Best Vosonic?

Ok,

A billion posts have been made with the PX7, p2000, Image Tank, Nixvue, etc. They all have their faults. I am gone for one year trip around the world with a Canon 300D 6.2mp. I am needing the best setup. I eliminated the Ipod (to slow, shuts down in middle of downloads, and easily recognized as worth $$), the cd burners (even with the new portable dvd burners, you have to mess with bring disks and not knowing if they got burned, and overall convinence) and have decided to go with a PSD and then burn to disks when find a reliable internet cafe (ship disks home). The PDX7 seems to be a really great drive if you get rechargeable batteries. I've narrowed it down to Vosonic 2160, 6210, or Drive Pro 3310. The 6210 seems to be great.

6210 Pros:
Does MP3's, RAW, and Videos
Plays back on TV
Able to view photos
6210 Cons:
Doesn't play photos very well on TV
More expenisve
MP3 playing is only a few hours

2160 Pros
Everything as above but without viewer and TV playback
2160 Cons
No mp3 player

Drive Pro
MP3
Drive Cons
It says only 2 hours of play time? Is that for real?

SO IS THE 6210 worth the extra $150 to have the screen (verification the pics downloaded). What is the difference between the 2160 and Drive Pro, other than MP3?

From the post I've read, the 6210 is the reigning speed champ, 3 min / 1GB. I believe that this speed translates into more downloads per charge. So far no one has done a test to verify my belief.

I think your plan makes sense, save on PSD and burn DVDs as backup and mail home. Most of the Vosonics use 2.5" HDs so you can go as big as 100 GB. The 6210 will, apparently, view Canon RAWs. Even though viewing on a 2" LCD won't be dramatic, I would imagine during dead times it would be very useful.

I've always thought of the Vosonics as reliable but slow with poor battery life, the 6210 is the first one I'd consider owning.

--
Lost in the Colorado Mountains!!!

21st Hermit said:

From the post I've read, the 6210 is the reigning speed champ, 3
min / 1GB. I believe that this speed translates into more downloads
per charge. So far no one has done a test to verify my belief.

I think your plan makes sense, save on PSD and burn DVDs as backup
and mail home. Most of the Vosonics use 2.5" HDs so you can go as
big as 100 GB. The 6210 will, apparently, view Canon RAWs. Even
though viewing on a 2" LCD won't be dramatic, I would imagine
during dead times it would be very useful.

I've always thought of the Vosonics as reliable but slow with poor
battery life, the 6210 is the first one I'd consider owning.

--
Lost in the Colorado Mountains!!!

Click to expand...

--
fredyr

Battery life could be longer for my music, but as I have a car charger it doesn't worry me. Bought a 20D yesterday and the device downloaded the photos really quickly but I am having problems seeing raw on zoombrowser. Okay on PS. I decide for the visual only because I don't trust these things and wanted to see the transfer of photos so the slideshow is good before I delete the card. Not great on my TV but that is because I think the digital cable company is terrible. Certainly great on the monitor screen. Good case it comes in keeping it still with velcro. I wear it around my neck and can listen to music whilst walking. Only 2 hours for 80Gigs which maybe should be longer.

jlewku said:

Ok,
A billion posts have been made with the PX7, p2000, Image Tank,
Nixvue, etc. They all have their faults. I am gone for one year
trip around the world with a Canon 300D 6.2mp. I am needing the
best setup.

Click to expand...

I've just come back from a year long trip, and my 2c would be:

1 - if you're serious about storing your photos, then dedicate a device to it... don't be messing around with mp3's and the like on the machine thats holding 12months of pix

2 - what you really want is bulletproof reliability. Which drives have the most reliable firmware. Which will cope best with the variety of operating systems you'll be plugging the drive into (not every net cafe has XP). Make sure you bring your driver software along with you, and that you know how to install it (my Vosonic x2030 is a little pernickety at this).

3 - get at least a 40Gb disk. (in 12 months, my friend and I put 36G of photos onto it.... and she was using 'medium' size on her 300D). I compensated by repeatedly filling my 1G CF with underwater video clips from my S1).

4- for any sets of cards that you are particulaly keen on keeping, copy them to the PSD twice.

