Photo Storeage on Trip

ajaxmgr · 05-05-2011, 10:49 AM

OK, I know someone is much smarter than I am about these things, so here goes. I will be taking a month long trip to Europe this summer, and will be taking a ton of photos. I have an Ipad to take with me, but mostly for internet stuff, not storeage. I have an IMAC at home where I will place all photos when I get back. Is this the best solution to store the pictures while in Europe. I shoot mostly RAW with my pentax k20d:
Purchase a portable hd such as a Western Digital Passport. then purchase a memory disc card reader with a usb port, take the card out of the camera plug it into the card reader, then the card reader into the Passport and viola they are transferred? If you have a better suggestion or a better Portable HD for MAC please please clue me in.

**blackcloudbrew** · 05-05-2011, 11:11 AM

I had this recommended by a travel photographer several years ago as a way to go.

ESP: Wolverine Data

Check it out.

SpecialK · 05-05-2011, 11:25 AM

Originally posted by ajaxmgr

OK, I know someone is much smarter than I am about these things, so here goes. I will be taking a month long trip to Europe this summer, and will be taking a ton of photos. I have an Ipad to take with me, but mostly for internet stuff, not storeage. I have an IMAC at home where I will place all photos when I get back. Is this the best solution to store the pictures while in Europe. I shoot mostly RAW with my pentax k20d:
Purchase a portable hd such as a Western Digital Passport. then purchase a memory disc card reader with a usb port, take the card out of the camera plug it into the card reader, then the card reader into the Passport and viola they are transferred? If you have a better suggestion or a better Portable HD for MAC please please clue me in.

You need something (computer) between the HD and the card to actually transfer the data.

The Wolverine mentioned above will tranasfer the data.

I opted to get a 10" netbook for road vacations.

stevbike · 05-05-2011, 01:37 PM

The small note books are a great way to store pictures. The other option to look into the newer tablet devices that are taking over from the net book market. They are more compact then a net book device. I have looked them and they look the way to go.

Jonathan Mac · 05-05-2011, 01:41 PM

There are plenty of places that will print photos or put them on CD. Most of these will be able to move your photos to DVD for you. You´ll have to do it in 4gb groups though, so you might want to take 4gb memory cards, to keep things simple.

If you want to take a netbook, get a cheap one & then use it for internet too, and leave the ipad at home, where it´s also less likely to be stolen.

pxpaulx · 05-05-2011, 01:49 PM

Yep, leave the ipad at home and grab a 10 inch netbook. Shouldn't be more than around $200 (new or gently used on ebay are mostly under). If you are adventurous you could swap out the hard drive and just use the netbook. for a month long trip though I would archive on both an external drive and the netbook (which is what I did on our trip to Italy - but in 2.5 weeks I filled the netbook HD shooting RAW+, just an FYI).

pxpaulx · 05-05-2011, 01:50 PM

Originally posted by Jonathan Mac

There are plenty of places that will print photos or put them on CD. Most of these will be able to move your photos to DVD for you. You´ll have to do it in 4gb groups though, so you might want to take 4gb memory cards, to keep things simple.

If you want to take a netbook, get a cheap one & then use it for internet too, and leave the ipad at home, where it´s also less likely to be stolen.

That sounds like a spendy proposition getting a shop to do the archiving for you, when he'll be shooting RAW!

Macario · 05-05-2011, 01:53 PM

What is tons of pictures? For my summer trip I will take 10 4G memory cards, which can hold together almost 2000 pictures in raw. Any more than that will be overkill anyway. I am going for 3 weeks, and I do not think I will fill up more than 6 cards. And that will be including surf shots, so lot of sequences.
Another option is to have a NAS server at home which you can acces remotly. You then just need internet acces and you can upload your pics to your home.

ajaxmgr · 05-06-2011, 05:22 AM

Thanks soooo much for the information. I had not really thought about the netbook angle, I'll check into that this week. Also looked at the Wolverine, interesting, never had heard of that. Also like the 4 gig mem card idea. So much to research, I knew you guys would be able to help.

steve1307 · 05-06-2011, 05:33 AM

I would leave everything at home and just just buy more SD cards.

Safest way to store photos as long as you dont lose them and they're pretty cheap now.
The first CF card I bought was 256MB for $250 !!

pxpaulx · 05-06-2011, 07:29 AM

Originally posted by Macario

What is tons of pictures? For my summer trip I will take 10 4G memory cards, which can hold together almost 2000 pictures in raw. Any more than that will be overkill anyway. I am going for 3 weeks, and I do not think I will fill up more than 6 cards. And that will be including surf shots, so lot of sequences.

