Review Epson P-2000 portable storage device review

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I paid a visit to Digital Depot in Stevenage earlier today and whilst browsing :whistle: I noticed they had the Epson P-2000 on special offer at £179. For some time now I've been considering buying a portable storage device rather than spending out on more and more CF cards and this unit seemed ideal for what I wanted.

The first thing that struck me was how good the screen is, until you see it you can not appreciate the clarity - it really is excellent and immediately got me thinking about practical applications, more on that later. Never being one to RTFM :rules: I dived straight in when I got home and found it easy to use and set up, the menus are straightforward and simple to understand.

The first test was to download some images from a CF card and I found one with 100 NEF (Nikon Raw) files taken a couple of weeks ago. The first thing that struck me was how quick it appeared to download the images from the card, and also to transfer them to the computer. In fact I was so surprised that I decided to conduct a small comparison test to make sure I was getting it right.

Firstly, I transferred the images my usual way by plugging my card into the card reader built into the front of my machine, this has always seemed slow and clunky and tbh gets on my nerves at times. Downloading by this method took 12 minutes and 15 seconds. I then took the same card with the same 100 raw files and plugged it into the Epson and they took a surprising 5 minutes and 24 seconds to download and place in an album (the actual download only took about 4 minutes. To then download the files from the Epson to the computer took just 41 seconds!. :clap:

For me this will be a godsend when I'm out and about, for instance at an equestrian event. I can load the pictures as I go during the day or even on the way home and just plug it in to the computer via the supplied USB cable for a fast transfer. Because the screen is so good I can also see it being used to give prospective customers a quick preview of shots taken which will hopefully entice them onto the website later, I think this could also be useful at portrait sittings.

Another practical application is holiday time, with 40gb of storage there is more than enough room to allow me to shoot RAW at all times giving me more control over the finished product should I make any errors when shooting. It also means I don't have to buy a laptop and lug it around everywhere.

I've only had the device a few hours but I am already very pleased with it and so far cannot find fault with anything.

Highly recommended if you are looking for a portable storage device.
 
I suspect the card reader in your pc is usb1.1. What about battery life on the p2000?


/edit I really should read posts before asking daft questions...
 
Great review Colin.

I was in ffordes today and they tell me the 2000 is being discontinued so you proby got a bargain. They are about £350 for the 3000 and another 100 for the 5000.

They have a 300mm f4L there that is looking pretty though so need to decide how to spend when they reopen on the Tuesday :thinking:
 
You make me feel somehow idle Colin ...:shrug: ... but at least I can endorse everything you say ... :embarrassed:

I bought one of these earlier in the year when I was looking for a storage device to go on our three week holiday with ... both to preview and weed out dross and back-up the CF cards I took with me ... ;) ... but never even thought about reviewing it in this way ... well done you ... !

It is a fantastic bit of kit as you are starting to appreciate ... and the best bit by far is the quality of the screen as you have already identified.

I found the only 'against' bit was the battery life when working with it to download and mess about with a lot of photographs ... bought a back up jic and found it a very useful, if not necessary addition ... :D

Another bit of gear that could easily have qualified for the Best Buy of the Year thread started by Glo ... (y)



:p

 
Great price Colin for a wonderful bit of kit. I've seen Matt's (the mods) and can confirm the screen is outstanding. (y)

Canon's offering will be on the market soon and looks the nutz but I shudder to think what the price tag will be! :eek:
 
I've had one of these for over a year now. Totally indispensable. Really so handy for a days event photography. I just wish they were faster. Copying a 2gb card can take nearly 10 minutes. Of course I don't fill another 1gb in 10 mins, but it would be nice. I hear that Canon's version is USB2 and will be faster but upgrading just for that 1 feature isn't enough. Either model is fantastic though.
 
I assume you can view NEF files from the D200?

Yes you can Joe, I made sure of that in the shop as I had my camera with me to test the 17-55mm lens. Unfortunately I left my 2gb card in the shop demo. :bang: :bonk:
 
Surely what you'd be looking at is the embedded jpg thumnail thingy not the raw file of whatever type?
 
Surely what you'd be looking at is the embedded jpg thumnail thingy not the raw file of whatever type?

Oh no Steep :eek: You've just started another Nikon/Canon thing!!


They don't do jpeg on the dark side :nono:
 
I'm seriously trying to resist this. :D

I checked out Hacker's link and it seems to be free delivery unless it's held back until you hit the point of no return in the checkout process. :thinking:
 
They had loads of them in stock today if that is any help.
 
Surely what you'd be looking at is the embedded jpg thumnail thingy not the raw file of whatever type?

I believe you are actually looking at the RAW (NEF) file Steep ... the difference is you can zoom on a JPEG file on the P2000 but you don't got this facility if it's a NEF ... as far as I can tell ! They actually show as RAW files in storage too !

The embedded thumbnails are what you see when you open a gallery as just that ... thumbnails ... clicking on these then opens the file for the bigger picture ... :D




:p

 
I must admit I never checked Joe, but at least you're not saying there are places oodles cheaper! :D
 
Joe - why buy another D70? We can't escape the fact that these cameras get updated every year or so, but the problem is eventually you end up with two bodies worth zippo. Why not wait and try to pick up a 2nd hand D200 - at least you're limiting the eventual damage. ;)
 
CT, I really really want two (or more!) identical bodies for when Im out shooting at events. I am a bit short of cash at the moment, and cant see this changing for a while.

If I was to get a D200, I would need two - a total of around £1700 - way out of my range. If I got a D70 now (around £300) then at least I would have two identical bodies I could use for the next year or so. Agreed, they would be worth very little after that time, but I would hopefully have got good use out of them, and I wouldnt have splashed out too much.

I have kind of been encouraged by the Shell WPOTY compo - where the D70 was the most common camera model! Yes I know, I shoot sport and they shoot wildlife, but it must speak volumes for the camera!

Anyway, I really cant decide right now!
 
Fair comment Joe. I use two bodies and changing between the 20D and the 1DMK2n can be a bit confusing as they're so totally different in use. There's no way though I could afford two 1DMK2n's and it's not that big an issue to swap between the two. :shrug:

I looked at a D200 in Jessops a while back and I have to say it looked the bizzo. :D
 
I would love a D200 tbh. But then again a D2X also looks nice...

The reasons I want two identical bodies are:

1. identical handling

2. identical settings

3. I wont care which camera I am using for a particular shot. I never want to have to use the phrase "I wish I had taken it with the other camera"

So a D200 then Cedric? You moving back to Nikon then? :LOL:

Anyway, back on topic!
 
So a D200 then Cedric? You moving back to Nikon then? :LOL:

LOL .. nope, but if I was it would be the D200, but then again that D2X !

Made muh bed and happy to lie in it thanks. :D
 
LOL Makes me sound a real trollop that Joe! :LOL:
 
It's just been delivered... better have a serious play I suppose. :woot:
 
Great stuff Cedric ... can't wait to hear what you think ... :D

I believe you have a right little gem and will be seriously pleased with your new addition ... ;)




:p

 
Well I can't add much to Colin's excellent review really. The menus are intuitively simple to understand, and setting it up straight out of the tin (time date etc) is a breeze. It's a great looking, well made device which I'm sure is going to be invaluable, and at this price it's a steal. ;)
 
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