[Lowell Goudge]

I have been looking at using something I already have, plus something new.

I have a Dell Axim 50, which has both SD and CF slots. I also have 2 separate 2 1/2 inch HD in enclosures.

What I am looking for is software (but it does not seem to exist), to access a HD through the USB connection on the PDA.

The PDA has an image viewer, both slot formats you would want, and can actually do some useful things when travelling like keeping records, phone numbers, internet access, e-mail etc.

I am not worried about power, as I am not planning to go into the back country, as some are, and this would be possible. Just download daily in the hotel. I have 12 GB of cards, and shoot JPEG hence this is thousands per day of photos.

The closest I have come to date, is to find a CF card to USB converter, so that I could access the HD through the CF slot. THat would work well for all but my *istD.

I tried an image bridge, but each device connected needs its own power source. the image bridge cannot even power a card reader. I have thought about using my son's video IPOD with the imge bridge, but not yet tried this.

My concern is that I would like to be able to actually view the images, to be sure they are stored.

The ideal solution would be something like the 7 inch DVD players, but with a HD and card reader inside as opposed to a DVD player.

[Confused]

Hi Lowell

Re your comment:

The ideal solution would be something like the 7 inch DVD players, but with a HD and card reader inside

Actually it's called a laptop.......LOL !! It's like trying to re-invent the wheel, but I know where you're coming from......

I bought a fairly decent battery/mains portable 7 inch DVD player some while ago, which has a very useful video-IN socket (earlier models generally only had video-out sockets to feed directly to a TV). I was initially hoping to use it as a kind of larger 'live' view screen when fed directly from the video-out socket on my camera. Quite frankly the screen resolution of these things are still pretty hopeless for critical focussing purposes and they are PAINFULLY slow to redraw 10MP images ! I simply use mine to visually check that the images I've burnt onto the CD with my Apacer Disc Steno 100 are safely stored, before formatting my CF/SD cards for the next day's shooting ! However, I believe that the later Disc Steno 200 has a tiny dual-purpose LCD screen, with which you can see the images that you've burnt to CD or DVD, but you'd have to confirm that with either the US distributors or alternatively retail outlets.

Best regards
Richard

[Lowell Goudge]

Hi Lowell

Re your comment:



Actually it's called a laptop.......LOL !! It's like trying to re-invent the wheel, but I know where you're coming from......

I agree, the issue is most people (myself included) have monster laptops. There are much smaller laptops available but as size goes down price goes up.

I bought a fairly decent battery/mains portable 7 inch DVD player some while ago, which has a very useful video-IN socket (earlier models generally only had video-out sockets to feed directly to a TV). I was initially hoping to use it as a kind of larger 'live' view screen when fed directly from the video-out socket on my camera. Quite frankly the screen resolution of these things are still pretty hopeless for critical focussing purposes and they are PAINFULLY slow to redraw 10MP images ! I simply use mine to visually check that the images I've burnt onto the CD with my Apacer Disc Steno 100 are safely stored, before formatting my CF/SD cards for the next day's shooting ! However, I believe that the later Disc Steno 200 has a tiny dual-purpose LCD screen, with which you can see the images that you've burnt to CD or DVD, but you'd have to confirm that with either the US distributors or alternatively retail outlets.

Best regards
Richard

The question to be answered is do we only want to be sure that we have our stuff backed up in the field, or are we going to pixle peep so we can see if we have to go back and re-shoot?

[Confused]

Hi Lowell

The Philips Freevents range that is sold in the UK are basically re-badged Twinhead machines. Speaking personally I have been utterly delighted by the compact dimensions of my X51 (1.73GHz Pentium/1GB DDR SDRAM/60GB HD) and seduced with the excellent quality of it's crisp 1024 x 768 screen, all wrapped up in a lightweight form-factor, which includes a vital built-in DVD rewriter. The price was very reasonable and despite the apparent benefits that larger 17/19/20 inch portables may offer, I would be EXTREMELY reluctant to purchase another of those heavy battery-guzzling leviathans again ! There are many sub-notebook or sub-laptops available, but they are generally crippled by inadequate lower-spec Celeron processors or require you to drag around an external DVD rewriter etc, as there may be insufficient space in the chassis to accommodate one. I can't really see the point of that, as it's yet one more thing to have to remember to pack (and sometimes stupidly forget...aarrgh !), so these models are not for me !

