Offline storage of digital pictures

[RogerS]

You can get a unit like the Apacer Disk Steno CP100 that basically is standalone, weight little and takes a CD-R disk in the top. You plug your camera memory card in the side and press a button and bingo...pictures burned to CD. Easier to take on holiday than a laptop..especially if, like us, you're travelling every other day or two.

The downside that I see but can't find an answer to is that memory cards come up to 1Gb but CDs are a bit over 700Mb..so how do these storage devices handle the 'extra'? Do they exit cleanly and complete the CD session when you get to the image that is going to exceed the CD capacity? or do they just fall over in a heap and produce a coffee cup coaster?

Does anyone have one of these by any chance?

Or is the sensible option just to use a 512Mb and waste the spare CD space as CDs are cheap?

 

[RogerS]

Well, sits back amazed at the response time. I had also emailed Apacer support and hadn't really expected a reply. But one came back literally less than an hour of sending it and so I'll post the response hear to close off the thread

Unfortunately, the CP100 is the only unit in it's product line that does not support
disc spanning, the CP80(which was released later), CP200, CP300, and AD330 all
will ask you to insert a next disk.

This is a hardware feature which could not be applied to the CP100 afterwards,
I recommend in this case not to let your flash cards go over 700 mb of it's
capacity when you back up your data,

 

[gidon]

Hi Roger
Out of interest, why would you choose one of these over a portable HDD with flash card inputs and even a colour viewing screen at comparable prices?
Cheers
Gidon

 

[RogerS]

Good link, Gidon.

Price for the CP80 is £113 (maybe plus delivery). All the ones with a screen are a lot more expensive than that and I don't really need the screen...if I assume that the pictures have loaded OK..guess that's the main reason for a screen in my situation.

Hard disk...any more or less reliable than a CD? Not sure...just gut feel said that CD should be more reliable (at least in the short term until I return from holiday and then can back up the CD).

Of course, I could take the laptop and you have got me thinking that that may be the better choice. Need to think of weight and if internet connection is available in any of the hotels that we're staying in.

Roger

 

[OLD]

It may use InCD packet writing software the cd acts as a floppy disc ( you can add and delete files) total storage is less than a cd .

 

[chiba]

Or use an iPod with Apple's camera connector.

 

[RogerS]

Good suggestion Chiba and any excuse to replace my elderly (almost Mk1) iPod is welcome...but same issues re hard disk reliability, I guess.