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NosniboR80 · May 31, 2005, 09:48 AM

Does anyone have a good solution for this? I have two high quality 512mb memory cards, but that's going to cover about 2-3 days worth. I'm going for a month, and I don't want to lug my pbook around or expose it to almost certain theft.

I've searched the web a bit, but I've only found old sites with old technology reviewed. I also wanted to know if anyone had experience with these products on a mac.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

mdc · May 31, 2005, 10:39 AM

ipod and belkin card reader?

NosniboR80 · May 31, 2005, 11:47 AM

Well, I was hoping for a cheaper solution than that. Something less than $400 (ipod photo and card reader).

Randman · May 31, 2005, 01:23 PM

I guess iPod and Apple camera attachment wouldn't work for you either (works great though, and with the dock, you can even watch the slideshows in the hotel tv).

macaddict0001 · May 31, 2005, 04:14 PM

import at an internet cafe and send to your house/apartment/whatever.

OreoCookie · May 31, 2005, 04:35 PM

How about a new iPod photo + $30 for the photo connector? That's less than $400 plus you have music with you, too

Fredo · Jun 2, 2005, 01:48 PM

Just purchase two or three large capacity (1GB or more) memory chips. I think its down to $100 per gb or less now. Adjust the file size in your camera to accommodate the amount of pictures you expect to take.

Freeflyer · Jun 2, 2005, 08:52 PM

have a look on ebay for an xdrive. I've had one for a couple of years and it works a treat. Basically it's a multi card reader with a 20Gb drive and a rechargable battery. I used mine in Nepal for 2 months on a trip and it was great. Paid about $200 new.

J.

belafonte · Jun 2, 2005, 09:19 PM

where are you going?

clam2000 · Jun 2, 2005, 10:35 PM

I'll be in china this summer for 2 months without a computer, and faced much the same problem.

I found a great solution in the PD7x

http://www.eastgear.com/shop/index.php?cPath=17_66

it's a double A powered copact flash to harddrive coppier. I grabbed the one with a 60 gig harddrive already installed, but they also sell an empty case which will take any standard laptop harddrive.

It's really the only product I've found in this category, it copies around 35 gigs of data on a single set of batteries, and is therefore one of the easiest to carry arround.

also, there is a nice comparison of all the coices (they're called psd, portable storage device) at
http://fhoude34.free.fr/PortableHD_Main.htm

--Will

NosniboR80 · Jun 18, 2005, 04:47 PM

Thanks, I'm definitely interested in that solution. I'll be in China too - then Hawaii.

jebjeb · Jun 20, 2005, 11:48 AM

I like the hard-drive solutions but you are still stuck with all your data on only one hard drive. When I go on holiday I take my PowerBook and my iPod and backup to both. I am looking at getting an Epson P2000 which will be a nice little solution (but if could be faster).

If you are worried about theft or concerned about losing those once-in-a-lifetime shots get a CD-R based backup device like an Apacer Steno. http://www.apacer.com/apacer_english...tone_cp100.asp
The best thing about devices like these are;

- (Some) Run on AA batteries (Power will be an issue, especially in a place like China [depending which are you go to I guess]). The model I listed above has normal rechargeable battery but others run on AA's.
- All in one device so no need to have multiple things like iPods and media readers (Stay away from the Belkin Media card Reader - stupidly, crazily slow)
- The most important thing... You can burn multiple CD copies of a card. You said you have 512 MB cards which is very convenient for fitting on a CD. Burn two copies. One to keep and the other to post home as soon as you can.

I had a mate from Germany who was travelling around my original neck of the woods (Australia and New Zealand). He had his laptop and music player stolen in New Zealand. He lost all his photos and his thesis-in-the-making. Now he had been good and had made backups but they were with his gear and got stolen as well. If he had sent CDs home he would have been fine.

Mithras · Jun 20, 2005, 12:01 PM

Another option (if you're in countries that have internet cafes) is simply periodically dumping the cards to a CD.

GSixZero · Jun 20, 2005, 01:34 PM

I would seriously recommend against an iPod. One slip and all your photos are *poof* gone forever to the flashing folder icon.

And by seriously recommend against it I mean, seriously, seriously, seriously against it.

You're photos are one of a kind and once in a lifetime. Don't fool around.

Multiple CD-Rs and flash card copies are the way to go, ideally Fed-Exed to a secure address (work place, friend's home) ever week or so.