Portable photo storage devices?

[Tritz]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi folks,

 

I'm going on long voyage around the globe and I'm planning to take a lot of pictures (about 200-400GB or so). Now I don't feel like lugging around a laptop. I've previously seen small boxes that contain a hard disk and a sd card slot, where the idea is that you put your sd card in, it copies everything to the hard disk, and then you can use the sd card again.

 

But I don't know how these things are called. Which makes it hard to find a list of them online to compare them, etc.

 

Can somebody tell me what they are called, exactly?

 

Thanks!

[henby]

Usually known as storage tanks I think. Check out NextoDI for their units. They're some of the fastest and most straight forward units. There's also the Epsom ones, like the P7000 with full colour screen etc.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Tritz]

Thanks. This seems to be a dying breed of devices - your suggested devices are 3+ years old, with high prices to match.

 

What it the usual thing people use nowadays?

 

I'm tempted to just buy a macbookair11 and sell it again after the trip...

 

Thanks for any further suggestions!

[Fang]

I'm tempted to just buy a macbookair11 and sell it again after the trip...

 

Hi Tritz,

 

Unfortunately, Mac Air 11 will not store 200-400Gb of data. I always travel with my MacBook Air 11 together with eternal hard disk of 500g and ethernet port cable (there are hotels with no wi-fi in the rooms). I am now looking into storing my images immediately into a dropbox or any cloud storage facillities - just in case I loose my hard disk or worst camera and stuff.

 

Mac Air 11 inch is a my choice since I will view and process the images with Lightroom 4 during the long wait in the Airport lounges and Train Stations; and also the opportunity to share my photos with friends almost immediately.

 

You may find that after returning home, you may find it rather difficult to process 400Gb of images for a couple of months.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Fang

[Jeff S]

I recommend the Sanho Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA 2, available with various amounts of storage. 500GB runs about $500.

 

This is a review of the older discontinued model.

 

By the way, if you search this site for portable storage devices you'll see dozens of threads with lots of ideas. If I had a MacBook Air, I'd just add an external drive instead of using the Hyperdrive.

 

Jeff

Edited August 28, 2012 by Jeff S

[sanyasi]

I haven't used the Hyperdrive, but have read good things about it. I have used an older Epson model, which was really expensive for you got at the time. I also used a Wolverine.

 

I would give serious consideration to a Mac Air 11 inch with a small portable hard drive. It should cost around $1,300 U.S., which is considerable more than you will pay for the type of device you are thinking about. Nevertheless, for the money, I think the Mac Air 11 is a much better value.

 

If you want the full range of portable storage devices, search portable storage device on the BH Photo website. The Foci and the Jobo are also possibilities.

[algrove]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I have used the NextoDi devices and cannot recommend them as they did not work for me. Thank gosh, I never deleted or reused my SD cards so I was OK.

 

Then I got the Toughtech Duo Raid 1 device where you can put any 2.5" drives in it for redundant backup. They are OK, but weight too much for me even without drives inside.

 

So what do I use now. I take two 480GB SSD drives from OWC and put them in their little plastic cases where both weigh like .25 kilos. I get all redundancy I want too. So I only reuse an SD card once I need to (based on how many SD cards you take along).

 

One problem. You need a computer for all of the above external devices. If your trip lasts a long time don't you want to have a computer for internet use, email, record keeping, LR, etc?

[Tritz]

Well the macbook air 11 was just updated and you can now order it with an internal flash ssd drive of 256 or 512GB. A bit pricey, but imagine that you have to only carry 1kg and have all that data with you.

 

I expect the macbook air to lose about 400$ in value after 2 months. With the other devices, there isn't much on a market on ebay, so I don't think I could sell it easily. So this makes the mac route sound even better.

 

The other suggested devices look interesting, too, though. Thanks, keep 'em coming! :-)

Edited August 28, 2012 by Tritz

[dugby]

Hi, I too am about to go on a long voyage with no desire to bring laptop nor spends hours uploading into the cloud.

 

Previous trips I used a Vosonic VP6210 ( has a very small LCD display) but uses old/slow/small IDE hard drives, which can be susceptible to head crashes when traveling.

 

 

So I've just bought a Sanho Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA with a 256GB SSD (solid state disk), purchased separately and then assembled myself which is by far cheaper than buying a combination (just remember to re-align the blocks before using). It uses Sata3 disks, either hard drives or SSD.

 

Be careful to chose the UDMA version of the Hyperdrive and NOT the Apple iPad version......

 

 

I tested RAW M9 dng files in the Hyperdrive , and these display perfectly.

 

Another great feature of the Sanho is the "incremental" backup, .... it knows just to backup "new" images from a memory card that has existing photos, that were already backed up on the Hyperdrive.

Edited August 28, 2012 by dugby
Fun

[vanhulsenbeek]

Such a device is just one (costly) back-up disk. After many years, since 2005, I have decided to take a Macbbok Air 11" with me and two back-up disks. The back-up disks are carried by travel companion(s). Plus, I have a stack of SD-cards, that also serve as back-up. Perfectly happy with this. I can have a , good, look at my photo's (LR$) without having to sift through all thousands. Send home, post on Blog and FB etc, in good quality to my liking.