5 - Battery life on my Vosonic was poor... either ther battery is faulty, or the charging electronics, or it just won't cope with spinning a nearly full disk, but after a few months I HAD to have a mains supply to use the PSD, the internal batteries wouldn't last copying a 1G CF card.

6 - VIRUSES...... be careful when you're in net cafes, try to ensure the computer you plug your PSD into is virus scanned.

7 - make sure the hard disk in the PSD is ok BEFORE you start your trip. Run Scandisk and make sure 'bad sector' marking is enabled... this may take some hours.... but best to find out earlier!

7.1 - make sure you format your CF cards EVERY time after downloading to the PSD.... apparently it helps stop the cards fragmenting, and reduces risk of corrupt files. (I'd also suggest not swapping cards between different cameras, for the same reason)

8 - repeat point 1... can't stress this enough. Dunno where you're going, but after a while (and even if you've burnt all your pix to CD's), you'll be treating your PSD with more care and attention than you lavish on your camera, your partner, or your pet dog.....

..... but dont forget to enjoy the trip.

p.s. as an aside, I've experienced jpg corruption on some of my pix... maybe 100 in total (out of maybe 8000)... dunno why, but mostly at end of trip, but affecting several cards, in 2 different cameras. Managed to get most back by repeatedly reading the images off the Vosonic, problem seems to be corrupted file structure, not sure of cause.

--
S1 underwater shots: http://www.pbase.com/hamilton_w/water

I own a 6210 aswell.

I also have an X Drive II and a X Drive Pro. So I am familar with most of the X Drives!

The 6210 is by far the best - hugely faster than any of the other X Drives.
All X Drives have had relatively weak battery life though.

In my opinion, the extra cost of the 6210 would be worth it.

However, if you are ever taking photos that are absolutely critical to you, then I would transfer them to 2 seperate devices. This is what I do if I don't want to take any chances. Yes, it costs more to have 2 setups though. The other alternative is to burn them onto CD's as you already suggsted.

hamilton_w said:

7 - make sure the hard disk in the PSD is ok BEFORE you start your
trip. Run Scandisk and make sure 'bad sector' marking is
enabled... this may take some hours.... but best to find out
earlier!

Click to expand...

The above is an excellent tip. In my work I see hard drives die every single week. It can happen no matter whether it is a dekstop PC, laptop, photo storage device, even an Ipod!

Travelling with a hard drive for any length of time requires some care. I don't think alot of people are aware how fragile these devices are. One solid drop could instantly be the end of your photos!!

I will post another message in response to Freddy's post.

I hope this helps you with your decision.

Fredy Ross said:

case it comes in keeping it still with velcro. I wear it around my
neck and can listen to music whilst walking.

Click to expand...

Freddy,

I was most concerned when I read this part of your post!

I wonder if you realise the delicacy of a hard disk drive??

I would never ever consider walking/moving with a hard disk drive operating. Whether it is around your neck or in your pocket - I would never do it.

Hard disk drives generally develop one of 2 types of faults. Type 1 is bad sectors. Type 2 is the disk mechanism or any other part of the drive dying.

BOTH faults can and will result in you loosing data/photos. I see it every week with my work.

In my opinion, having any hard drive operating while you are moving around is likely to lead to one of the above conditions. If you are using it for storing photos I would call it suicide!

I don't think all these kids that run around with their IPODS know about the issues with hard drives. Either that or they know something else that I don't! Obviously solid state mp3 players are a totally different story.

The basic rule is, that hard drives can die at any time. Some may never die, some may die within a year. Walking or running with a hard drive is likely to cause issues with the drive in the future. I certainly wouldnt be doing it if it was mine!

As one of the other posters mentioned, frequently check your hard disk for bad sectors.

Hope this helps. Feel free to tell me if you disagree and I am happy to provide real life examples of what I deal with each week at work!

Have you ever tested the battery life of the 6210?

By example, I can download 10 - 1 GB Ultra IIs before my Gmini 120 needs a recharge.

BillyBob1 said:

BillyBob1 wrote:
I own a 6210 aswell.
All X Drives have had relatively weak battery life though.

In my opinion, the extra cost of the 6210 would be worth it.

Click to expand...

