CD Experience?

DGMPhotography · Oct 6, 2013

Hello all,

I would like to start making CDs of the pictures I take, for my subjects, and was wondering what CDs you would recommend. The Verbatim's seem to have pretty good reviews on Amazon. Amazon.com : Verbatim 94691 700 MB 52x 80 Minute Branded Recordable Disc CD-R, 50-Disc Spindle : Electronics. What would the pros recommend? Are DVDs ever used?

Thanks!

Derrel · Oct 6, 2013

I like Fuji branded CD's.They are manufactured by Fuji themselves, and have proven to be the best CD discs I've used. I got into the CD burning game a long time ago, back when external burners were $1,000 and we payed two to almost three dollars PER DISC...I've tried a lot of brands in both CD and DVD-R discs. for me, the FujiFIlm CD and DVD-R disc have had the FEWEST media errors, and the fewest rejects...maybe because Fuji manufactures its OWN discs...they are not simply branded OEM junk.

I was shocked to see how *iss-poor some brands have proven...I bought a 50-stack of Kodak CD's not long ago,,,utter cr*P...media errors, failure to play right in AUdio CD format, ultra-thin top coating, just garbage. Same with Memorex, but not quite so bad: LOADS of "media errors" on multiple stacks of Memorex discs....they used to be great on cassette tape back in the 1980's, but the brand for me is one of the worst in terms of media errors. Same with TDK...I have not been impressed.

Fujifilm 48x CD-R Media at TigerDirect.com

A few years back, I took the "Car dash challenge". Convert 20 tracks to .AIFF FORMAT and burn an AUDIO CD and use a bunch of different disc brands.Leave them on the car dash for a month during hot weather. See which one craps out first. For me, the first to go was the GQ, or "Great Quality" brand discs sold by Fry's Electonics. Wow...those things stopped playing reliably really soon! ANd at 18 cents each in 100-stacks, not too surprising.

The longest-lived CD's for me have been Fuji...I wish I had known how good they would be, YEARS AGO, before I made a lot of audio CD's on other brands that have not withstood the rigors of the real world as well.

Your Mileage May Vary.

bratkinson · Oct 7, 2013

I use both CDs and DVDs for picture distribution. It depends on how many MBs of pictures I want to put on a single disk. I use white, inkjet printable CDs & DVDs, and print a selected image on the top along with pertinent information. Having an Epson printer that prints directly on CD/DVDs is a requirement, of course.

For CDs, I've tried a number of brands and have settled on RiData brand. I use them at the rate of 50-60 per week making CDs of each Sundays' sermons at church, as well. I've had a failure rate of about 1 in 500-700 with the RiDatas. Their price is right, too!

For DVDs, I've had good luck with Verbatim 'DataLifePlus'. I've not only used them for 100 or so JPG shots, but for an occasional limited-run (50 or less) DVD videos for a local oldies band.

These days, I buy them on Amazon and find a vendor near me. I also buy black-back/clear-front slim CD cases to put the CDs/DVDs in for pictures. Church messages get a simple paper sleeve with window...also bought at Amazon.