Storage and downloading images during trips

So I finally have all my new digital equipment together. Ikelite Housing, Nikon D80, DS160 strobes etc

I have backup cables, extra camera body etc. I have been shooting film for several years.

First trip with the new set up will be Fiji in October.

I am taking my laptop, CD's and a portable hard drive.

Then I had this terrible thought! What if I drop the laptop or it gets soaked or stolen. What do I do?? Can't download to the DVD's or to the external drive!!

It is 10 days of diving. Carry a zillion memory cards? Is there a device that you can download from the camera and store the images without looking at them and then just opening them when you are back home? Am I being too paranoid?

Ideas and experiences?

Thanks

Just because you are paranoid does NOT mean they are not out to get you!

I was short a portable hard drive on a recent trip, and learned that the local photo shop would copy my 4 gig cards to their server, then burn to DVD's for me. The price was reasonable, too, though with some fiddling and space on my wife's laptop, I managaed without it. Maybe there is enough support even in Fiji to bail you out in a disaster?

If you're really concerned, there ARE products that do just what you are asking, i.e. drives with enough smarts to talk to your camera or a card reader to copy files, and they seem to have come a long way in the last couple of years.

Keep the portable HDD and PC in separate bags.

Purchase the portable drive type that are USB powered ( small and based on 2.5" drives ).

Pretty much wherever you are you will find someone with a laptop or PC that will copy your card onto your portable drive.

Even in a hotel there is a number of pc's about.

FWIW I format my portable drive as FAT rather than NTFS - some older mac systems will not speak to NTFS ( this may have changed ).

It is always good to have a back up plan for gear failure but to be honest you have all of the components here.

Paul C

This is one of the cheaper ones:

http://www.hyperdrive.com/

You can buy them w/ a hard drive already installed, or buy the base case and put in your own laptop sized hard drive.

Other good brands are the Epson P8000 and Jobo Giga View Pro Evolution

HTH

James

Thanks guys. Hyperdrive. Something like that is what I was thinking about.

Goes in my wife's luggage and I carry the laptop

I will be on a liveaboard and I am sure others will have laptops that would probably let me use......................but I like the Hyperdrive option

Thanks again

Maybe I'm old school. I carry a laptop and burn DVD's every couple days. When I travel I keep the DVDs in a separate bag (carryon) from my laptop. That way if one gets stolen, I have my backup.

Steve,

That's not old-school - it's just difficult when you shoot 12 and 16 gig cards. DVD's are just too small.

I typically bring my laptop, a drive like the Giga Vu, and one "dumb" portable USB drive. Did you know that the Giga Vu can back up straight to USB drive? It's pretty cool.

Cheers

James

Steve,

 

That's not old-school - it's just difficult when you shoot 12 and 16 gig cards. DVD's are just too small.

 

I typically bring my laptop, a drive like the Giga Vu, and one "dumb" portable USB drive. Did you know that the Giga Vu can back up straight to USB drive? It's pretty cool.

 

Cheers

James

I agree with DrSteve and the DVD's. My concern was in case of a laptop failure and not being able to download to DVD's

My way:

1) I have 5 SD cards (4x4GB + 1x8GB = 24GB, enough for 1 month long hollidays)

2) I change SD card in camera every day (so every 5th day the same SD card is in camera)

3) in case of ... (but never used), I also have portable USB powered 2.5" 320GB drive in a waterproof bag

Primus