--
Lost in the Colorado Mountains!!!

jlewku said:

Ok,
A billion posts have been made with the PX7, p2000, Image Tank,
Nixvue, etc. They all have their faults. I am gone for one year
trip around the world with a Canon 300D 6.2mp. I am needing the
best setup. I eliminated the Ipod (to slow, shuts down in middle
of downloads, and easily recognized as worth $$), the cd burners
(even with the new portable dvd burners, you have to mess with
bring disks and not knowing if they got burned, and overall
convinence) and have decided to go with a PSD and then burn to
disks when find a reliable internet cafe (ship disks home). The
PDX7 seems to be a really great drive if you get rechargeable
batteries. I've narrowed it down to Vosonic 2160, 6210, or Drive
Pro 3310. The 6210 seems to be great.

6210 Pros:
Does MP3's, RAW, and Videos
Plays back on TV
Able to view photos
6210 Cons:
Doesn't play photos very well on TV
More expenisve
MP3 playing is only a few hours

2160 Pros
Everything as above but without viewer and TV playback
2160 Cons
No mp3 player

Drive Pro
MP3
Drive Cons
It says only 2 hours of play time? Is that for real?

SO IS THE 6210 worth the extra $150 to have the screen
(verification the pics downloaded). What is the difference
between the 2160 and Drive Pro, other than MP3?

Click to expand...

The 6210 is the best by far.. I have one.. and I have use other x-drives... it's very fast in comparison..

--

BillyBob1 said:

I also have an X Drive II and a X Drive Pro. So I am familar with
most of the X Drives!

The 6210 is by far the best - hugely faster than any of the other X
Drives.
All X Drives have had relatively weak battery life though.

In my opinion, the extra cost of the 6210 would be worth it.

However, if you are ever taking photos that are absolutely critical
to you, then I would transfer them to 2 seperate devices. This is
what I do if I don't want to take any chances. Yes, it costs more
to have 2 setups though. The other alternative is to burn them
onto CD's as you already suggsted.

BillyBob1 said:

7 - make sure the hard disk in the PSD is ok BEFORE you start your
trip. Run Scandisk and make sure 'bad sector' marking is
enabled... this may take some hours.... but best to find out
earlier!

Click to expand...

The above is an excellent tip. In my work I see hard drives die
every single week. It can happen no matter whether it is a dekstop
PC, laptop, photo storage device, even an Ipod!

Travelling with a hard drive for any length of time requires some
care. I don't think alot of people are aware how fragile these
devices are. One solid drop could instantly be the end of your
photos!!

I will post another message in response to Freddy's post.

I hope this helps you with your decision.

Click to expand...

--
fredyr

didn't know one couldn't move it whilst listening to music. Why then give the option of earphones. Don't understand at all but thank you for the tip.

I know one has to defragment as I do with the C. drive. I don't move fast though nor likely to drop it and it seems very secure in the case and velcro holding it but if I can't listen to my music I will be very disappointed. So far I have worn it a few times but soon it will be too hot anyway. I really wanted it for photos instead of a laptop and so far so good but have yet to use it on a holiday. Just as well I didn't buy one for my granddaughter as I had thought to as she is only interested in the musical aspect.
Thanks.

Fredy Ross said:

--
fredyr
didn't know one couldn't move it whilst listening to music. Why
then give the option of earphones. Don't understand at all but
thank you for the tip.

Click to expand...

How does supplying it with headphones imply it's meant for moving around?

You could easily sit on the couch and listen to it with headphones!

You may wear it for years around your neck while walking, and never have a problem - in which case you'll think I'm stupid, but I suspect you will run into issues in the future if you continue using it while your walking/running around.

Yet again today, I had a customer who's laptop hard drive is dying due to bad sectors. Remember, these are the same hard drives that are in your X Drive 6210! We were able to resuce some of her data but the rest of it is lost as she didn't have any backups.

If you want a Mp3/music player foryour grandaughter, then make sure you buy her a "solid state" one. She can do what she like's with that - even throwing it!!

Anyway, it's your unit, your choice. Just givnig you my 2cents worth.

Have fun!

Hi,

Does the 6210 really display RAW? I can't find it listed anywhere, just says jpeg. Or does it display the embedded jpeg?

If it does raw, it would be exactly what I'm after.

Cheers
Colin

Sorry all. Just found the firmware upgrade.

