AboutScott Valentine Expertise Most anything about digital post processing (Photoshop, etc), effects, and image restoration, some technical information about digital imaging systems, light and electron microscopy, optical physics and image analysis. I can help with shooting basics, lighting setups, and getting the most out of your digital camera. I am also an 'expert' here for Photoshop (Computers/Technology > Software > Graphics Software > Photoshop).
Experience I've been an image analyst and advanced amateur photographer for over 6 years. I run an Adobe user group, focusing on digital media, and have lectured on digital image capture systems. Currently, I am an administrator for a rather large instructional Photoshop forum
Organizations Adobe User Groups, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Advanced Imaging Specialists
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Physics, University of California, San Diego
Awards and Honors Winner: Best in Show and several category first place awards - Imaging Professionals of the Southwest Print Competition (multiple years)
Expert: Scott Valentine Date: 1/27/2008 Subject: traveling/storing photos
Question I am traveling with a 500G external hard drive and card reader to store my digital photos. I prefer not to take my own computer, so I depend on whatever is available for USB access.
Is there any software that will allow you to simply transfer photos from a card/camera to a hard drive to store it without accessing a PC.
I do not process photos while traveling, but I shoot a lot. I have a long trip planned and have 4 major stops. My cameras have good storage, and I have enough cards (mb ultras), but I do need to empty them daily.
Any ideas?
Answer Great question, Sally! Unfortunately, you will need some kind of device to get images from your memory cards to the hard drive (HD). The HD needs a platform on which to run, even if it's a PDA or something similar. I do not know of any way to simply transfer from a card reader directly to a HD without *something* in between.
My preferred solution would be to use an Epson P-5000 media storage device. The down side is the price; $600-$700 at the time of this answer. Pretty steep, if you ask me! The advantage it has is that it can back up from your card reader, and then in turn copy to your external HD. It has a nice screen for viewing, and is purported to be very quick. Since I don't own one, I can't give you details, but I have used a couple for brief periods.
Other devices include the SmartDisk Flash Trax, Wolverine MVP, and the Digital Foci Photo Safe. All of these can be found at Amazon, and have varying features and prices. The Digital Foci Photo Safe comes in a 120G model for under $200, and supports major memory card types.
Some devices have screens, and others don't. I highly recommend heading over to Amazon.com to have a look... simply go to the Camera & Photo section, search for "photo storage", and click on one of the devices. About a full page down you will see a button on the left labeled "More like this". Clicking that will bring up the most relevant and related devices. A less expensive model may be around $100 if you only want to use it to transfer to the HD.
As for general approach, I'd be sure to have more than enough cards so that I didn't ever *have* to empty one, and use the storage device to make copies of each card. Then, the device would be backed up to the external HD. That gives you three copies of every image in a very small space, but requires a larger, more expensive storage device.
Incidentally, I also suggest you limit your card size to 100 images or less in order to minimize losses in the event of a card or backup failure. I still shoot 1G cards on my dSLR, which ends up holding right around 100 shots. This forces me to use different cards, and while it can be annoying at times, it means less chance of total disaster should the card die. With newer cards, it also reduces upload time for individual cards, though it takes more attention and work. Just a thought ;)
I hope this helps. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to ask.
