Backing up photos while on vacation

[ddub23]

I'm interested in finding out other people do to back up their digital photos while on vacation. Here are the options:

1) Bring a laptop and transfer photos from the memory card after the dive.
2) Bring enough memeory cards to cover the trip (much lighter that carrying a computer)
3) Bring an external (stand alone capable) hard drive to back up the memory cards.

With all three options, the point is to back up the photos b/c you never know if the next dive will have a flooded camera (happened already).

Option 1: Bringing a computer is a hassle and heavy but you have the satisfaction of looking at your photos.

Option 2: buying a ton of cards seems wasteful but you have the security of not losing a lot of pictures in the event of a flood (just the pictures from that day or dive). This option is lighter as well.

Option3: Not sure if there are many reliable HD out there since they most likely will not have a preview screen (worst nightmare- find out AFTER the trip that none of the cards transferred).

What are you using? Thanks. Heading to Grand Turk in May.
Derrick

 

[dbh]

I'm interested in finding out other people do to back up their digital photos while on vacation. Here are the options:

1) Bring a laptop and transfer photos from the memory card after the dive.
2) Bring enough memeory cards to cover the trip (much lighter that carrying a computer)
3) Bring an external (stand alone capable) hard drive to back up the memory cards.

With all three options, the point is to back up the photos b/c you never know if the next dive will have a flooded camera (happened already).

Option 1: Bringing a computer is a hassle and heavy but you have the satisfaction of looking at your photos.

Option 2: buying a ton of cards seems wasteful but you have the security of not losing a lot of pictures in the event of a flood (just the pictures from that day or dive). This option is lighter as well.

Option3: Not sure if there are many reliable HD out there since they most likely will not have a preview screen (worst nightmare- find out AFTER the trip that none of the cards transferred).

What are you using? Thanks. Heading to Grand Turk in May.
Derrick

I think that bringing my laptop is worth the effort. You really can't tell what is good or bad just viewing it in the cameras LCD. I also bring blank CD's and back up all of my photos daily in case my HD crashes.

HTH,
Dave

 

[gypsyjim]

I used to just delete all but the very best photos each evening, so that I could shoot again the next dive, but by the end of a week I was always wishing for another memory card. This March, on our Belize trip my girlfriend brought her laptop to do her college course work on, and I took full advantage of the chance to download each day. A laptop might have seemed like an unnessesary luxury before, but now I'm a believer, plus I was able to give a CD copy to another couple on the dive before we left. The real bonus was that whenever no one needed the computer we had a constant slide show going at our place, to share with other divers and non divers at the resort. It was a lot of fun to be able to share each days dive that night!

 

[Charlie99]

Another possible solution is have a couple of memory cards in the 256MB or 512MB range, and to drop by an internet cafe and burn your photos over to a CD after you fill each card.

 

[Tom Winters]

Ouch to lugging a laptop, but if that's how you have to do, then do it. Overseas power might be a problem - I killed a nice UK 1200R light in Fiji due to lousy power even though I had the right adapter and transformer. If I killed a laptop that way, I'd really feel bad.
Probably on a liveaboard, the power will be ok though.
Flash cards are cheap these days. Yes, it may be hard to justify a few extra flash cards, but you can always use the leftovers for gifts wherever you are. You can bet they're pricey little trinkets anywhere exotic in the world.

 

[Kim]

I just did a trip that I took my laptop along for. As I was shooting RAW I needed something that would handle the picture format (Camedia Master) and to empty my card (RAW files are around 7Mb each!)
An English couple had a portable hard drive/media storage unit that also looked good. It had a screen with it so you could look at the pictures quite well. It didn't handle RAW files though so I guess I will be sticking with my laptop for the time being. If I was only shooting JPEG then I would probably consider getting something like they had as it was a lot smaller than a laptop!

 

[RICHinNC]

I use a Delkin Picture Pad....it works great with my Canon Rebel digital. I can safely store my pics....and put them on a TV in a slide show if I wish.

go to ...... b&h photo video and see if they have any left.....a great product

 

[alcina]

I've recently gone through this agony so thought I would share MHO.

1) Laptop is not optional. This is how I make the most of what shooting digital has to offer. I must be able to go through the photos to see what is working, what isn't working and what ideas might spring forth from my efforts. Being able to properly view images is essential to improving. I do little to no editing on my laptop, but the review process is a must.

Yes, it is a pain in the patootey to haul around but it is one piece of equipment I would not leave behind unless I knew I had total access to another computer on site. And then I'd still have to fluff around with storing images.

2) More memory cards are OK, but they can get lost, damaged, spilled on etc. I have enough to change cards every dive if a dive would prove extremely fruitful. I use 1GB CF cards and a lovely friend just gave me a 256 XD that is my backup. It is a rare two dive outing that I fill both cards, but it does happen. If it happens on dive one I backup to my Archos Gmini - see #3

A common myth is that bigger cards = greater loss in a flood. Not really, IMHO. You've still lost whatever shots you took and presumably all shots are important to you - so what does it matter if it is 10 or 50? They're all gone gone gone. I do not leave images on my cards between dive days (as this is just begging for something bad to happen), so at most I would lose that day of diving. If I come close to filling a card on a dive, I download to the Gmini between dives. Then I would only lose that single dive.

3) There are a ton of options out there and I looked at a stack of them. Ultimately, for my purposes, the Archos Gmini did everything I needed it to do and then some. And it looks groovy, too! The Gmini let's me do a whole host of stuff in a very small package that is perfect for travelling. FlashTrax, Espon 2000 and several others are also out there.

My laptop has a DVD burner so I can also backup onto DVDs...CDs work, too. So your laptop provides two storage areas. Most people seem to burn two copies right away.

Dunno if this helps...

 

[jpomerantz]

I bought a stand alone CD burner that burns a CD directly from the memory card. I have used it with SD and CF cards and it works well. Can also hook ti to TV to view images. There are several on market but mine is an Apacer Disc Steno.

 

[Azotomix]

I alwaysI always go with my lab top to review the pictures. I shoot RAW and usually I do nothing to correct image during live board or else. This job will be done later home. I down load and transfer all the picture from CF to computer every end of the day.

I am using ACDSee 7.0 to review the picture as it’s reads my Canon RAW format. I do not know how and why but it’s actually correcting the colours on the screen. He does always a good job but just to see them is good. I cancel the bad picture and keep the one I like.