Best regards
Richard

P.S. Oops...re my previous post, I should have said Canadian distributors, noting you reside in Toronto !!!
Mea Culpa !

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Last edited by Confused; 09-19-2007 at 05:02 PM.

[barondla]

I have not found a good way to store extra shots on a trip yet. Always shoot raw with the K10D so the files are pretty large. Bought the Delkin cd burner. It has card slots to burn right from the card. Couldn't be easier. One button does it. Problem is cds don't hold near enough. My cards are 1,2,4gb. So you have to load one card over many cds. The machine will do it, but you have to baby sit it to change discs. Next problem is the slow burn speed. Takes about 15 min to burn a cd. If you are travelling and tired after a hard day of shooting you don't want to stay up hours at night to transfer images. 3rd problem is the big battery will only do about 2 cds before going dead! Thats not even a 2gb card. You can work around this by plugging it in at the hotel. You also end up carrying a lot of cds around. I rarely use the cd burner now.
Next thought is the portable hd/cardreader. Hate not having a screen to be sure the files are actually transferred. Doesn't need to be a great screen (ala Epson). My newest plan is to buy two of the cheaper hd/card readers and back up all pics to both. Even if one dies on the trip you have it backed up on the other one. This seems like a workable plan. Of course time to download could kill this like the cd burner. Might be better off buying two 16gb cards and forget it.
thanks
barondla

[m8o]

Next thought is the portable hd/cardreader. Hate not having a screen to be sure the files are actually transferred. Doesn't need to be a great screen (ala Epson).

That's not the case -- not totally sure about the Wolverine, but -- the HyperDrive has a screen. The device reads and servers FAT32. You can't view the pics you off-loaded, but you can browse the directory hierarchy and ensure the filenames on a card are on the drive. If the files are there in the FAT system, there's really no technological reason the bytes that make up the image won't be there. You can rest assured of it.

[PDL]

I have a Wolverine flashpac 7000, the 40GB model. It has a screen that tells you information about what is going on - it does not allow you to view the images. The later (bigger more expensive models) do have screens that allow you to view the images. I think that K10D PEF's are supported - but I have been wrong before.

When you plug the device into your computer - it is just another USB drive, it comes with utilities for formatting off of Mac's and Windows. On my Linux box - I have not been able to get the system to do anything with USB - I do not use it very much, so that is not an issue.

My Wolverine reads SDHC (I have two 4GB cards so I know this as a fact) you just have to keep up with the firmware. I do not believe that these types of devices are any less robust than a laptop - they are easy to use, you can put them in your camera case - they are not speed demons, but they work really well. I bought mine in 2005 - took it on a month long vacation instead of a laptop and it did not blink. It was x-rayed 6 times on the trip (part of my carry on luggage) and did not blink.

PDL

[Confused]

Hi Lowell

Just saw this battery powered device and thought it might possibly interest you:

EZ PnP Digimagic DM220 D04 DVD Burner - available to buy in the UK at CD-Writer.com Ltd, London's EZ PnP Digimagic DM220 D04 DVD Burner online store.

Best regards
Richard

[PDL]

Ever drop a DVD on edge and see the writable layer fracture like a window? My Wolverine is about the size of a point and shoot, I do not have to carry a stack of blank DVD's around and it fits in my pocket - if I so desire.

Sorry, I do not see what the attraction is to carrying around a DVD player/writer and a stack of DVD's when I can just carry the Wolverine or some such device. The portable DVD writers I have seen cost two to three times more than my little Wolverine - although I did buy the cheapest one I could.

