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09/08/2005 01:04:49 PM · #1 |
I'm going to be spending 3 weeks in Rome to visit my family over Christmas and New Year's and want to be able to take more pics than my storage cards will allow.
I have a couple of questions that might seem a bit ignorant but here it goes:
I've seen some different companies offering portable drives, such as Iomega, Smartdisc, Wolverine, Nikon, etc. with sizes ranging from like 10GB up to 100GB.
What I'm a bit confused abous it the power source and how they are used. Some seem to be geared more for photography, with an LCD display to cycle through pics. Others don't. For me that's a secondary concern as long as the thing is realiable and my pics are safe.
Second, I see some of them say the are "Bus powered". Does this mean that to be used, they have to be hooked up to your PC via a USB cable? Can you take a Bus powered HD out in the field? Do I need to be looking for one that runs on batteries?
I'm going to be using this thing while walking around the streets for the most part, and won't necessarily have access to a computer while I'm there or at least sparingly.
So I need a portable drive about 40 to 60GB I guess that I can either attach directly to the D70, or maybe better to a USB powered Card Reader like a Jump Shot cable by Lexar.
If you have any suggestions or experience with certain models, I'd appreciate the advice. My main concern is how to transfer the images without being hooked to a computer, and the power source.
Thanks! |
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09/08/2005 01:13:55 PM · #2 |
Steves digicams has some reviews of portable image storage devices here: (//www.steves-digicams.com/digi_accessories.html#storage), or maybe google about a bit. I'm sure some of them have batteries inbuilt.
P |
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09/08/2005 01:17:22 PM · #3 |
There are quite a few options.
Bus powered can refer to recharging ability through the USB port, as well as being the sole power supply. If it has a battery, you'll be fine.
LCD displays are quite useful, but they do not help a lot with editing choices as they do not tend to include a histogram function (I think that the Epson devices may be an exception: they are designed primarily for photography, have a high res screen RAW file reading and histogram functions).
Transfer is usually achieved by compact flash reader installed on the device - you insert the CF card in the side and press a button or two to transfer files.
Options include:
Epson P2000
//www.dpreview.com/news/0410/04101203epson_p2000.asp
[Expensive with gorgeous screen]
Xs Drive (variety of drives)
//www.xs-drive.com/
[cheaper options]
iPod photo
//www.apple.com/ipod/color/
[slow transfer speeds, primarily for music still]
Archos multimedia
//www.archos.com/products/fam_photo_video.html
[more expensive, has standalone tv recorder functions on some devices (AV400 series)]
Personally, I like my Archos AV420, which has a fast CF Card read speed (1GB in just over a minute), switchable battery, decent screen, and I use it as a TV/video recorder when I am not using it in the field. But it is only 20GB (there are 40GB and 100GB versions available, though quite expensive).
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09/08/2005 01:22:25 PM · #4 |
Funny you should mention it... I've been using my new 40GB Wolverine FlashPac 7k for a little over a week now and it ROCKS. I had previously been toting around my 8lb laptop for offloading. The Wolverine is almost the exact same shape and weight of an iPod, has a fantastic battery life (due to a lack of photo preview and color screen, neither of which is important to me), and was half the cost of any of the other options out there (less than $200 from B&H INCLUDING shipping). My only complaint is that it's a touch on the slow side, with only a 4500RPM drive, but I can still easilly copy out my entire 1GB CF card while I'm shooting with my 256MB card and not worry about getting backlogged. You would have to get used to reformatting the CF card in the camera each time, though. ;) Oh, and I forgot to mention... It even shows up with a really handy belt pouch! I need to get my hands on a real iPod, though -- I'm tempted to pick up one of their new flip cases, but I need to check just how close the two devices are in size first.
-Jake
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09/08/2005 02:03:07 PM · #5 |
Thanks so much for this thread! Just what I have been looking for. Found this at eBay....269.95 for 80GB is good, no?
Media Buddy Listing
Looking at another one for $199...
X Drive
And the best I found for $168
Image Tank
Message edited by author 2005-09-08 14:25:35.
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09/08/2005 03:03:20 PM · #6 |
| Thanks for the replies. I'll check out all those options. I think the main features I need are a power supply that will work away from a computer, capacity and speed. LCD I can live without. I've got the one on the camera and that will be enough. If I can find one that plugs right into a card or uses a CF reader, great. |
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09/08/2005 03:10:39 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by rscorp:
If I can find one that plugs right into a card or uses a CF reader, great. |
Pretty much every option listed has a CF card reader within it.
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