Portable Storage: Creative Zen Vision?

[Sonno]

Hello all.

So I've been looking into a solution for my storage problem. I'd like to have something to download my CF cards to at the end of the day. Of course the easy answer is get a laptop. I plan to, but I'm waiting til next year when Windows Vista comes out. So, in the mean time, there are other options to consider.

I've been looking at the Zen Vision made by Creative. It looks like it'll handle my needs quite nicely for the time being. The only question I have is, will I be able to save my RAW files to it? That and whatever else you all who have had experience with this thing can tell me would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if there are other better alternitives out there, please let me know!
Thanks.

 

[Sonno]

One of these things:

 

[boBQuincy]

With the way CF cards have been dropping in price I still can't justify buying a storage device. Memory cards are still more expensive and probably will be for some time but for the $400 the Zen costs we could get maybe 20GB of CF cards.

Zen and others use a laptop drive or microdrive for storage, although they are reliable they are not very rugged and are a lot more likely to fail in the field than a solid state memory device.

There are other reasons for buying a storage device, like previewing your images, but a low end laptop hardly costs any more and has a much larger screen.

Just my thoughts on this, I still carry a very small laptop when I need more than my cards will hold (not often).


boB

 

[0bli0]

there are benefits to a a device like the Zen Vision. of course there is the photo storage benefit. i carry a similar device (Epson P2000) and generally offload images in the field/at the park/etc. and do the same again onto a laptop at the hotel/at home. cards can be lost, accidentally formatted, or (rarely) fail. it's an extra piece of mind. it's also great for letting family and friends view photos - all of the photos from the day as well as photos from other occasions.
a device like this is also great for watching movies - at the airport, on the plane, on a train.
lastly, they are portable hard drives. they are good for storing other files, install files to use in business centres and copy shops, and numerous other things.

i also have an ipod which acts as a portable hard drive, but is not very good at all for movies and you can't offload cards. i have laptops as well, but they aren't always practical to use - especially somewhere like a park.
i actually bought a Zen Vision in Singapore when they came out - the first one died a day or two and the replacement one had stuck pixels. so i returned it and purchased something else. the menu structure was definitely better than my P2000, but it didn't support raw (offload only) and i was unfortunate with the units i had in my possesion.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

http://www.inoi.com/English/hd182.asp i use this. i got it last year after i found out the cost to put pictures from CF card to CD at WDW was. OUCH it has a 20 gig hard drive and is great. pictures at the lowest setting on a canon rebel XT work great as desktops and for printing. we took almost 4000 pics in 2005. we even use it at nascar races. just trying to get the focus better for nite races. we got it at best buy for $200

 

[Sonno]

So no RAW storage on the Zen Vision? That stinks, I was going to use it as a portable jukebox after I buy a laptop next year. Ohh well, I guess I'll keep looking.

The Inoi looks pretty cool!

 

[0bli0]

when the jobo Giga Vu Evolution comes out, it will be a device worth looking at, according to everyone who saw it at pma. the specs look very promising.

 

[jann1033]

http://www.inoi.com/English/hd182.asp i use this. i got it last year after i found out the cost to put pictures from CF card to CD at WDW was. OUCH it has a 20 gig hard drive and is great. pictures at the lowest setting on a canon rebel XT work great as desktops and for printing. we took almost 4000 pics in 2005. we even use it at nascar races. just trying to get the focus better for nite races. we got it at best buy for $200

2 questions

1)how would this be different than an external harddrive? ( which I saw for $ 70 for lots of gb)

2) you can down load cf cards to the Zen then transfer to disc or computer later?( trying to wade through this on cnet) husband wants an mp3 player and we were trying to determine if something like this would be suitable for both, picture storage for vacations and mp3( keep putting mp"s" player ) or if it is better to just get 2 devices
thanks

 

[Kelly Grannell]

the cheapest way is to buy the following:

1. card reader
2. USB OTG bridge
3. HDD

you transfer everything from your flash media as-is to the HDD vis the OTG bridge. Simple, cheap, reliable. (maybe about US$100 for the whole shebang with 40 Gb HDD)

 

[jann1033]

the cheapest way is to buy the following:

1. card reader
2. USB OTG bridge
3. HDD

you transfer everything from your flash media as-is to the HDD vis the OTG bridge. Simple, cheap, reliable. (maybe about US$100 for the whole shebang with 40 Gb HDD)

got the card reader in my possesion and the hdd is... hard drive device? hairy dimpled diva? honestly digitally dense? ( that would be me ) figure the otg bridge is some kind of usb cord.....oh holy snikey really no idea? are you speaking Canadian by any chance?

 

[Kelly Grannell]

OTG USB bridge can be viewed here:
http://cooldrives.stores.yahoo.net/usb-otg-adapter.html

HDD = Hard Disk Drive

Hairy Dimpled Diva would be me (ewwwww!)

 

[spoon2003]

Have you dealt with Cooldrives.com? The OTG USB bridge is showing a significant price decrease, just wondering if it's too good to be true? I'm always looking for a bargain but hesitate when bargain seems too good

Don't want to bring laptop on vacation next month so thinking this bridge will enable downloading from memory cards.

Thanks

Sue

 

[Kelly Grannell]

it's not a significant price decrease, that's the regular street price if you go to Costco, Sam's Club or Wally's (Wal Mart). Their original price is the price if you go to the likes of Rat Shack (Radio Shack).

 

[Anewman]

So no RAW storage on the Zen Vision? That stinks, I was going to use it as a portable jukebox after I buy a laptop next year. Ohh well, I guess I'll keep looking.

The Inoi looks pretty cool!

I maybe wrong(its a habbit), but I it does "RAW storage" but not display.

IMO for about $100 more(out the door) you can get a Celeron/Sempron laptop.

I also purchased a 2gb CF card today, $43 out the door(including tax).

 

[Kelly Grannell]

2GB CF for $43 is darn cheap! What make and speed?

PS: The Zen does accept RAW files, just NOT CAPABLE of displaying it.

 

[Anewman]

2GB CF for $43 is darn cheap! What make and speed?

PS: The Zen does accept RAW files, just NOT CAPABLE of displaying it.

Brand = PQI
Speed(advertised) = 60X
Store = Frys

Purchased for my 15(turns 16 on Sunday) daughter.
I also purchased an Epson RX500 all in one printer for $59(plus tax) out the door for my mother.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

sigh, not available for Canadians. I'll have to settle with the $63 Sandisk Ultra II from eBay

 

[Anewman]

I am not sure if Outpost ships to Canada.
But if you search "2gb PQI" on the Outpost website, they list it at $37.99($2 lower than in the store).

 

[Sonno]

sigh, not available for Canadians. I'll have to settle with the $63 Sandisk Ultra II from eBay

Well Kelly hon, if you need something bought and shipped to ya I'd be more than happy to oblige.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Thanks Sonno, but I already clicked BIN on eBay just before reading your post. Oh well. Again, thank you.

PS: I called my teacher and he said it's easy (for him) to take the Pentaprism out but it'll take time (about an 40 mins to an hour) and a service manual for somebody who never repaired a camera to do it. He'd done some Pentaprism extractions here in Canada and usually charges $20. He recommends you to just buy (or try finding on the net) the service manual and do it yourself.