PSD vs CF

[Oz_Beachside]

Looking for some help in my thought process...

I have a trip coming up, where it is preferred to leave the laptop at home (carry-on baggage weight restrictions).

I have 3-5 days of model shoots lined up, so expect to need lots of storage (havent done the math on to quantify "lots" yet). Lets call it 30Gb.

I have a D200, which is large enought to view on, but thinking through a PSD. I have read a number of the threads in here.

If I was to spend $600 on a PSD (that I may only use on this trip) would I be better off simply buying more cards? I may have access to other togs PC's, if I wanted to burn to CD.

I would prefer to shoot in RAW (still trying to work out how to get photoshop to work), but fine Large JPG may suffice.

At first search, from Pirostitch's reference, http://www.jaldigital.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=512&osCsid=f207ac898f17060022d39889d67dabed have 160GB for $600. Weighs 300g.

Primarily, I am concerned about having all eggs in one basket, and to lose a PSD (hotel room theives probably like them) is more liekely than cards. Lots images would be money down the drain, and unhappy clients...

$600 will buy 4x4Gb ridata cards (add to my 8GB current) gives me 24GB.

Looking for shared learnings, PSD (dont expect to use after this trip), or CF cards?

[MATT]

Oz, I had a cheap card reader with a 40 gig installed Vosinc v3310 or something like that . You could not review th e images but you could look at the file structure ect. and it played MP3's.. Cost about $150 maybe something like that is better?

Maybe someone could lend you one. I sold mine otherwise you could have taken that.

Goodluck.

MATT

[Jeko70]

Well,
I got a PSD vosonic 8390 120gb and I find it very handy when travelling, you can store music, movies, photos, programs, files.........
It's true what you said: thieves, hotel, rooms.....but the bad luck is anywhere and in total I had more problems with my PC-D2x-D200-CF cards than the PSD.

Anyway it's your choice and someone, "the One" on the other website has a good bargainn for CF cards
4gb 150x for 90 bucks!
8gb 150 for 180 bucks!

Fab

You have a laptop, don't you?
So, I think it's better invest in in CF cards and an external HD if you said you could have access to a PC.

[Glen]

Oz, if you like, I will lend you my PSD, a compact drive PD7X which runs on 4 AA batteries (reachargeable) and has a power pack/ recharger (good powerpack/crap recharger). Just have to pay for postage.

Any chance I could borrow one of your models for the night?

[Glen]

http://www.jaldigital.com.au/catalog/de ... 89d67dabed

This is a link to the PD7X 60gb, no review screen, but small enough to carry on shoots and also acts as a drive for a PC so you can just transfer at the end of the day to a PC if available.

If travelling a lot you may want to buy the car charger for $10 listed on the above page.

[gstark]

Anyway it's your choice and someone, "the One" on the other website has a good bargainn for CF cards

Fab,

There are no problems with mentioning Thanh by name here, nor are there any issues with mentioning digitalslr.com.au here.

I have no idea what Thanh charges for anything, and for me it's simply not relevant, but I'm told that our prices are not too shabby either. Most people seem to, by popular acclaim, concur.

I'm not too sure why you'd look elsewhere.



Bruce,

I would just take the laptop.

[Oz_Beachside]

I would just take the laptop.

Chicken and Hen class carry on limit is 1 bag each, max 7kg. Gold frequent flyer sometimes gets me past, but I cant cound on it, especially flying non qantas in EU. Think I'm going to miss the corporate class baggage allowance.

The list of camera gear so far is 9kg + the bag = 11kg.

Laptop adds say 2-3kg, getting a little heavy for the limits...

Cards weigh 30grams

More cards (supplier is not important right now) or PSD...?

I like the idea of the smaller PSD, lower cost, no real need for big screen...

hmmm.

[Oz_Beachside]

Oz, if you like, I will lend you my PSD, a compact drive PD7X which runs on 4 AA batteries (reachargeable) and has a power pack/ recharger (good powerpack/crap recharger). Just have to pay for postage.

Thanks for the generous offer. I'm leaning towards CF cards (as I can get lots of use out of them, maybe I need a CF card sponsor??? How about I wear a HK Supplies Shirt ??? With DSLRUsers.com on the sleeve ?

Any chance I could borrow one of your models for the night?.

For a shoot, sure, could be arranged.

[gstark]

I would just take the laptop.

Chicken and Hen class carry on limit is 1 bag each, max 7kg.

Actually, check with your carrier, but in my experience they all permit a laptop in addition to the stated allowances. Although Quaint Arse are known to be more anal than our Attorney General.

