geoff s Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I know that this was discussed earlier this year but the answer then was that some kind of tablet/laptop thingy was the answer. If I definitely won't have a tablet/laptop thingy and given that my camera has a single card slot, what is the best option to backup images on a longish trip where weight / size is limited but I will have access to mains electricity fairly regularly ? thanks Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpics Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 When I travelled South America a while ago I used a small netbook (do you remember them?) and external hard drives to save the images to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 When I travelled South America a while ago I used a small netbook (do you remember them?) and external hard drives to save the images to. Not only do I remember them, but I still use one when travelling. They're a bit clunky but fine for checking e-mail and backing up images, unless you are super prolific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Not sure what you mean by "mains electricity fairly regularly". If this means you will have access to others computers during your trip, then rent some cloud drive space for your trip duration and upload there, or have a cloud drive at home you can send them to. If you won't have access to any other computer, can't really see how you can do any backup unless your camera has wifi. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfly Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 A bunch of storage cards seems like the only option if you don't have access to a computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domf Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 If you don't have a tablet or laptop, how about a smartphone? If you have an iPhone it is just a small iPad you can back up onto your phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDoug Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I carry enough 32GB cards to cover what I'm doing and use a laptop to burn DVDs which I mail to myself as insurance against loss or damage to the equipment. Without the laptop, though, I'd get a LaCie or similar portable storage device. Might do that anyway, since it would mean I could get by with a much lighter writing tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Stirling Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I normally carry a netbook and some DigiMate things. The DigiMates seem to have gone from sales listings, but they have a battery and could just plug a card in and copy it onto the hard drive you had installed in it. The hard drive could be up to about 250GB, needed to be FAT 32 formated but the whole thing was relatively light and didn't need any computer. With my DigiMates getting a bit old I now also have USB connected drives, but some sort of computer is needed to do the transfer. I do take and keep more photos than strictly necessary as have found sometimes ones I would have rejected are in fact just what is needed for a particular article, use. Try to keep at least 3 copies of each photo, packed in different locations. Cloud storage doesn't work for me, file sizes too large, internet connections often too slow, sometimes expensive. Have had locations where a simple single email would take a few minutes to upload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff s Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 In my ignorance of most modern technology I assumed that there would be a small gadget similar to an external hard drive but which you would just shove your card into and it would copy it. Does such a thing not exist ? And if not, well, why not cos I would imagine that there would be quite a few sales just to members of this forum. Would seem to be the obvious solution to me. Charles' Digimate sounds the closest thing so far, I don't take a lot of pictures - I still work as if I'm paying for each image like good old med format trannies - so wouldn't run out of cards , but just want to duplicate for security. These LaCie or similar seem to require connection to a laptop etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 In my ignorance of most modern technology I assumed that there would be a small gadget similar to an external hard drive but which you would just shove your card into and it would copy it. Does such a thing not exist ?Yes. It's called an OTG drive. There are also OTG caddies for laptop drives, but they're barely cheaper per gig than SD cards. Then you have to power it.Before that there was the X-Drive- I had one when 64MB memory cards cost £15 or so- or image tank. They fell out of favour with the ubiquity of laptops and the collapse in the price of memory cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDoug Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Nexto Di makes some still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Nexto Di makes some still. The 500gig works out at about 20p/gig here. SD cards are about 25p/gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpics Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 You can get really cheap SDXC cards from 7dayshop.com - 64GB from GBP 11.99. I use those all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I used to have something like this http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?UseCookie=yes&sku=B31B192002 which was great. I now take a laptop, and a hard drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWatkins Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 This looks like a potential solution. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Companion-Storage-Battery-Charger/dp/B00KU2E9IW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448401890&sr=8-1&keywords=mobilelite+wireless+g2 It has an SD card reade and USB socket that can accept card readers or hard disks. An app on your android or iOS device allows you to control file copying, connected via wifi. It has other functions as well which might be useful during a trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I have an older Nexto DI that doesn't show the images and I have the Epson P3000 and a refurbished Epson P7000. None of these have lots and lots of storage and now I just take a couple of them as backup in case my Macbook Air stops working. I also used to use my iPad to back up images. Again, there is an issue of storage space now that the cameras make such HUGE files. Paulette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff s Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 http://www.amazon.co...ite wireless g2 yes that looks interesting (and cheap), although as a techno-numpty I don't have anything with apps, which I think rules that one out. Keep the suggestions coming though please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDoug Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I agree that the Kingston Mobile Companion suggested by RWatkins looks like a good solution, especially considering cost, size and weight. SD cards of one kind or another are fine, but the OP specified "backup" storage. Unless the camera has dual card capability, there is no backup. Having once had a chip break off an SD card while inside the card reader, I'm a bit nervous about them as a storage medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWatkins Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Android tablets are as low as £30 for some brands. Amazon Kindle Fire is £50 (if you have Tesco vouchers they are worth double currently on some products so it would cost £25 in Tesco vouchers). Maybe time to get a tablet too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Another endorsement for the NextoDi. I bought a second, simply because my original only had a CF slot, not SD. The latest model has both. I bought one without a drive and put in a 1TB 2.5 inch laptop drive bought from my local PC World. It only takes a moment to do: even the most technologically challenged photographer should be able to slot in the drive. 1 TB is a lot of storage even with today's big files. The files copy over quickly, the batteries will last for many card downloads. The newer versions supposedly recognise if the same card has already been downloaded so that only new files are copied, but this is a bit hit and miss - but who cares if there are a few duplicates, which it is easy enough to eliminate back home? This was more than enough storage for over 30,000 images from a recent safari, mine in RAW format, and the family's JPG files. There is no point trying to cull photos from a tiny screen, so this is just a storage device, but it is hugely effective. Moreover, if you have a laptop, you can connect it via USB (USB3 in the latest version, so very fast) as an external hard drive and cull or catalogue your files as you go along. If you create a Lightroom catalogue on the drive itself above the image folders (obvious how to do this when you see how the Nexto creates folders for each card) you can keyword as you go along and then export your catalogue from the Nexto drive into your main catalogue when you return. These are fantastic devices, take up very little space or weight allowance, and I would not travel without one. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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