DVD vs CD for Photo Storage

[campinggal]

I should know this but I don't so I'm going to post this to my favorite DIS photo experts!

When it comes to storing photos- having them saved multiple places is the way to go. That I get. However, what is the best method for disk storage? DVD? CD? Read/Write or just Read? Or does it simply come down to how many photos per disk you want to store?

Thanks for the insight!

 

[poconoboatniks]

I'm new to digital photography and was wondering the samething.

Poconoboatniks

 

[safetymom]

I save them to CD, then DVD and I have them on a backup hard drive. Even if you burn them to a CD you should keep up with the technology. You should reburn your images every couple of years to whatever the latest and greatest new technology.

That way in years to come you will still be able to view the images. Anyone still have a 5 1/4 floppy drive in their computer?

Burn one cd or dvd and put it away somewhere, then burn another copy for everyday use. Treat your images like they were precious negatives because they are.

 

[YEKCIM]

FWIW, here's what I do...

When I shoot a ton of shots, like on trips to Mickey's World, I first download all the shots to my PC; then I select and edit, if necessary, the ones I want to print. I burn those to a CD, then off to the StuffMart to have my prints made. Once done, I file the CD of the "keepers" at home. Periodically, I also back up all my pix to a DVD, as they hold so many more images. I keep this "archive" copy in my safe deposit box at our local bank branch, "just in case". I'm also contemplating a USB external hard drive, primarily to store digital photos. As it stands at present, I have three copies of the really important shots:

Hard Drive (all pix)
CD (just the good ones)
DVD (all pix)

~YEKCIM

 

[campinggal]

Thanks for the insights into what each of you do. Good food for thought.

I currently have my pics on my harddrive, on a offsite web storage place and also on CD stored in my office at work. I'm just looking for something a bit more streamlined than burning onto a CD all the time. A USB external storage might be my next aquisition!

Love to hear other storage tips so if you do something different or have a strong preference on how to store digital photos- I'd love to hear more!

 

[YEKCIM]

One nice thing about external hard drive is portability, which means you can use it (I assume...) between multiple PC's.

BTW, I wish I could claim credit for the "burn the good ones to CD and then take to the StuffMart to print" idea, but I can't. We were in a late night line at POC, discussing various topics with a couple from NY, as I recall, and one of them suggested that approach. Leave it to WDW fanatics!

~YEKCIM

 

[Dan Murphy]

http://www.maxtorsolutions.com/en/catalog/OTIII_USB/


http://www.buy.com/retail/product.a...42869&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15889

Automated daily, or as needed, backups. I have the Maxtor II, and I think it is great, backs up by itself while I sleep.

 

[manning]

I live in the Chicago area and get a chance to listen to a WGN radio show every Wednesday night that has several computer experts on. One night I asked a question about recording music from vinyl to CD (it uses the same media as pictures, CD/DVD).

I got some unexpected advice. Don't throw away the vinyl, it will out last the CD/DVD. I haven't researched it but if you have negatives I would maybe consider not throwing out the negatives.

At least about every five years or so I will review the CD/DVD to see how they are holding up and re-burn them.

 

[mhutchinson]

I got some unexpected advice. Don't throw away the vinyl, it will out last the CD/DVD.

CDs have been found to have a limited shelf life. DVDs have been shown to last longer, but no one has come out with 'for how long'. The do make archival quality DVDs which do have an expressed warranty period, if you don't want to keep checking and find out there is a problem after it happens.

Mike

 

[jann1033]

maybe a little ot but a friend of mine who sells computer stuff recommended we just get a laptop instead of the external hard drive...other than the difference in price vs a laptop( which seems like a big one to me) , is there any advantage to the external hard drive?

 

[safetymom]

Yes the cd's and dvd's have a limited life but that is why you should burn 2 copies of it. Put one of them away. Also hard drives are nice for storage but they have been known to fail so you should save your images several ways.

