Digital photo storage device...

[hikaricloud]

Alright, so sometime in the future I would like to have the ability to consolidate all my photos into one device for long trips. Currently my 8gb card is enough for shooting in RAW, but if I brought my camera for a vacation or a trip, that would get used up quickly.

So I have options, obviously.

1) Buy more SD cards.

By far the cheapest option as far as I can tell, but personally I find it annoying to have multiple cards for uploading to a computer, trying to figure out which is which, etc etc. Maybe I'm picky.

2) Buy a digital photo storage device.

Pros of this route include small form size, easy to transport, can be recharged in a car if I wanted, allows you to view your files. Cons most glaringly being cost...the few that I've come across are ludicrous or they don't work very well for what I need...for instance:

My Associates Store - Epson P-4000 80GB Multimedia Storage Drive, Viewer & Audio/Video Player (3.8-Inch LCD Screen)

Reviews on that show transfer speed being utter crap, and RAW viewing to not support zooming in and checking quality. Or something like this:

Amazon.com: Remanufactured Canon Media Storage Video Player M80 3.7" LCD: Office Products

For that insane cost, may as well buy a dedicated laptop...which brings me to my next option:

3) Buy a laptop.

This has the same problem with the storage devices in that they are expensive to an extent. Not to mention battery life is an issue, and it's harder to charge in a car. Pros include more functionality, larger capacity for cheaper, able to actually edit images while you're out an about, and viewing images on a much larger screen.

So I dunno. Do you guys think that "digital photo storage" devices are overrated and not worth it? Because it's starting to see that way to me...

 

[Trotter]

A second-hand lappy with an upgraded hard drive would be my choice. Second-hand will save you money. Sure it may be slower than a new one, but you will be doing 88% of your editing work on your main rig, anyway. You could always grab an external and hook up to the lappy if you needed additional storage, too.

 

[hikaricloud]

True, true. I mean, I wouldn't mind doing editing on my trip so I had less work to do at home, but it's somewhat of a non issue.

I could use my macbook but lord knows that thing is annoying as all crap. And I'd need to buy a card reader.

 

[Mr. Switch]

depends on how long you're going to be gone. If it's just for a week, i'd just pack a bunch of cards. If it's for a month or two, than probably a notebook or netbook.

 

[jbc]

My personal recommendation is an external hard drive. I have a 250gb that I bought three years ago and I have not even scratched the surface of what the thing can accomplish. The down side to this approach is that there is no editing the photos when I am not at my main rig. I use that for storage and transportation of the entire photo library where ever I go, to a friends house or to mom's place or what ever. I simply find the nearest PC and plug the USB cable into the back of the PC and away I go with a slide show.

 

[Fat.Clown]

go with a netbook
more use than a storage device
less expensive than the ones you were looking at
there is a netbook for sale in our B/S/T forum