PDL

[Confused]

Hi PDL

Ever drop a Hard Drive on the floor and hear the internal components shatter into a million pieces ? For that matter, have you experienced a Hard Drive failing unrecoverably and consequently causing all your irreplaceable images/files to disappear into thin air ?
I don't wish to sound like a harbinger of doom, but I remember hearing so many sad cases where people have naively entrusted their precious images to the apparent reliability of a computer's HD (without first making back-ups to CD or DVD) and have subsequently regretted doing so !
Life is full of enough risks as it is without taking unnecessary chances. I'm sure that you currently feel entirely differently about the subject UNTIL.......the awful moment arrives and you get that dreadful sinking feeling in the 'pit of your stomach' ! I agree that CD/DVD's are often bulky and inconvenient (although I personally buy the slimline variety), but despite the apparent advantages of products like the Wolverine, I will continue to stick with saving my digital images to blank CD's/DVD's.

Best regards
Richard

[davek]

Apacer Disc Steno CP-200 Storage Review

I have a similar unit, (Called Roadstor) bought it when memory was >$100/G, it burns to CD only.

Worked well albeit a bit slow for my taste. I really liked the fact that I already had my backups made after I had gone home and transferred my images to the PC.

I'm now carrying 9G of memory in my bag, that's alot of CDs. I try to buy SD cards which are a close multiple of CD size (i.e. 2G fits quite well on 3 CD). A 1G disk wastes alot of space on 2 CDs.

[stewart_photo]

The cheapest (yet good) solution I have found is to use the "Dooin USB2.0 Media Manager" (a $45 HD enclosure): USBGEEK.COM
Just buy a 2.5'' IDE HD and put it in and you have a portable, cheap, light and fast way to copy your pictures directly form the memory card.

The enclosure has a Li-ion rechargeable battery, but you can also buy this "$5 External Battery box" and use AA batteries: USBGEEK.COM
Btw, the Dooin USB2.0 Media Manager is faster than the Digimate III (I compared them with the same HD).
Last thing: K10D's raw files are also supported.

Well, since I already had an extra hard drive and it seemed oriented towards the DIY'er, I finally decided to purchase the Dooin iDo Photo Bank (Media Manager) sold here for $45.00 (US).

The iDo Photo Bank (hard drive not included) comes with built-in battery, 110-240v charger, USB 2.0 cable, leather case, small screwdriver, and instructions (only in Chinese). Any standard 2.5-inch laptop hard drive should work with the iDo Photo Bank. An optional 4x AA-size battery pack ($5) provides longer run times. The iDo Photo Bank supports SD, MMC, CF I/II, xD-Picture, MicroDrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro, and Memory Stick Pro Duo media.

The installation of the hard drive was easy and everything is working well so far. Since the need to store images while traveling is relatively rare (used only occasionally for this purpose), I'm also using it in the meantime to quickly transfer larger groups of files between my various computers. The battery obviously means one less cord to connect while doing this.

stewart

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UPDATE (11/29/07): Two individuals have reported problems after formatting the hard drive in this device using the NTFS file system. The device will not copy image files from the SD card afterwards. Because of that, I now recommend using the FAT32 file system when formatting the hard drive. Of course, Windows XP and later does not provide a means to format on a hard drive larger than 32GB using FAT32. Therefore, I also recommend using hard drives smaller than 32GB unless you're familiar with the workarounds for the FAT32 limitations within later operating systems.

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Since the iDo Photo Bank does not include English-language instructions, I'll provide a quick overview (based on my own experences) below. If you decide to purchase one, you may want to copy this, edit it as needed in a word processor, and print the results for future reference.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

INSTALLING THE HARD DRIVE

1. Place the iDo Photo Bank face down of a protected surface to prevent scratching the display.

2. Locate the four feet on the bottom of the iDo Photo Bank. These feet are actually small reusable plugs. Insert a knife or similar sharp instrument under the lip of each foot and lift upwards until the plugs can be removed with your fingers. Store the plugs in a safe place.

3. Using the provided screwdriver, remove the four screws located in the holes previously containing the feet. Store the screws in a safe place.

4. Remove the rear section of the case by lifting straight upwards.

5. Handle the hard drive ony be the sides. Do not touch the electrical surface on the bottom or press firmly on the top. Likewise, do not touch the electrical pins on the front edge of the hard drive.

