storage dilemma

[wgoodey]

i'm moving to japan soon and i'm trying to decide on a portable storage device. i was thinking about getting the Nexto-OTG and a hard drive separately (120 GB). i've heard that the nextos are reliable. i really like the prospect of the verification on the ultra, but i can't spend the extra money. ideally i would like to keep the cost as low as possible, so other reliable alternatives are welcomed. i do not want or need the ability to view the pictures. ideas on a reliable hard drive (model/brand) to go inside would be great as well. hoping for $80 or less there. will this unit support SATA? i'm thinking not, but i'm not sure what exactly PATA includes.

i was looking at this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149057) one, also available in ATA-6 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149042).

but here's the thing: i'll be there for 2 years and i can't take a computer with me. i'm a tiny bit worried about having all my photos on a PSD for that long (no, i don't expect to shoot more than 120 gigs), so i thought maybe i could take a few gigs of flash cards and burn a DVD each week to send home. but the thing there is that i will only have access to a computer once a week at the most, and i don't know where i'll be or what the computers will be equipped with. i'll be moving around, and could conceivably end up in areas without access to a burner for months at a time. which leads me back to the PSD...

i'll be in the kobe, osaka, kyoto, fukuchiyama, and shingu areas, just to give a general idea to anyone that might be familiar.

any ideas? i would greatly appreciate any help i can get.

[Jon]

Maybe think about getting a DVD burner device (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=3369&A=details&Q=&sku=373549&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation)? I have (not Delkin's) one, and it also hooks up to a TV so you can view your photos on it, either from the card or from the CD/DVD.

[wgoodey]

hmm, thanks jon. something that will burn straight from a card is an idea i hadn't thought of. the delkin looks nice, but it's expensive. i'll have to keep thinking about that.

[Jon]

Well, 120 GB isn't much if you shoot RAW. You don't mention what your camera is, but even a 6 MP camera at best quality JPEG only gets around 350 shots per GB. If you've got a DSLR, higher resolution P&S, or plan to take many videos the space will go even faster.

Oh, and PATA and SATA are two entirely different animals.

[wgoodey]

yeah, i did find out that PATA and SATA are not compatible. i have a 20D, and i am planning on shooting RAW. i know 120 GB doesn't sound like a lot, and for a lot of people on the forum here it isn't. but in the two years or so i've have my camera i've taken less than 5,500 shots. i will also only have one day a week that i can really spend much time out with the camera. i don't think i'd average more than a gig a week.

[Jon]

You'll be in a strange place, on a probably once-in-a-lifetime trip; don't underestimate your shot rate. A gig RAW only is about 100 shots; I can easily do that many in a day in strange places, and I'm relatively conservative compared to a lot of the people here. At a minimum, figure on using that computer time to burn yourself a couple of sets of DVDs or CDs of the past month every month, so you can afford to delete files if^h^hwhen you run out of room.

[wgoodey]

you are right about being in a strange place. i don't think i fully took that into account. i do like the idea of burning DVDs because i'm not limited by space. the downside is the extra cost of the device (about $100 more, plus media and shipping if i get tired of lugging them around). however, DVDs aren't terribly expensive and would be comforting to know i can shoot as much as i want without running out of room.

another possible option i just thought of was to take a PSD and sort through my files when i have time at the computer so i can dump things that aren't worth keeping. and possibly burning discs as well, like you said. i think i'd feel more comfortable deleting things at home, though. that portable burner is starting to sound like one of the safest options. do you like yours, jon? is it reliable? i don't have any experience with burning DVDs. CD burners have been reliable for a long time now, and i'm sure that has been carried over, i just want to make sure.

[Halliday]

How about both? A PSD for storage on the run and every few days burn a dvd?

[wgoodey]

redundancy would be good, but i can't afford to buy both. if i'm going to be burning DVDs anyway, i think i'd rather just take a burner.

[Jon]

Mine's no longer made, but I do like it very much. It doubles as an external burner for my laptop and as a DVD player hooked up to our TV. Burns nicely, takes CDs, DVDs, CF, SD, SM, etc., has a panel on top to run independent of anything or you can use the menu on a TV to see what you're doing.

[wgoodey]

i found out it can take 2.5 hours to burn a full DVD with the delkin... and i'm not finding much else as far as alternatives go. i may end up just going with a nexto. maybe spend a little extra and get a bigger hard drive than i planned, just in case.

[Hollywood703]

why not look at a smaller laptop with an external HD and/or a internal DVD Burner......More expensive yes, but when you are done, you still have the laptop.

something like this maybe:

http://www.shentech.com/av2370hmdh.html

realistically 90GB storage and a DVD burner in it.....can add a Bigger external HD down the road if you feel you need more.

[Jon]

Actually, I mostly use my Toshiba Libretto (7" screen, multi-layer DVD burner and 60 GB HDD) on travel for image storage. Not much bigger than a stand-alone burner, but a bunch more versatile (and expensive, I'm afraid). Addonics MFR comes along for backup.

[Wilt]

Another option to consider is the USB harddrive...bring one, and if you fill it up buy another one on the road...you're in Japan where they make those things! In fact, if you have one of the units which you can buy on Ebay which is merely a housing which holds your choice of 2.5" harddrive, you can just buy another harddrive and put it into the same housing, saving even more money. Bring a CF card reader and the USB drive, and you can go into any cybercafe and plug both in and transfer data in a relative short time (faster than burning DVD's!)

A downside of the DVD would be the need to protect them in sleeves, so they don't get their surfaces abraided as you travel about...and DO NOT USE DVD-RW!