BillyBob1 said:

BillyBob1 said:

--
fredyr
didn't know one couldn't move it whilst listening to music. Why
then give the option of earphones. Don't understand at all but
thank you for the tip.

Click to expand...

How does supplying it with headphones imply it's meant for moving
around?

You could easily sit on the couch and listen to it with headphones!

You may wear it for years around your neck while walking, and never
have a problem - in which case you'll think I'm stupid, but I
suspect you will run into issues in the future if you continue
using it while your walking/running around.

Yet again today, I had a customer who's laptop hard drive is dying
due to bad sectors. Remember, these are the same hard drives that
are in your X Drive 6210! We were able to resuce some of her data
but the rest of it is lost as she didn't have any backups.

If you want a Mp3/music player foryour grandaughter, then make sure
you buy her a "solid state" one. She can do what she like's with
that - even throwing it!!

Anyway, it's your unit, your choice. Just givnig you my 2cents worth.

Have fun!

Click to expand...

--
fredyr

Hi Fredy,

A solid state MP3 player is one that uses flash memory (similar to those used in camera memory cards) - as opposed to a hard disk drive.

Obviously the capacity is alot smaller than a hard drive - perhaps only 256mb, 512Mb, or 1Gb - but there are no moving parts - which makes it PERFECT for running with, dropping etc.

The following URL has some examples of solid state players from a company called Rio Audio.

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/_templates/item_main_Rio.asp?model=265

I have the Cali 256Mb unit and find it great. You can be as rough with it as you like - great for kids!

There is also another MP3 player out there that uses Compact Flash cards like the ones used in many digital cameras. The advantage of this unit is you can use your existing memory cards (if they are compact flash), and can upgrade the players memory at any time by simply buying a bigger compact flash card.

If you want info on that unit:

http://www.frontierlabs.com

Hope this info helps Fredy.

BillyBob1 said:

Hi Fredy,

A solid state MP3 player is one that uses flash memory (similar to
those used in camera memory cards) - as opposed to a hard disk
drive.

Obviously the capacity is alot smaller than a hard drive - perhaps
only 256mb, 512Mb, or 1Gb - but there are no moving parts - which
makes it PERFECT for running with, dropping etc.

The following URL has some examples of solid state players from a
company called Rio Audio.

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/_templates/item_main_Rio.asp?model=265

I have the Cali 256Mb unit and find it great. You can be as rough
with it as you like - great for kids!

There is also another MP3 player out there that uses Compact Flash
cards like the ones used in many digital cameras. The advantage of
this unit is you can use your existing memory cards (if they are
compact flash), and can upgrade the players memory at any time by
simply buying a bigger compact flash card.

If you want info on that unit:

http://www.frontierlabs.com

Hope this info helps Fredy.

Click to expand...

--
fredyr

but I got a letter back from vosonic and they say what I am doing is okay, that is walking slowly(I am a woman and 65 and slow) and only listen to music and not record or download it should be allright. I have no intention of bumping it whilst on or dropping it but do enjoy listening to my choice of music whilst walking. I don't keep my photos permanently on it but transfer them whilst the device is stable on a table or something or in the car and am pleased with it. I will apologise one day to you if I am wrong but in the meantime I am loving the fact that I have so much variety of music as I walk. Summer coming so will be too hot to wear it so it is just temporary. These devices are in their infancy but I am in a hurry at my age to enjoy all this new technology before I pop off.

Fredy Ross said:

fredyr
but I got a letter back from vosonic and they say what I am doing
is okay, that is walking slowly(I am a woman and 65 and slow) and
only listen to music and not record or download it should be
allright. I have no intention of bumping it whilst on or dropping
it but do enjoy listening to my choice of music whilst walking. I
don't keep my photos permanently on it but transfer them whilst the
device is stable on a table or something or in the car and am
pleased with it. I will apologise one day to you if I am wrong but
in the meantime I am loving the fact that I have so much variety of
music as I walk. Summer coming so will be too hot to wear it so it
is just temporary. These devices are in their infancy but I am in a
hurry at my age to enjoy all this new technology before I pop off.

Click to expand...

No worries!

I hope you are enjoying your unit. I am really happy with mine, and hope we both get years of use out of them!

Enjoy.