 

[mhutchinson]

is there any advantage to the external hard drive?

An external drive is actually more portable and easier to interface with other PCs. You can pick up a highly reliable 250GB external hard drive for about $125....can't touch a laptop for that little and I wish I could get storage for that price with the systems I support at work... Also for less than a laptop you could pick up a terabyte of external storage (1,000 GB), think of all those pics of the Castle.

The external drive is more isolated from the internal drives, and if only used when needed and not constantly attached are less likely to pick up a virus.

As far as recoverability, you can recover data from a crashed drive easily..the vendor is usually willing to help with this.

BTW with the right software and hardware you can even recover data that as been deleted and overwritten (and not just once). So if you ever get rid of a drive that at one time had sensitive data on it, send it to licensed and bonded shredder....or just destroy it yourself.

Mike

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

I just bought an external USB hard drive with a built in 7 in 1 card reader for my last trip. It worked flawlessly. Each night I popped the memory stick in to transfer that day's photos over, then reformatted the card. When I got home, plugged it into the PC and it showed up as my N: drive with all my pix. It was handy to bring over to my mother's to show her the trip photos-just plugged in the USB cord and there it was under "my computer." I'm sure I'll use it as an extra backup when not travelling, so I feel it was a good buy for me.

 

[jann1033]

I just bought an external USB hard drive with a built in 7 in 1 card reader for my last trip. It worked flawlessly. Each night I popped the memory stick in to transfer that day's photos over, then reformatted the card. When I got home, plugged it into the PC and it showed up as my N: drive with all my pix. It was handy to bring over to my mother's to show her the trip photos-just plugged in the USB cord and there it was under "my computer." I'm sure I'll use it as an extra backup when not travelling, so I feel it was a good buy for me.

that sounds great but leads me to another question

why print out all your pics? usually i just store them and look at them on the computer...so why do some actually print them out? ( unless obviously you are giving a copy to someone, scrapbook etc)is there a reason?

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

I don't really print out many of my pictures. I think I printed around 30 of our 2005 trip's 700. We put them in my son's autograph book next to the signature of the character in the picture. I do think it's nice to print out some for framing or photo albums, or to show to friends at work or similar-there is a nice feeling holding a physical object in your hands. I still much prefer holding a book or magazine to reading text from a screen for some reason. Having said that, with digital I take more pictures and it's just cost prohibitive to print out more than a "few" favorites. I know that "few" is different for different people!

 

[JR6ooo4]

that sounds great but leads me to another question

why print out all your pics? usually i just store them and look at them on the computer...so why do some actually print them out? ( unless obviously you are giving a copy to someone, scrapbook etc)is there a reason?

Well, if someone has to sit down ot your computer (or theirs to view on line) just to see the pics it is not as convenient. But a picture on the wall is available for viewing at any moment. Then you can show the rest on the computer if they are interested.

Most of my prints are on my office walls.

Mikeeee

ps I do not print all the pics though. just my favorites.

 

[jann1033]

Well, if someone has to sit down ot your computer (or theirs to view on line) just to see the pics it is not as convenient. But a picture on the wall is available for viewing at any moment. Then you can show the rest on the computer if they are interested.

Most of my prints are on my office walls.

Mikeeee

ps I do not print all the pics though. just my favorites.

i totally agree about the quality of touching something tangible.. i misunderstood and thought some printed all out as an additional safe guard or something. i print the ones i like best or for give aways or something too but i think I'm getting neurotic about storing them

 

[mhutchinson]

My co-workers are always glad when I print of a dozen or two instead of giving them the 1200 picture slide show...

 

[JR6ooo4]

i totally agree about the quality of touching something tangible.. i misunderstood and thought some printed all out as an additional safe guard or something. i print the ones i like best or for give aways or something too but i think I'm getting neurotic about storing them

hehehe, ya that would be a laaaaaarrrrge printing bill!

Mikeeee