Which solution do you use?
I do not want to carry laptop for sure. Thinking of something like hyperdrive.
Posted by Tom Nevesely on April 24, 2006 at 1:54 PM
I have and use a 40GB FlashTrax and a 20GB PDX70 as a second backup. I like both units and they both work great. The FlashTrax has a LCD screen so helps to assure me that the pictures are there but then again it is slow to copy the card and the battery doesn't last as long. The PDX70 is much faster to copy and the batteries last a long time (it uses rechargeable AA's) but it doesn't have a LCD that will display the pictures. It only has a smiley face to tell you that the copying is complete.
Posted by Bill Chambers on April 24, 2006 at 2:16 PM
I just bought a 40GB Hyperdrive. Still reading the manual, but it seems fairly straightforward. It uses rechargable metal hydride batteries, comes with 2 sets of them. Also came with an AC charger and a DC charger. Price seemed reasonable and customer service was fast. I was a little nervous about buying it over the web because I didn't know much about them, but so far it's been a pleasant experience.
I have two 100 gig hyperdrives. I purchased the empty units and added the drives. The units are fast, 7 - 8 min. for a 4 gig card of raw files. I tested and got 80 gig of CF card transfer on one charge. I purchased these devices instead of the Nexto because it uses standard AA Nimh batteries. Some of the less expensive units from other vendors have less battery power than a single AA Nimh. The hyperdrive takes 4 AA (nimh recommended).
Normally I use a laptop with one of these units backing up the laptop. If I don't bring the laptop I bring both units and download the CF card twice.
I wanted a higher quality PSD without an LCD for image viewing. So far so good.
If you add your own drive be sure to get one with an 8mb cache. The manual says disk cache is more important than drive rpm. I like the 4200rpm drives for power savings. I definitely wouldn't purchase 7200 rpm drives, these type of devices just can't write that fast.
Hyperdrive HD80 is the U.S. distributors name for the PD70X. Many of these devices are sold under multiple names.
Posted by Roger Turski on April 24, 2006 at 3:38 PM
Nexto for me... lightning fast and simlple to use, also reliable with long battery life... and I am not bothered about using a display on the psd for reviewing images.. currently is 40gb but am about to upgrade to a 100gb version.
I use an epson p2000. 40gb. It's great. The large clear screen is a real bonus, but the software has a few glitches and makes it a bit difficult to file things logically. BEWARE - don't do as my son did and format it in an attempt to sort it out - it WRECKS it and apparently invalidates the warranty. It took some negotiation to persuade epson to reverse that policy!
Posted by David Chauvin on April 24, 2006 at 6:52 PM
I have the 80GB PD70X and it is FAST and has excellent battery life. The fact that it uses AA batteries was also a selling point for me. I did not want another expensive proprietary battery and charger to worry about. So far, no problems whatsoever. It is a very basic unit that does only one thing,,,,store and transfer files.
Posted by Paul Burwell on April 24, 2006 at 10:16 PM
Another vote for the PD70X. I have two of the 80GB units and they work great. I always back up to both units just to be safe. Call me paranoid but after working in IT for 20+ years, I know that anything that can fail, will fail, eventually.
I love that they use rechargeable AA batteries and the fact that the unit itself functions as a AA recharger. Great battery life and excellent copy speeds.
I used to have the Epson P2000 and while the LCD is terrific, it is so, so slow. It Like David mentioned, it is built for the singular purpose of transferring files from flash cards to its hard drive and it does that very well.
after working in IT for 20+ years, I know that anything that can fail, will fail, eventually. >>> I understand what you mean!
So I'm going with PD70x or Hyperdrive. Though the prices are different.
Posted by Trym Espeseth on April 30, 2006 at 3:32 PM
I use two 20 GB Amitech Travel Disk. One for backup because of the already mentioned "problems with IT". They are just storage devices with no screen and are fast and so far reliable, I do not want a screen because I still like to get home from vacation/travel and process the film(storage card), ut that is just my weird personal preferences,
Discussion
9 repliesI do not want to carry laptop for sure. Thinking of something like hyperdrive.
Normally I use a laptop with one of these units backing up the laptop. If I don't bring the laptop I bring both units and download the CF card twice.
I wanted a higher quality PSD without an LCD for image viewing. So far so good.
If you add your own drive be sure to get one with an 8mb cache. The manual says disk cache is more important than drive rpm. I like the 4200rpm drives for power savings. I definitely wouldn't purchase 7200 rpm drives, these type of devices just can't write that fast.
Hyperdrive HD80 is the U.S. distributors name for the PD70X. Many of these devices are sold under multiple names.
I love that they use rechargeable AA batteries and the fact that the unit itself functions as a AA recharger. Great battery life and excellent copy speeds.
I used to have the Epson P2000 and while the LCD is terrific, it is so, so slow. It Like David mentioned, it is built for the singular purpose of transferring files from flash cards to its hard drive and it does that very well.
So I'm going with PD70x or Hyperdrive. Though the prices are different.