Hyperdrives

[CanadianMe]

I recently heard of these Hyperdrives and for shooting photos is would be a great asset since although I have 10 Gb's of CF card space going out on a shoot it is only approx. 750 photos (in RAW). That is fine while close to home but if I am gone for a day it is not going to be enough. So I am looking at getting myself one of these http://www.hyperdrive.com/ and would like to know if anyone knows of any alternative versions I may want to consider. I know of one other version and was not overly impressed by them, http://www.vistek.ca/details/details.aspx?WebCode=225459&CategoryID=StorageDevices
If not I will consider the Hyperdrive model but would like options to consider.

 

[Garbz]

I prefer good old warp drives myself...

Canon and Epson both make a photo viewer which is just like that only with a much larger screen.

I don't really like these things. If you drop them you can safely write off your data. If you drop a CF card (or drive over it in a car, or run it through the washing machine) it will likely not make any difference.

Ever consider using the delete button more

 

[CanadianMe]

I prefer good old warp drives myself...

Canon and Epson both make a photo viewer which is just like that only with a much larger screen.

I don't really like these things. If you drop them you can safely write off your data. If you drop a CF card (or drive over it in a car, or run it through the washing machine) it will likely not make any difference.

Ever consider using the delete button more

No I don't consider using the delete button more, I actually rather view them at home, look over the data and learn from my mistakes and learn from the ones I think turned out well. And now I can look at the Epson and Canon and see what they have. It would be kept in the same bag as my lenses so if I drop it, it would be the least of my concerns. I make sure anywhere that I need to access my equipment it is safe and I make sure once it is going away it is done in a safe and secure manner. And I am not sure how you look after your equipment that you would be washing them and driving over them in your car I take great care in looking after what I own. Mine go back in there little plastic cases and put where I keep my CF cards in my bag, they go for $150.00 so I take great care in looking after them. I am also looking at ones without screens, I just want to know what options there are.

 

[TCimages]

I have a hyperdrive HD80, used it a few times and realized it made me nervous not knowing if my images transfered safely and often worried about the vulnerability of a mechanical drive. The type that allows you to view your images are pretty pricey and some may not be compatible with RAW. The build quality on these isn't all that great IMO and the CF slot is VERY shallow which means the pins can get bent very easily.

So after a lot of thought, I decided to purchase more memory cards so I didn't have as much risk of losing my images. I prefer not to have all my images on one media. You can get a couple 16GB cards for a decent price these days. I'm not sure what camera you are using, but 42GBs could give you 4000 + images.

This may seem a little contradicting, but something else to consider is a small laptop. For the price of these portable drives you could get a small laptop that fits nicely in your bag which opens a lot of possibilities for you. Besides being able to work your images on a trip, you can consider direct wired transfer while you shoot. I think there are Wireless options as well. I know it is with your wireless network.

With all that said...I personally took A LOT of images when I first started photography, but as I learned more, I found that I don't take half as many images now. That may just be me though.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I prefer good old warp drives myself...

i get it! it kind of went something like this though:


I get it! "The clown can stay, but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to leave!" I get it!

Data, what do you get?

The Farpoint mission! You told a joke; that was the punchline!

The Farpoint mission? Data, that was seven years ago.

I know! I just got it! Very funny!

 

[CanadianMe]

I have two laptops and one of them I lug around when I need one but when I have lenses and a camera your adding a lot of weight that is mostly unnecessary for taking photos. I looked at a lot of information since I posted this and also got a lot of responses from photographers that use them. The new ones are not that Pricey as far as the Hyperdrive goes. Can get a 120gb for around $340 with a screen for viewing, data recovery and it has a lots of great reviews from around the web and lots of photographers say it is a great thing to have. Data loss can occur on any medium, they have been out for a few years now and no reports of any data loss issues.

The one you have is a generation ago technology and does not get used, which is unfortunate. They now offer two and if you get the one with the viewer you can always check your images. Canon, Epson and Jobo all offer them now but are way to pricey although they offer much larger viewing screens which is not something I really need or want for that cost. The Hyperdrive model is the best price and has the best field use reviews. So it is now on my to get list, I think for the price of adding two more 4 gig CF drives to my media storage or this it is worth the investment for me, as with everything it is up to the user. They all handle RAW, JPG and can take a variety of Cards. I cannot see buying technology I don't trust, and from what I read this is something I can trust, a few members of a photography group I belong too I found out have them and rave about them, so I think for me it is great tool to be added to my photography tools. I would also be transferring the images to my computer and doing my usual backup every time I was back at one of my computers and just another backup as far as I can see.