When boarding, wear your camera with a heavy lens mounted around your neck.

I have yet to have any issues with UA, SIA, TE, AC, LH or AF, American, or Continental.


If no lappy, more cards.

[gstark]

How about I wear a HK Supplies Shirt ??? With DSLRUsers.com on the sleeve ?

Don't laugh ...

We alreeady have had some D70USers.com polo shirts ... and you never know what the future might hold.

Which reminds me .... someone was going to make some enquiries about a new run of neckstraps ..... Geoff, was that you???

[Oz_Beachside]

I would just take the laptop.

Chicken and Hen class carry on limit is 1 bag each, max 7kg.

Actually, check with your carrier, but in my experience they all permit a laptop in addition to the stated allowances. Although Quaint Arse are known to be more anal than our Attorney General.

When boarding, wear your camera with a heavy lens mounted around your neck.

I have yet to have any issues with UA, SIA, TE, AC, LH or AF, American, or Continental.


If no lappy, more cards.

Same, but BA say laptop is counted, recent changes.

Like the idea of wearing the heavy glass (cameras are not specified as a piece of baggage).

Think its cards, wondering if anyone has bulk discount on cards?

[xorl]

This topic has come up several times in the past (PSD vs CF). Some people prefer a PSD due to cost, however I've still got a pretty strong preference for CF. Quality CF cards are fairly cheap now and I've never seen them fail (hdd on the other hand...). If you can only keep 1 copy, I think flash is much safer than a hard drive. Of course if you can do both, that's better .

[Glen]

Oz, if you like, I will lend you my PSD, a compact drive PD7X which runs on 4 AA batteries (reachargeable) and has a power pack/ recharger (good powerpack/crap recharger). Just have to pay for postage.

Thanks for the generous offer. I'm leaning towards CF cards (as I can get lots of use out of them, maybe I need a CF card sponsor??? How about I wear a HK Supplies Shirt ??? With DSLRUsers.com on the sleeve ?

Any chance I could borrow one of your models for the night?.

For a shoot, sure, could be arranged.

Unfortunately you are located In Melbourne and freight on one of your models is expensive I was talking for a shoot

Personally I would get as much CF as possible and still take the PSD. That way if you run short you can use the PSD to empty some into, even though I would back the CF up to the PSD as they filled. I would also burn to CD regularly. In my opinion, due to the cost of this exercise, you need two copies, so I would take the PSD no matter what. PS on the way there, the PSD is rugged enough to go in the hold. Once filled with images...

[wendellt]

i use my cf card and psd combination methodically for my purposes
so the psd is esential even though the one i have the epson p200 has low battery life and is quite slow at copying large d2x files

for an 8gig card it could take up to 25 mins

but after all the expoerience i think psd is essential for any shoot work all the fashion photographers i assist use a laptop or psd
that way they can review images easily

something about keeping images in a cf card doesn't appeal

[DaveB]

Given that on an important trip like that the cost of the trip is not worth the risk of only having one copy of your images (how much will it cost to re-do the whole thing if that copy is damaged?)...

• You might decide to have enough CF cards to cover the entire trip, plus have a PSD to back everything up on to (and not re-format the cards).
  
• Or have enough CF cards to cover a day's shooting, backing the cards up to two PSDs each day and then re-using the cards the next day.
  
• If you took a laptop you should have an external hard drive (or PSD) to keep a duplicate copy of the files on.

If I'm going out for a day I'll typically carry CF cards and a PSD, backing up cards as they fill (but not re-using them unless I have to).
For longer trips I add laptop and backup the PSD files to it.
If you're travelling with a partner you can trust, then you can get them to carry one of the copies of your files to reduce the risk.

9kgs of camera gear in your carry-on? What are you taking???
I usually find I can get most of my cameras into my carry-on pack along with my laptop (taking biggest body & lens out and hanging around my neck when it gets weighed). Having a vest/jacket with lots of pockets can help as well, but some gear does end up in my checked-in luggage (tripod, monopod, heads, backup lens, backup flash). If that gets lost or delayed I can still work though.
It's a bit of a pain shuffling things around, but that's unfortunately what we have to put up with. But then, travelling internationally with temperature-sensitive insulin/etc at the same time doesn't add much complexity to this.

[DaveB]

Keep in mind that extra hardware you purchase for the trip can be sold 2nd-hand afterwards: the difference in sale price being the cost of "renting" it.

