Portable storage device for RAW files?

[annnewjerz]

I've been thinking about buying a portable storage device to take with me and back-up my RAW files on during trips because the laptop is just more than I want to travel with in addition to all of my photo gear.

B&H has a bunch, some are just storage and some are storage & viewers.

I'm getting them to a) back-up my files in case my memory cards are damaged/lost/stolen and b) empty a memory card or two onto in case I run out of space while on the trip.

Does anyone have any experience using these? If so, do you think it's a worthwhile purchase and do you have a particular brand/model you recommend? The Epson P-Series are nice, but I'm not sure I need something that pricey.

Thanks!
Ann

 

[JoeDif]

http://www.wolverinedata.com/index.php/site/quicklinks/C13/

This is an alternative option to Epson, but I don't know much about the company or their products.

 

[cpbjgc]

I have a Hyperdrive. It works great, and in a pinch can be used as a portable USB drive. I highly recommend it, especially for travel.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've never used one, but I'm thinking about getting a Hyperdrive.

 

[annnewjerz]

I have a Hyperdrive. It works great, and in a pinch can be used as a portable USB drive. I highly recommend it, especially for travel.

I've never used one, but I'm thinking about getting a Hyperdrive.

What models do you have/are you looking at?

Colorspace UDMA, Colorspace portable O, Colorspace, Colorspace that also serves as an iPAD hard drive? All seem to get good reviews places like B&H.

 

[cpbjgc]

I have the Colorspace UDMA (the link I had in my message is the exact one I have).

 

[GrillMouster]

I haven't used any of those portable backup devices, but I've heard from others that you should really thing about how fast they read (you don't want to spend an eternity waiting for it to backup) and how long they'll last on a single charge.

Using one for onsite backup in addition to the cards is fine, but using one to unload your cards so you can reuse them is a leap of faith I'm not willing to take. I don't even format my CF cards until I've verified that the RAW files aren't corrupt. I do that by viewing the images in LR or some program that actually opens the RAW file, not just the jpg preview written into the RAW file.

Have you considered a cheap netbook with an external drive?

 

[annnewjerz]

Using one for onsite backup in addition to the cards is fine, but using one to unload your cards so you can reuse them is a leap of faith I'm not willing to take.

This is exactly what I want to use them for...onsite backup in addition to the cards at the end of the day while I'm getting ready for bed, etc. I have so many SD cards that realistically, I can't imagine needing to format one of them to reuse during a trip...I just listed that as something that in a pinch, I'd like to have the device for.

I most definitely wouldn't make using, formatting and continuing to shoot with my SD cards standard practice, because then I'd be in the same spot with one copy of my files and no back-up. I'm just trying to take extra precautions to make sure my vacation memories don't get lost, because with my luch...that would happen sooner or later.

Have you considered a cheap netbook with an external drive?

I have and I'm not 100% sold on the idea yet. To find a netbook it's not extremely expensive, but still more expensive than the stand-alone data device. Add on an external hard drive and it's even more expensive still. Cost isn't the main reason (ease when traveling is), but it's still a factor. I have two computers, an iPAD and two smartphones at home, so really no reason to get a netbook other than backing up my photos once or twice a year when I shoot such large quantities, so I'm not sure I want the expense.

 

[cpbjgc]

On the Netbook front, I had considered whether to get one instead of the Hyperdrive. The problems I had with the netbook at the time were:

1. Most won't take CF cards, so I needed a card reader to back up or would need to connect the camera to the netbook to download;
2. There were issues with RAW viewers working properly on netbooks (at the time, that may well be resolved now);
3. Didn't need another computer - already had a desktop and laptop;
4. I was travelling to an area where the netbook would not be of much use and would take to much space for us.​

The Hyperdrive is fast for backing up and has pretty good batttery life. Also, as it also operates as an external hardrive, it is easy to transfer your pics onto your main computer when you return. For me it worked and continues to work great, but as we all know, YMMV.

 

[GrillMouster]

Since you mention having an iPad already, check out the Hyperdrive iPad Hard Drive. It will do what you're looking for as a standalone unit, AND it also will connect to the iPad (if you bring your ipad with you and you'd like to view on a larger screen).