Mr Falconea and I are looking for a device to back up digital photos while travelling. We've looked at some of the dedicated devices but the cost of them is quite high, and many of them do not support Pentax RAW format.
The perfect device doesn't exist yet - a PocketPC with a good screen and a USB port so it can view an external hard drive.
We were considering an ultra-small laptop instead. The Fujitsu P1120 has caught our eye - and this would allow us to add an external DVD burner and burn backups of the pictures as well, which is a bonus. As well as being able to internet while travelling etc.
Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions, or an old P1120 they no longer want.... ?
Thanks!
Audrey
Non-NonRev
Mar 13, 05, 4:16 am
The price might be prohibitive, but the Sony Vaio T Series comes to mind - they have Pentium-M chips rather than the Crusoe chip, and also have an integrated Memory Stick / Memory Stick Pro slot if your digital cameras support that format (meaning that you can bring your pictures right over without cables, etc):
I like this sharp zauros, it uses USB, so an external device would recognized. Nice this, is that it is cheap, much more so than the OqO devices.
http://www.dynamism.com/sl-c3000/
or, this panasonic R3 looks nice, though not as cheap as the zauros.
dynamism.com has nice units that we don't get here in the states. Don't know why the asians always get the smallest nicest units, maybe since they don't have a lot of space.
www.dynamism.com
jumpmonger23
Mar 13, 05, 1:05 pm
I use a Thinkpad X40, about 2.7 pounds in its "base" config with standard battery that lasts about 2.5 hours. Extended battery goes for about 6 hours, total weight of 4.1 pounds.
12.1" screen for your photos, and with the latest Dothan Centrino processors, it won't be a hack at Photoshop either.
It's small enough to open up completely in most economy class tray tables.
If you're using a Pentax DSLR you're probably using SD (*ist DS) or CF (DS) right? The x40 has a built in SD slot, and I use a PC Card CF adaptor so you can read the CF cards without any dongles or other things sticking out of the computer. The PC Card adaptor just sits in the bay when not in use so it's always with you.
Downside is that there is no optical drive for backups on X40, but rather an optional Ultrabase media slice.
The Dell 700m is probably best if price is your main concern, though you'll probably have minimal use of the wide screen LCD if you're using it mainly for standard format photos, however it does have an standard CD burner, and optional DVD burner.
If you're going to be traveling frequently as well, with almost invaluable data like pictures, consider the the quality of support of whomeever you buy from as well.
lewinr
Mar 13, 05, 1:27 pm
I just bought a Fujitsu P7010 which is very small and light and has very long battery life and built in SD and CF readers which might make it very good for your application. If you are interested in knowing more, checkout http://www.leog.net which is a forum for enthusiasts of this line of ultra-light notebooks.
Ron
swise
Mar 13, 05, 4:49 pm
The iPod Photo is a semi-dedicated device, but I mention it, because the price for it just went down. Also, because a new generation of the device just came out, you can pick up the previous generation for a bit less now.
I'm pretty sure that the iPod Photo now accepts RAW format (I know iPhoto does...also you'd need to check to see if the older rev does). You can load your pics onto it either from a computer via USB2 or FireWire, or you can purchase a card reader to load them directly.
You can then view the pics on the screen (the latest rev has a higher rez display), or you can plug the iPod into your TV and stereo to view the photos on the TV, selecting one of the songs from the music library to accompany the slide show.
In addition to storing photos, you would, of course, also be able to house your music and audio book library on it as well. (address book and calendar also)
Photos are organized by virtual roll, album, etc.
ScottC
Mar 14, 05, 5:00 am
The iPod Photo is a semi-dedicated device, but I mention it, because the price for it just went down. Also, because a new generation of the device just came out, you can pick up the previous generation for a bit less now.
I'm pretty sure that the iPod Photo now accepts RAW format (I know iPhoto does...also you'd need to check to see if the older rev does). You can load your pics onto it either from a computer via USB2 or FireWire, or you can purchase a card reader to load them directly.
You can then view the pics on the screen (the latest rev has a higher rez display), or you can plug the iPod into your TV and stereo to view the photos on the TV, selecting one of the songs from the music library to accompany the slide show.
In addition to storing photos, you would, of course, also be able to house your music and audio book library on it as well. (address book and calendar also)
Photos are organized by virtual roll, album, etc.
There are lots of reports on the web about the ipod NOT supporting RAW, so be sure to check this information before buying anything...
swise
Mar 14, 05, 5:17 am
There are lots of reports on the web about the ipod NOT supporting RAW, so be sure to check this information before buying anything...
oops, sure enough. No RAW support in the current models:
Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
It's just iPhoto.
sorry for the confusion.
brassai
Mar 14, 05, 4:38 pm
The perfect device doesn't exist yet - a PocketPC with a good screen and a USB port so it can view an external hard drive.
Thanks!