[pragmatist]

Just wondering if an Ipad would be any good for you?

[vanhulsenbeek]

Just wondering if an Ipad would be any good for you?

 

Not for a long journey with Leica files at 18Mb at least: not enough storage!

[Guest Wolfgang Sch]

200 GB - 400GB means far more than 10 000 Images. Only shot and store seems very unefficient to me . A Macbook Air for example allows comfortable the most importent processing in digital photography: deleting images amd that during the journey.

[MarkP]

I would strongly recommend the Hyperdrive.

Bought one without a hard drive and I added a high quality 500GB drive myself.

 

Size of an iPod on steroids.

Excellent rechargable battery life.

Very fast uploads & downloads.

Crap screen (not good enough for editing) but enough to navigate & preview images.

 

Never had a problem with it.

Edited August 28, 2012 by MarkP

[sanyasi]

Well the macbook air 11 was just updated and you can now order it with an internal flash ssd drive of 256 or 512GB. A bit pricey, but imagine that you have to only carry 1kg and have all that data with you.

 

I expect the macbook air to lose about 400$ in value after 2 months. With the other devices, there isn't much on a market on ebay, so I don't think I could sell it easily. So this makes the mac route sound even better.

 

The other suggested devices look interesting, too, though. Thanks, keep 'em coming! :-)

 

In looking at the Mac Air 11 I have thought about the 512GB of storage, but solid state drive storage gets really expensive. I think going to 512GB adds at least $500 US to the cost.

 

You can now buy these portable hard drives that are about the size of a deck of cards for $100 to $150--they hold 1TB. There is a downside, however. When the hard drive is in the computer, you can use the computer's battery. When the hard drive is external, you need a power outlet, at least if you are accessing the data on the drive.

 

I view the Air's internal memory as useful for the programs you keep on the Air and e-mail, etc. The machine is not built for heavy lifting that comes with RAW files. Even 512GB isn't that much.

 

I've used an iPad for backup twice. I don't anymore. I love the iPad, but it simply isn't there yet in terms of RAW files. The process is cumbersome and slow. Plus, it also suffers from small levels of memory. It's too bad, because with the Retina display, the iPad could be the perfect road device for photographers.

[MarkP]

I should add that I also take my wife's entry level 2010 11-inch MBA. Adequate for storage and basic LR3/4. When travelling, the Hyperdrive and MBA were in separate luggage in case one was lost/stolen. Also kept the data on SD cards which are now quite a cheap form of storage.

[Olsen]

First: What is the most likely capacity you will need?

 

I went on this 6 weeks cruise holiday earlier this year from Oslo to Singapore (plus a comfortable stop at Tioman Island, Malaysia) . I brought one camera: M9 and shot DNG+jpg. Through these 6 weeks I shot and kept 74,6 GB of pictures. Total volume might have been 10 -15% higher before sorting. With both my cameras; M9 and my Canon 1Ds III, I shoot regularly 160 - 170 GB per 'ordinary' year. So far in 2012 I have shot 95 GB - with the above mentioned cruise included.

 

I don't think you will be needing as much as 400 GB, but possibly half of that, most likely not more than 100 GB - depending on how much time you plan to travel.

 

I used my Epson 5000 for storage and sorting. It has a nice large screen, but the storage capacity is too small for your need, - as it was for mine, it turned out. I came home with a full card (32 GB - the largest the M9 can take; strongly recommended!) and a full Epson 5000 (which has a gross capacity of 80GB), but I already had some files on it I wanted to keep. Note that these Epson storage devices don't read DNG's. Neither do a lot of other similar storage devices. So, you have to store all pictures in both formats. (Puh!)

 

If you really will be 'spending' 400 GB then there is no way around buying a Mac Book Air - or similar PC. I have already decided that 'next time' I will be doing such a long trip I will bring along a Mac Book Air - or a PC equivalent. (I have long been considering switching to Mac, as my wife has, but when a company got more cash than the US Government, - it's enough!)

[haroldp]

A wolverine 500 gb is USD 159 at B & H. no frills but reliable and cheap and self contained.

 

Wolverine PicPac II 500GB Digital Camera and Camcorder 7650 B&H

 

hope this helps .... H

[FlashGordonPhotography]

+1 for the Hyperdrive. I ended up getting the iPad version and a 750GB spinning drive as I will occasionally use the iPad to send some images to friends or family (or Facebook) when I travel. The reason I do this instead of a laptop is that I already own the iPad and I use it as my reader, movie and music device as well as the usual email and web browsing. If I get any "keepers" I'll also store a second copy of those on the iPad and also upload that file to my dropbox account. Generally I try to carry as many cards as I'll need for the trip without re-using them. That's 2 copies of all the files.

 

This works perfectly for me. Others may have different needs.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[ophyls]

Not having a laptop or macbook with you on your travels means you will have thousands and thousands of pictures to sift through, reject and post-process on your return. You should just get any laptop/macbook and an external hard drive to store your DNG/JPEGS in and just process your pictures every night...I promise you will sleep better knowing that your SD card is cleared. I just factor in the weight of the laptop/hard drive before every trip...enjoy!