I took 2500 photos in Italy over 2.5 weeks, and a handful of videos (maybe 20 min worth), and would consider myself a restrained shooter. Shooting RAW+ on the K-5 I hit over 100GB right at about the 2 week mark. I almost filled 2 8gb cards in a day on several occasions.

Jonathan Mac · 05-06-2011, 08:30 AM

The advantage of the netbook is that it not only provides more capacity, but also provides a backup, should your cards fail or be stolen, as long as you don´t wipe the cards once you transfer the photos.

Frank B · 05-06-2011, 10:38 AM

Originally posted by pxpaulx

I took 2500 photos in Italy over 2.5 weeks, and a handful of videos (maybe 20 min worth), and would consider myself a restrained shooter. Shooting RAW+ on the K-5 I hit over 100GB right at about the 2 week mark. I almost filled 2 8gb cards in a day on several occasions.

Slightly off topic, but I wanted to say that I looked at some of your Italy pics, and am looking forward to going back and looking at the rest of them. You've got some nice shots there, and many of them bring back fond memories of the times I've been there. You went to a lot of great places.

Entropy · 05-06-2011, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by stevbike

The small note books are a great way to store pictures. The other option to look into the newer tablet devices that are taking over from the net book market. They are more compact then a net book device. I have looked them and they look the way to go.

Most tablets do not have USB host mode support, so can't pull data off the camera.

Also, nearly all only have MicroSD slots, so unless you use a MicroSD-to-SD adapter in the camera, you won't be able to place the camera's card into the tablet.

Also, a typical tablet has about as much storage as an SDHC card. Cheap netbooks have 250GB or 320GB hard drives nowadays.

pxpaulx · 05-06-2011, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by Frank B

Slightly off topic, but I wanted to say that I looked at some of your Italy pics, and am looking forward to going back and looking at the rest of them. You've got some nice shots there, and many of them bring back fond memories of the times I've been there. You went to a lot of great places.

Thanks for the kind words! It was our 10th anniversary and first trip outside of North America...wish we'd done that sooner, the next one can't come soon enough! It is such a beautiful place and entirely another world, such a great experience.

05-05-2011, 10:49 AM	#1
ajaxmgr Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 54	Photo Storeage on Trip OK, I know someone is much smarter than I am about these things, so here goes. I will be taking a month long trip to Europe this summer, and will be taking a ton of photos. I have an Ipad to take with me, but mostly for internet stuff, not storeage. I have an IMAC at home where I will place all photos when I get back. Is this the best solution to store the pictures while in Europe. I shoot mostly RAW with my pentax k20d: Purchase a portable hd such as a Western Digital Passport. then purchase a memory disc card reader with a usb port, take the card out of the camera plug it into the card reader, then the card reader into the Passport and viola they are transferred? If you have a better suggestion or a better Portable HD for MAC please please clue me in.

05-06-2011, 05:22 AM	#9
ajaxmgr Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 54 Original Poster	Trip Thanks soooo much for the information. I had not really thought about the netbook angle, I'll check into that this week. Also looked at the Wolverine, interesting, never had heard of that. Also like the 4 gig mem card idea. So much to research, I knew you guys would be able to help.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Canoe trip / photo excursion	tessfully	Photographic Technique	3	03-27-2011 09:31 AM
Wanted: Photo tips for Europe trip	gfmucci	Photographic Technique	14	08-15-2010 12:18 PM
K20D First Bike Shakdown Photo "Trip"	pardes	Post Your Photos!	10	04-21-2009 11:18 AM
Photo gear advice for 3 week tibet trip	feralryan	Photographic Technique	16	05-30-2007 06:29 PM
Five shots from Photo Class field trip	Ed in GA	Post Your Photos!	12	04-04-2007 02:32 PM

05-05-2011, 11:11 AM	#2
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	I had this recommended by a travel photographer several years ago as a way to go. ESP: Wolverine Data Check it out.

05-05-2011, 11:25 AM	#3
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	Originally posted by ajaxmgr OK, I know someone is much smarter than I am about these things, so here goes. I will be taking a month long trip to Europe this summer, and will be taking a ton of photos. I have an Ipad to take with me, but mostly for internet stuff, not storeage. I have an IMAC at home where I will place all photos when I get back. Is this the best solution to store the pictures while in Europe. I shoot mostly RAW with my pentax k20d: Purchase a portable hd such as a Western Digital Passport. then purchase a memory disc card reader with a usb port, take the card out of the camera plug it into the card reader, then the card reader into the Passport and viola they are transferred? If you have a better suggestion or a better Portable HD for MAC please please clue me in. You need something (computer) between the HD and the card to actually transfer the data. The Wolverine mentioned above will tranasfer the data. I opted to get a 10" netbook for road vacations.