Audrey
Not so fast..... several of the Pocket PC's support this, including the Dell x50v and HP 47xx (as well as others). Both have VGA screens and USB Host capability. You might like one or the other as far as the screen goes... as for the hard disk interface, get a sync-cord and the free driver to talk to mass storage over USB Host and you're in. (not to mention that you can now get CF based hard drives that hold up to 6gb) You can also go a bit cheaper if you're willing to give up the VGA screen and go to QVGA.
Cheers,
D.
Tummy
Mar 14, 05, 4:54 pm
There are lots of reports on the web about the ipod NOT supporting RAW, so be sure to check this information before buying anything...
How many people really shoot in RAW format?
Each RAW file from my camera is 24megs.
SEA_Tigger
Mar 14, 05, 5:37 pm
How many people really shoot in RAW format? Each RAW file from my camera is 24megs.
If you plan to manipulate or post-process the image (like in Photoshop), I imagine this is the preferred format.
ScottC
Mar 14, 05, 5:51 pm
How many people really shoot in RAW format?
Each RAW file from my camera is 24megs.
Many people use Raw, pretty much anyone that does digital photography on a (semi) professional level will use it.
falconea
Mar 14, 05, 6:31 pm
Not so fast..... several of the Pocket PC's support this, including the Dell x50v and HP 47xx (as well as others). Both have VGA screens and USB Host capability. You might like one or the other as far as the screen goes... as for the hard disk interface, get a sync-cord and the free driver to talk to mass storage over USB Host and you're in.
Thanks everyone for your comments - some wonderful information and links!
Brassai, can you give me more information about how the USB host works? I did a web search and found a thing which is a CF card at one end and a USB plug at the other end but I don't think that's what you're talking about?
Thanks!
Audrey
brassai
Mar 14, 05, 11:31 pm
Brassai, can you give me more information about how the USB host works? I did a web search and found a thing which is a CF card at one end and a USB plug at the other end but I don't think that's what you're talking about?
Thanks!
Audrey
No problem.... the CF solution is one way to get USB host, but consumer demand has caused several manufacturers to build it in. USB Host simply means that the PDA can control the USB device that's plugged in, be it a hard disk, mouse, keyboard, camera, whatever. Many of the newer devices have it..... and all but two of the current VGA models do.
Essentially, you grab and install the USB Host drivers for Windows Mobile, plug in the cable to the Sync Connector, and the other end into your USB hard disk. I personally haven't done it.... but many have and you're probably better off leaving a message or doing some searching at one of the pocket PC sites (My fave is PocketPC Thoughts).
Cheers,
D.
Mr Falconea
Mar 15, 05, 6:00 am
How many people really shoot in RAW format?
Each RAW file from my camera is 24megs.
An awful lot of people with 6MP SLR's shoot RAW. RAW files for the Pentax are 12 - 13 meg and I get 290 - 300 to my 4GB CF card.
What do you shoot to get 24 meg RAWs?
Leon
Tummy
Mar 15, 05, 8:07 am
An awful lot of people with 6MP SLR's shoot RAW. RAW files for the Pentax are 12 - 13 meg and I get 290 - 300 to my 4GB CF card.
What do you shoot to get 24 meg RAWs?
Leon
Sony F828
Sorry, I was wrong, in RAW format it turns out 17meg files, TIFF is about 24megs. I normally shoot in Standard JPG since I only use the photos on the web or in iMovie / iDVD. I can get about 3,000 photos or around 40 minutes of video on a 5GB CF.
I'm looking forward to the replacement rumored to be announced at PIE 2005 in Tokyo on Friday. I've tried the Canon DSLR, but it was too big. Plus I had to lug around additional lenses. I just love the usability of the F828, but I feel it's still a little too heavy.
We recently got a 60 gig iPod photo for my SO and found it lacking some features, but we're mainly using it for music.
SEA_Tigger
Mar 15, 05, 9:51 am
This is a user web board for the Dell Axiom series of PPCs - http://www.aximsite.com/boards/index.php
RDY3238
Mar 15, 05, 7:02 pm
I have the 700m...great little machine - 512mb ram, 40g drive. Battery like about 2 hrs. Built in optical CDRW-DVD player, USB2,1394, plus I just discovered it has an SD media card slot! Works great for my CASIO 4 mp mini camera. Hi-Def screen great for rendering photos. I drag around a 1gig thumb drive as a transfer medium...Very good for the price. I was able to get in on the release 700m deal thru FatWallet.....Paid less than 1k after rebates and fudging....I have not discovered any defects or annoyances yet.
Very light, keyboard small but very smooth w/good tactile.
Get the Targus 10" DVD1 carrying case. Fits beautifully with standard battery.
YMMV
winkydink
Mar 15, 05, 7:06 pm
How many people really shoot in RAW format?
Each RAW file from my camera is 24megs.
They say that shooting raw gives you the opportunity to take every picture twice. Once when you snap the shutter and once again in Photoshop