Mobile CF Storage

Weetobix

Weetobix

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Only one I have any experience of is the Vosonic 8860 which I think is a great piece of kit as it doubles up a multimedia device. I can store all my photos and view the RAW files, watch videos, listen to music and the HD is replacable if you want more storage (I got 100GB which is more than enough for my needs. The battery life is probably a little short but you can get replacements so just get as many as you need.

In terms of using it for just photos it could probably be a bit better designed as the menus are a little clunky but it's fine once you get used to it. For storage and reviewing the pics it's great but zooming in is quite slow with RAW files. As a device that does it all it's perfect for my needs.
 
I have the Jobo Giga One ( 40GB ) storage only , good for straight transfer of photos from CF and a Flashtrax FTX ( 20GB ) which combines a 3.5" viewer and can be used as ranarama describes above , the Flashtrax is currently for sale elswhere.
 
Have a relative who has got the Epson P7000 - Linky It seems very good - huge (160GB) great battery, fast (depending on CF Card speed) and excellent for showing off your snaps on the move.

It has fantastic firmware on it - as soon as you plug in your CF card it asks if you want to back it up and off it goes. Also works as a portable HDD when you plug it onto your pc/mac.

Relative uses it extensively on safari and keeps copies of her pictures both on it and D/l's to a lappy to be extra sure when she can.

Good luck and I hope this helps.
 
Some of these products are quite expensive as I am sure jerry above will agree £300 i"sh , one alternative is to look for an Archos multimedia player , the early AV400 series had a dedicated CF slot for downloads and an excellent viewing screen.
I recently picked up an as new Archos Gmini 500 ( 40gb ) for £25 del , no CF slot but I connect a usb reader to the host socket and that solves the issue , fantastic display screen.
Not quite as quick on downloading as a dedicated item but sometimes hundreds cheaper.
 
I use an Epson P3000 (I think it has 30gb of storage). Its pretty darned good - Battery life is adequate, screen size is perfect and it supports RAW for display (oh and you can use it as a PMP as well, so can watch videos on the flight!!)

Previously I used a Photobank, Flashtrax and a Compactdrive PD-70X. They were OK, though the Compact Drive appeared to go through batteries like they were going out of fashion (super fast transfers though), but they all left me nervous that I hadn't got all the pics across before I would format the card, hence going for one with a decent display.
 
I used to have an Epson P2000, but didn't use it that much, but it did have a very nice screen. I'm now intending to use my Asus EeePC when I do need to back up my CF cards on the move.
 
For the price of those you could get a lot of CF cards!
 
Craikeybaby said:
For the price of those you could get a lot of CF cards!
Click to expand...

That would be my suggestion too.


I would take some trusted blank CDs or DVDs and do backups at internet cafés whenever possible as well. Remember to COPY the files across rather than MOVE or CUTTING them...
 
I think one of the best value for money ones is a Creative Zen Vision W. The copy from CF card is actually quite fast, and you can do more then 20gigs on one battery charge. Best of all the price can be about £120 new (I am considering selling mine).

If you want to spend slightly more, then an ASUS EEE PC 701 + external HDD can give you editing and other notebook functionality included for about £170.

The one that I am currently using is a MSI wind, with 500 gig HDD internal, and 2gigs of ram, running Leopard. Total cost under £400 for what is effectively a full notebook, that will fit in the top compartment of my Slingshot 300 AW.
 
I had this problem earlier this year and ended up buying an old Vosonic XS drive VP 2060.

http://www.xs-drive.com/xsdrive2/

I think it came with a 4GB hard drive, how times have changed, and I replace it with a 60GB hard drive that I already had. I think it cast me £15-20 or so plus the hard drive.

You switch it on, put the CF card in the slot and press the copy button. It auto copies the card and shuts the power down when finished. Was very wary at 1st as there is no screen as such to view pics or check if it's copied OK but it has worked every time!

I wouldn't spend £200-£300 on one as you would be just as well buying a laptop!

Points to bear in mind when looking for any portable card reader/storage device,

Speed of transfer, mine takes about 40 mins to transfer a 4GB card, not a big issue for me but worth asking the question. Newer ones will be quicker but some are not!

Battery life, Mine is about 70 mins so I can't do two cards without a charge but again has not been a problem for me as it has a car charger and my car is usually not far away. If I'm abroad, I leave it in the hotel room and transfer in the evening, I have 4x4GB cards so unlikely to need much more than that in one day.

Hope this helps. :D
 
FranchiseJuan said:
I think one of the best value for money ones is a Creative Zen Vision W. The copy from CF card is actually quite fast, and you can do more then 20gigs on one battery charge. Best of all the price can be about £120 new (I am considering selling mine).

If you want to spend slightly more, then an ASUS EEE PC 701 + external HDD can give you editing and other notebook functionality included for about £170.

The one that I am currently using is a MSI wind, with 500 gig HDD internal, and 2gigs of ram, running Leopard. Total cost under £400 for what is effectively a full notebook, that will fit in the top compartment of my Slingshot 300 AW.
Click to expand...

I went for the Asus 1000H, as I thought 7" was just a bit too small. Wanted to get the 901, but they didn't have any in stock at the time. I also went for the 80gb XP version, as I thought having an external HD defeats the point of these machines. Used it lots for surfing etc, whilst away, but not really used it for photo storage yet, as I have 10gb worth of CF cards anyway.
 
I used one of those when I went on a recent diving holiday (or something similar):

http://www.storagedepot.co.uk/Digital-Photo-Storage/sc889/p17.aspx

No screen to view, but the peace of mind that my photos were backed up.

The points that admirable make are good ones. I can;t remember how long it took to transfer from a 2Gb SD card but it wasnt long (perhaps 10 mins) and batteryu life seemed to be OK. I only charged it up twice in two weeks.
 
It was sold on the classifed section yesterday .
 
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