standard disclaimers apply.
Message edited by author 2006-09-25 21:54:35.
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09/25/2006 11:48:18 PM · #5 |
I too have an Epson P2000 - awesome screen, and easy to copy images over from CF to device - then to computer. It isnt very fast at transferring - but the benefits are seeing the images on a nice size screen - big enough to know how your shots are coming out.
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09/26/2006 01:58:35 AM · #6 |
Thanks for your responses. I am not really concerned about seeing the images on a screen. It would be cool, but unnecessary for my goals in considering a unit like this. I am most concerned with having storage space to preclude the necessity of buying more compact flash.
To my thinking, I can get 3 4Gig cards for maybe 240 dollars (12 GB total) or I can order one of these 40GB units for around the same price. Lower or higher depending on the features.
Obviously speed of upload to the unit and battery life are important considerations. In fact, the most important for me. I am going to Big Bend National Park for 4 days at the turn of the year and I want to takes lots of photos, without adding a cumbersome amount of weight. I won't have access to electricity (or water) so I have to take everything I need with me (spare batteries, etc.).
I have read elsewhere that the Epson units are slow (but tres cool). So they are out for me. Too expensive anyway. Check out this graph of download speeds...
Portable Backup Device Speed Charts on dpreview.com
That chart was what got me interested in the Nexto, but I'm sure there are plenty of products not on the list. Hyperdrive sounds intriguing too. Probably the most I would want to spend would be the mid 200s
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09/26/2006 02:18:08 AM · #7 |
| I bought the Archos GMini 400 for the purpose of emptying my CF cards, but I have to admit I use it more as an Ipod for watching my concert DVDs and listening to my CDs as I am currently spending about 5 hours a week in airports/planes. And I absolutely LOVE it!!! |
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09/26/2006 05:25:52 AM · #8 |
| I have a Vosonic X's-Drive VP3320 (40GB). It's a bit slow, but gives me a lot more memory. Also works very well as a MP3 player and portable hard drive. |
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09/26/2006 07:26:12 AM · #9 |
It seems to me that a pile of CF cards is a heck of a lot smaller and lighter than one of those. CF cards need no extra batteries and no fiddling about wasting time. CF seems to be very reliable and has no moving parts unlike a hard-drive. You can drop a CF card and it̢۪ll be fine, but I wouldn̢۪t give good odds on a hard-drive surviving. If a CF goes wrong you only lose what̢۪s on that card, if a hard drive goes duff you could lose the lot. All in all a portable storage device seems like just another thing to go wrong and another thing to carry. A year or two ago they made sense but with the price of CF today I question their value for most circumstances.
Edit to add another thought: Backpacking is probably the worst circumstance for a hard drive. Vibration, knocks, humidity, rain, dust, dirt, nowhere to charge it up, variable temperatures, if it’s cold the batteries will struggle. Hmmmâ€Â¦ I have considered these devices myself on occasion, but I’ve just talked myself out of it :-)
Mike
Message edited by author 2006-09-26 07:36:58. |
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09/26/2006 07:32:25 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by guroos:
I bought the Archos GMini 400 for the purpose of emptying my CF cards, but I have to admit I use it more as an Ipod for watching my concert DVDs and listening to my CDs as I am currently spending about 5 hours a week in airports/planes. And I absolutely LOVE it!!! |
I have the Archos AV600 60GB - I agree that multipurpose is v cool! The Archos units have built in video decoders and act as hard drive recorders. It has replaced my video recorder bacause it outputs widescreen broadcast standard video to my tv, allows me to watch recorded progs on the move, and it also serves as a mini tv in the spare room. Not the cheapest though, and not as high res a screen as the P2000.
I am off to China later this year for a couple of weeks and think that 60GB is a realistic amount of storage to maintain on the road for somewhere interesting, as I plan to stick to RAW + small JPEG. I guess that I will fill 3-5 Gigs a day without too much difficulty.
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09/26/2006 07:47:44 AM · #11 |
I would have to agree with Mike. The CF cards would be lighter, you would only lose a limited amount if something went wrong (God forbid it did)and you could carry quite a number in your pocket.
If you are backpacking - you don't want to be carrying heaps of extra gear (one of the downfalls of digital). I think you would have enough problems just keeping your camera battery charged without worrying about another thing that requires power. |
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09/26/2006 09:21:10 AM · #12 |
You could also go this route if you have a newer ipod and your camera is compatible:
Apple iPod digital camera adapter |
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