05-05-2011, 01:37 PM	#4
stevbike Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Newbury, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 268	The small note books are a great way to store pictures. The other option to look into the newer tablet devices that are taking over from the net book market. They are more compact then a net book device. I have looked them and they look the way to go.

05-05-2011, 01:41 PM	#5
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,897	There are plenty of places that will print photos or put them on CD. Most of these will be able to move your photos to DVD for you. You´ll have to do it in 4gb groups though, so you might want to take 4gb memory cards, to keep things simple. If you want to take a netbook, get a cheap one & then use it for internet too, and leave the ipad at home, where it´s also less likely to be stolen.

05-05-2011, 01:49 PM	#6
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Yep, leave the ipad at home and grab a 10 inch netbook. Shouldn't be more than around $200 (new or gently used on ebay are mostly under). If you are adventurous you could swap out the hard drive and just use the netbook. for a month long trip though I would archive on both an external drive and the netbook (which is what I did on our trip to Italy - but in 2.5 weeks I filled the netbook HD shooting RAW+, just an FYI).

05-05-2011, 01:50 PM	#7
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by Jonathan Mac There are plenty of places that will print photos or put them on CD. Most of these will be able to move your photos to DVD for you. You´ll have to do it in 4gb groups though, so you might want to take 4gb memory cards, to keep things simple. If you want to take a netbook, get a cheap one & then use it for internet too, and leave the ipad at home, where it´s also less likely to be stolen. That sounds like a spendy proposition getting a shop to do the archiving for you, when he'll be shooting RAW!

05-05-2011, 01:53 PM	#8
Macario Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hoek van Holland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,393	What is tons of pictures? For my summer trip I will take 10 4G memory cards, which can hold together almost 2000 pictures in raw. Any more than that will be overkill anyway. I am going for 3 weeks, and I do not think I will fill up more than 6 cards. And that will be including surf shots, so lot of sequences. Another option is to have a NAS server at home which you can acces remotly. You then just need internet acces and you can upload your pics to your home.

05-06-2011, 05:33 AM	#10
steve1307 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,130	I would leave everything at home and just just buy more SD cards. Safest way to store photos as long as you dont lose them and they're pretty cheap now. The first CF card I bought was 256MB for $250 !!

05-06-2011, 07:29 AM	#11
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by Macario What is tons of pictures? For my summer trip I will take 10 4G memory cards, which can hold together almost 2000 pictures in raw. Any more than that will be overkill anyway. I am going for 3 weeks, and I do not think I will fill up more than 6 cards. And that will be including surf shots, so lot of sequences. I took 2500 photos in Italy over 2.5 weeks, and a handful of videos (maybe 20 min worth), and would consider myself a restrained shooter. Shooting RAW+ on the K-5 I hit over 100GB right at about the 2 week mark. I almost filled 2 8gb cards in a day on several occasions.

05-06-2011, 08:30 AM	#12
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,897	The advantage of the netbook is that it not only provides more capacity, but also provides a backup, should your cards fail or be stolen, as long as you don´t wipe the cards once you transfer the photos.

05-06-2011, 10:38 AM	#13
Frank B Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 149	Originally posted by pxpaulx I took 2500 photos in Italy over 2.5 weeks, and a handful of videos (maybe 20 min worth), and would consider myself a restrained shooter. Shooting RAW+ on the K-5 I hit over 100GB right at about the 2 week mark. I almost filled 2 8gb cards in a day on several occasions. Slightly off topic, but I wanted to say that I looked at some of your Italy pics, and am looking forward to going back and looking at the rest of them. You've got some nice shots there, and many of them bring back fond memories of the times I've been there. You went to a lot of great places.

05-06-2011, 11:42 AM	#14
Entropy Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 976	Originally posted by stevbike The small note books are a great way to store pictures. The other option to look into the newer tablet devices that are taking over from the net book market. They are more compact then a net book device. I have looked them and they look the way to go. Most tablets do not have USB host mode support, so can't pull data off the camera. Also, nearly all only have MicroSD slots, so unless you use a MicroSD-to-SD adapter in the camera, you won't be able to place the camera's card into the tablet. Also, a typical tablet has about as much storage as an SDHC card. Cheap netbooks have 250GB or 320GB hard drives nowadays.

05-06-2011, 11:47 AM	#15
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by Frank B Slightly off topic, but I wanted to say that I looked at some of your Italy pics, and am looking forward to going back and looking at the rest of them. You've got some nice shots there, and many of them bring back fond memories of the times I've been there. You went to a lot of great places. Thanks for the kind words! It was our 10th anniversary and first trip outside of North America...wish we'd done that sooner, the next one can't come soon enough! It is such a beautiful place and entirely another world, such a great experience.