[Alpha_7]

My plan for our Singapore, Paris then UK trip (over 34 days away) is, to use my CF cards, and then dump to two different 120GB PSDs, where possible kept in two different bags, one in Katies, one in mine. The PSDs are different brands, one has image review one doesn't. Each card gets backed up to both before being overwritten. Preferablly if I can swing it I'll get another card, at present I only have 2gb+1gb, so that I can at times leave one PSD at the hotel and only risk one while I'm out shooting. (if we both get mugged, I'm toast).

My plan is to strategically burn all the images onto 2 sets of DVDs, at different locations (2-4 times during the trip) keep one set in my luggage and mail back the other set. This I hope will keep me covered for nearly any eventuality.

[xorl]

Sounds like you've got it all worked out Craig . Just curious, how long will you be away?

[skyva]

I have a similar dilemma, as I am going to Japan to ski for a week and don't want to take a laptop.
You might want to check out http://www.mittoni.com.au, a Mt Waverley based company that sells PSD's with and without bundled hard drives. You can pick up an empty PSD for around $100-200, and put in your own hard drive, if you are a little bit techo. You can get quality drives from either http://www.msy.com.au, or http://www.cpl.net.au to your choice of size.

On another topic, I am also a gold freguent flyer, and always take two bags as carry on, a laptop bag and a bag full of camera gear. I have not had a problem so far but I don't fly economy in Europe.

[Alpha_7]

Sounds like you've got it all worked out Craig . Just curious, how long will you be away?

My plan for our Singapore, Paris then UK trip (over 34 days away)

We leave near the end of June and Come back July, a week in Singapore, a week in Paris, then france, then 2 weeks in the UK, visiting Rokkstar and Sam, and sight seeing around the country side.

[photograham]

For a photo tour to South America last year, lap top went along and DVD's of files were burnt regularly. I have a 80gb PSD which is used if required during day outings and then contents swapped to laptop and burnt.
I am soon to go to Europe for 8 weeks and didn't want to take laptop and sought info on portable DVD burners but couldn't find enough good reports on the 2 available. So, now laptop is going as well as smaller camera bag which will weigh around 7kgs. Burnt DVD's are carried as hand baggage once burnt.
So Oz, I would try to get laptop to go as well. Will also enable you to keep a check on all your shooting and camera function.

[photograham]

Plus, if you're flying Qantas, laptops are a special item and are carried in addition to our camera bag as carry on luggage

[Jeko70]

For a photo tour to South America last year, lap top went along and DVD's of files were burnt regularly. I have a 80gb PSD which is used if required during day outings and then contents swapped to laptop and burnt.
I am soon to go to Europe for 8 weeks and didn't want to take laptop and sought info on portable DVD burners but couldn't find enough good reports on the 2 available. So, now laptop is going as well as smaller camera bag which will weigh around 7kgs. Burnt DVD's are carried as hand baggage once burnt.
So Oz, I would try to get laptop to go as well. Will also enable you to keep a check on all your shooting and camera function.

I agree

[photograham]

Plus, if you're flying Qantas, laptops are a special item and are carried in addition to our camera bag as carry on luggage

[xorl]

My plan for our Singapore, Paris then UK trip (over 34 days away)

Just curious, how long will you be away?

Doh, I read "away" as how far away your holiday is, not how long..

In my defense I didn't sleep last night due to playtime with a loud neighbour and some cops

[Oz_Beachside]

Plus, if you're flying Qantas, laptops are a special item and are carried in addition to our camera bag as carry on luggage

thanks all,

this prompted me to re-check, and fortunately BA have new regulations/policy, quoted below from BA FAQ...

What size bag am I allowed to take and how many?

Customers travelling on a flight FROM the UK must comply with UK Department for Transport restrictions, which are:

ONE industry-sized cabin bag no bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm.

Customers travelling TO the UK may take with them as hand baggage, one industry-sized bag, no bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm and one laptop computer bag, briefcase or equivalent.

I will take this with me, and thus, my preference is now an option again, take lots of CF, my Laptop, and blank CDs

[DaveB]

So you can take your laptop with you into the UK but have to leave it there?

[Glen]

Dave, you may be right My neighbour flies to the UK regularly and a couple of times has had to do the plastic bag walk on, whenever security gets tight there. They wouldn't even let a guy carry on a USB drive!

[gstark]

So you can take your laptop with you into the UK but have to leave it there?

Dave,

There's a huge second hand laptop market just outside Heathrow.

[Andyt]

I have an o/seas trip coming up, my solution: Epson P2000 + 320GB external hard drive. I will have access to a computer while away