6. After laying the hard drive flat in the iDo Photo Bank, align the hard drive pins with the socket on the iDo Photo Bank and firmly slide the drive upwards to insert the pins into the socket. A slight rocking from side to side may ease insertion. When aligning the drive, ignore the small group of pins located on the far left of the drive. Only the main group of pins are needed for the iDo Photo Bank to work properly. Be careful not to bend any of the electrical pins.

7. After checking your work, reinstall the case, screws, and feet.

Note: Before copying image files to the device for the first time, the newly installed hard drive should be reformated using a computer. Instructions included below.

CHARGING THE DEVICE

1. Plug the charger into the wall outlet and then insert the plug into the bottom of the iDo Photo Bank.

2. After several minutes, the battery indicator will appear in the display. The indicator will flash while the iDo Photo Bank is charging and remain lit without flashing when the iDo Photo Bank is fully charged. The initial charge will take about 4 hours, with subsequent recharge cycles requiring about 3 hours. The iDo Photo Bank is not harmed by leaving the charger plugged in after the battery is fully charged, but should not remain plugged in for periods exceeding about 24-hours.

Note 1: If the battery indicator does not appear after about ten minutes, insert a small paper clip into the "reset" hole on the bottom of the iDo Photo Bank and press once gently. If the display still does not appear, you may also need to press and hold the "PWR" button until the display flashes. At that point, the indicator should appear.

Note 2: If the battery in the iDo Photo Bank drains fully during operation, the iDo Photo Bank will turn off without finishing the operation. Any image files on the card will remain unaffected until deleted by the camera. After each copy operation, before deleting images with the camera, you may want to check the battery level in the iDo Photo Bank. If the battery level is especially low, you may want to retain the image files on the card until the iDo Photo Bank is recharged enough to allow uninterupted operation.

OPERATION

The iDo Photo Bank has two primary operating modes; a media card copier and a normal hard drive when connected to a computer.

Card Copier Operation

1. Press and hold the "PWR" button to turn the iDo Photo Bank on.

2. Insert the media card into the proper slot on the sides of the iDo Photo Bank. The slots are marked to indicate which card fits into each slot.

3. When the card is inserted properly, the "copy" symbol in the display will flash. The display will show the estimated percentage of hard drive capacity remaining. Press the "COPY" button to start copying the contents of the card.

4. The iDo Photo Bank will turn off after the card contents are fully copied. The card can be removed and returned to the camera.

Note: Contents from multiple cards are added to the existing image files stored in the iDo Photo Bank. The contents of the media card are managed by the camera. After copying the contents to the iDo Photo Bank, the images may be erased from the card using the camera. The camera is also used to format the card.

Hard Drive Operation

1. Connect the USB 2.0 cable to both the iDo Photo Bank and computer.

2. Turn the iDo Photo Bank on. With most supported operating systems, the computer will automatically recognize and install the hard drive (no drivers required). Moving the image files from the device to your computer is the same as moving files on any standard hard drive. Refer to help files for your operating system to discover how to move and copy files. Image files can also be deleted from the hard drive using your computer.

Note 1: Windows XP/2000-SP4/ME, Mac OS 10 or above, and Linux 2.4 or above, are supported. The iDo Photo Bank should also work properly with versions of the Microsoft Vista operating system, but that has not been tested. Mac OS-9 and Win98 are no longer supported by the latest versions (no drivers available).

Note 2: Before copying image files to the iDo Photo Bank for the first time, the hard drive should be formated using a computer. To do this in Windows, right-click on the hard drive icon and select "Format" in the pop-up menu. Both Fat32 and NTFS are supported. (note - see updated infomation above)

Note 3. Supplemental power is provided by the USB port while the iDo Photo Bank is plugged into the computer. While this may allow increased operating time, it is not sufficient to prevent the battery in the iDo Photo Bank from eventually draining. When the iDo Photo Bank is turned off (using less power), the USB port can be used to recharge the iDo Photo Bank.

OPTIONAL EXTERNAL BATTERY PACK

The external battery pack holds four standard or rechargeable AA-size batteries. The external battery pack allows increased operating time. When the iDo Photo Bank is turned off (using less power), the battery pack can also be used to recharge the iDo Photo Bank.

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