?Backing up from CF directly to external hard drive?

[noledevil]

Some of you probably saw an earlier post of mine that mentioned my operating system unexpectedly crashing last week. I had just downloaded my pictures from a vacation in the caribbean. I thought I had backed them up on my external hard drive- the screen indicated that I had... (Seagate Freeagent using their auto back up software). Well, I formatted my CF memory card and later that night when I tried to reboot my computer it was dead. Long story short per Dell tech support I had to format my hard drive and reinstall Windows. I was able to restore all of my pics (with the exception of the ones just added) via my external hard drive restoration program. I have DVD back ups of almost all of my other pictures (with the exception of the most recent vacation- the computer crashed the same night I uploaded them).

This really got me thinking about data storage and I decided to sign up for an online storage account just to add another layer of safety (probably overkill, but with a 10% online discount $80 for two years of Carbonite protection seemed like a very good idea).

Now, I'm trying to plan for a big trip to Europe in the spring. I don't want to lose any more pictures, but because of weight and safety concerns I'd prefer not to bring my entire laptop along for the trip.

Is there any way to buy a small portable hard drive (like the Freeagent Go) and set it up so that I can plug in a CF card reader and directly save images to the hard drive without using a computer to facilitate the process? I doubt it, but it never hurts to ask. It would be ideal to just take a small external HD with me and plug in my card reader each night, back everything up and not have to worry about another snaffu ruining the experience.

Thanks and sorry for the long post.

 

[ziggy25]

There are several options available for storing your photos while you are on the go. Some people like me take their laptops with them. Others use storage devices such as these which in some cases are more expensive than a basic laptop which is all you need.

Epson P2000
Canon M80

--
My gallery - Feel free to C&C
http://www.DiniOnline.com

 

[AlphaDSLR]

Why don't you just pick up a couple extra CF cards for the trip? If you belong to Costco, I just got a coupon pack offering even more money off their already low priced SanDisk cards. The last cards I bought from them even had a coupon in it for something like 50 free prints.

 

[noledevil]

There are several options available for storing your photos while you
are on the go. Some people like me take their laptops with them.
Others use storage devices such as these which in some cases are more
expensive than a basic laptop which is all you need.

Epson P2000
Canon M80

--
My gallery - Feel free to C&C
http://www.DiniOnline.com

--

I'd like to leave my laptop at home. Too many eggs and sensitive personal data in one basket. A cheap small new laptop is a possibility if necessary- especially if the cost is similar to those options listed above. Can either the Canon M80 or Epson P2000 be used with CF cards that come from a Nikon D300?

 

[noledevil]

Why don't you just pick up a couple extra CF cards for the trip? If
you belong to Costco, I just got a coupon pack offering even more
money off their already low priced SanDisk cards. The last cards I
bought from them even had a coupon in it for something like 50 free
prints.

--

I'm definitely planning on taking more cards than I need. But, after having the experience of losing 347 pictures from a recent vacation, I'd like to back things up each day during my trip. That way if something strange happens, if I lose a card, or if one of my bags gets stolen I have some sort of back up.

The feeling that comes when you lose irreplacable pictures is pretty bad- especially when you thought you did a pretty good job backing things up.

 

[ziggy25]

I know with the Epson you can download from CompactFlash, SD, XD, Memory Stick, Smart Media and MMC memory cards. It doesnt matter if its from Nikon or Canon

http://www.epson.co.uk/products/digital_cameras/P2000.htm

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Media_Storage_Devices/M80/index.asp

--
My gallery - Feel free to C&C
http://www.DiniOnline.com

 

[RRaunio]

Check out the Colorspace and Colorspace UDMA ( http://www.hyperdrive.com ). Very fast backup from a wide variety of memory cards (> 1GB/min). You can buy a unit without a hard drive and add your own (very easy, with good directions) - or purchase with hard drive. The rechargeable battery is good for over 100GB of transfers between charges. I've been using a Hyperdrive unit for the past couple of years (started with basic unit without display, then bought the colorspace) - and give them a VERY high recommendation. They transfer RAW files as well. Check out the Storage forum - there are lots of other portable hard drive options available.

 

[Pete Stavrakoglou]

There are a lot of different portable storage devices available from mydigitaldiscount dot com. I bought one from them years back and they were great to deal with.
--
My humble photo gallery: http://ntotrr.smugmug.com

 

[dad_of_four]

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1023
--
Warm regards,
DOF

 

[baloo_buc]

Don't use the card. The data can be recovered with appropriate software and a card reader.

Never trust automatic. Verify that the task was completed then format your card. Use more cards to minimize the risk.
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m268/victor_petcu/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v_petcu/

 

[Barrie Davis]

Don't use the card. The data can be recovered with appropriate
software and a card reader.

Yes!!! DON'T write to the card!!

There is much you can do to recover the images after deleting, and even after formatting, as long as you DON'T write to the card.

Here is a program I have had success with, but there are plenty to choose from, and some that are free of charge....

http://www.z-a-recovery.com/?source=i_r_about
--
Regards,
Baz

 

[ecm]

http://www.delkin.com/products/connect/usbbridge/

I have one, and I used to bring along a 10 GB 2.5" HDD when we were going on long trips. As long as the drive (HDD, card reader or external DVD-R/W) can be "plugged and played" in Windows it will work with this device. Backing up directly to a DVD-RW sound great but they're too bulky, and I abandoned the idea some time ago.

HOWEVER......

In the last two years I have aquired 6, 4GB cards, all for under $30 each (now more like $9 each) and 3, 8GB cards for $15 each. So, instead of the HDD I bring the Delkin device, two card readers and two cables - and on an upcoming trip to Maui (woohoo!) I'll transfer my images (250 RAW/4GB) onto the 8GB cards when the 4GB cards fill up.

The advantages? 1. Shockproof. 2. ~$2/GB - very reasonable. 3. I can confirm the photos are on the destination card - I simply pop it into my camera and check.

 

[Two Truths]

E.g. JOBO has a range of these drives...
http://www.jobo.com/web/Home.126.0.html

--
Stuart / the Two Truths
http://twotruths.net/

 

[noledevil]

Baz,

Thank you SO MUCH for the link. I tried it and almost all of the pictures were recovered. What a great and unexpected surprise! Last week, when Sandisk's recovery program was unsuccessful I gave up hope. So glad I didn't use the CF card after formating it.

I owe you one!

And, to everyone else who has posted suggestions regarding storage- thank you. I'm going to look into each one.
-Brad

 

[Barrie Davis]

Baz,
Thank you SO MUCH for the link. I tried it and almost all of the
pictures were recovered. What a great and unexpected surprise! Last
week, when Sandisk's recovery program was unsuccessful I gave up
hope. So glad I didn't use the CF card after formating it.

Hey! That's GREAT!! I'm sure we are all very pleased for you. Thanks for letting us know.

I owe you one!

Nah! Just pass it on to the next guy.... when it comes up.
--
Regards,
Baz

 

[Le Roux]

--

There are some external casings, which takes laptop hdd's, that have an card reader on them. The external casing come with an battery pack that you plug in and you put your card in and press the copy button and all your data from the flash card will be copied on the external hdd.

My friend has one, I think the make is Manhattan.

here's a link:

http://www.manhattan-products.com/en-US/products/5642-external-enclosure-with-card-reader-and-one-touch-copy

I am in the process of buying a dslr and will definitely get a casing like this to carry around for trips. This won't be that heavy to carry with you and laptop hard drives are much cheaper in comparison with sd cards.