 

[Happy Hour]

I have one. I've been using it for a few months now. It has been the greatest investment I have made yet! I bought mine for 39.99 @ tigerdirect and then used my own HD in it. I use it almost every week it's very fast in transferring,and I havent lost a pic yet. It does have a # on the screen to let you know how many files transfered. Again the best investment yet! Alot cheaper than it would cost for 120g in CF cards

 

[solrac8126]

With all that said...I personally took A LOT of images when I first started photography, but as I learned more, I found that I don't take half as many images now. That may just be me though.

that is actually happening ot me i don't take as many pictures this days.

It may be that you tend to know your equipment a little bit better too.

 

[TCimages]

exactly. That wasn't to imply the OP didn't have the experience, just pointing out that over time you get more keepers without taking 50 shots of the same thing.

 

[Happy Hour]

exactly. That wasn't to imply the OP didn't have the experience, just pointing out that over time you get more keepers without taking 50 shots of the same thing.

I totally agree,with the taking less pictures as you get adjusted 2 your camera! But then you get things like weddings and so on that you can't have enough pictures of. I always like to be safe and take as much storage as possible. The last wedding I was at, I popped off over 2,000 pictures. even though only 25% of them were used. I always like to be safe, and the Hyper drive came in very handy that day.

 

[roadkill]

sounds like you had your heart set on the hyperdrive from the start

 

[schuylercat]

I am going to be shooting with a wedding photographer a few times over the next few months - I need the experience and he needs a free helper. He's got one of these thingys, and uses it in a very, very inconvenient but equally smart way.

He uses 2GB cards in his camera, and doesn't always wait for them to fill up. He'll pop a half-consumed card out, pop a new one in, and then copy, not move, his data to a hyperdrive. He'll keep empty cards in one vest pocket and full ones in another (I used to do that with film: right side pocket exposed, left side unexposed).

The data copy setup is simple, so it's not a lot of work: card comes out of his 30D, and goes into hyperdrive. Hyperdrive goes into pocket immediately after one or two buttons are pressed, and a new card goes into 30D - viola, back into the fray. He does it whenever he has "a few seconds to spare", and never, ever loses data. I didn't ask, but I assume he had a bad experience.

He transfers his data from the hyperdrive to his Mac because it's faster and easier, and then spends a bit of time formatting his cards, which were technically the "backup" devices.

I like the form factor - small and easy, purpose-built. MAN they're pricey, though...but not really. 120GB for $300 is a lot for a hard drive, but this is way more convenient than keeping a laptop lit up in the corner of a reception hall, hopin people don't mess with it, and a lot more money per GB.

I dunno. I'd do it, if I had the $$$.

Expensive, but pretty darn safe.

 

[Mike_E]

Take fewer shots and get better shots. It's kind of like the inverse square law. You only get so much MoJo per day and you don't want to spread it out too much. Good thing is, you get more per day as you shoot more.

 

[JerryPH]

Wolverines are in that area... and who could forget the people that created this product first, Epson has it... but I cannot recall the product name.

Arcon also makes something similar.

Personally, I just carry around my laptop with 19" screen and external 1TB mirrored drives for storage (firewire connection).

 

[yeti]

When looking at gadget like this my first thought is "Oh no, that's yet another gadget to carry and worry about".

CanadianMe, I am like you, I always carry a laptop. With me this has nothing to do with me taking pictures, I have to have one for other purposes. I rarely take one to my photoshoots, but I will most certainly carry one in my luggage when I am traveling. I personally would go for something almost too pedestrian to mention in a respectable photo forum like this:

An iPod!

That's right, an iPod is all you need! Preferrably a 6th generation Classic one with a 160GB harddrive. It is almost the same price as a dependable photo-storage device, has pretty much the same type of harddrive as any photo-storage device out there, and is more functional. I bet you already carry an iPod or some type of an mp3 player with you everywhere you go.

The thing with the iPod is that if you attach it to your camera (via a special cable), it will download all your pictures from it and you don't need a computer to do it. It won't do it fast, as it is limited by your camera, but it will do it. When you are not downloading pictures, you can keep listening to music and you don't have to carry a separate gadget just for your pictures. When you are anywhere within an arm's length to your laptop, just hook it up and download your pictures from it. Piece of cake.

That's my contribution.