Mobile cd writer instead of a laptop

NeoNeo Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
edited April 6, 2005 in Accessories
While traveling you always need more space, one way is to take your laptop.
I just saw this device. Smaller than a laptop , and I think it is a good way to burn them directly and not to loose your precious images. Might be something?


http://www.jobodigital.com/products/disc_steno_cp200.htm


azp200_wdisc_lores.jpg

Comments

  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2004
    That looks very interesting for $300.00. It makes me nervous not being able to view my files on a computer, but if an inexpensive portable solution is what you need this should be a great option. I wonder if it shows how many files are being transfered. The fact that it can use video out to a TV is a nice way to check to see what is on your disk though.

    24x write speed is pretty fast. Reading many types of memory cards is a plus too, you never know when you might need to help a friend.

    I like that it is made by JOBO, known for their darkroom gear, glad to see they are making a transition to digital.

    This is one of the first devices that I have seen using and OLED. I guess that technology is starting to catch on. ne_nau.gif

    Anyone have experience with it or read a review? Thanks for pointing it out.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2004
    Very interesting, neo, thanks for posting that and welcome to the site.

    Two things occur to me: CDs don't hold a lot, so you'll need multiple CDs to hold the offerings of a 1mb card. And that also means you'll be packing a few CDs with you... blanks and recorded ones.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2004
    wxwax wrote:
    Very interesting, neo, thanks for posting that and welcome to the site.

    Two things occur to me: CDs don't hold a lot, so you'll need multiple CDs to hold the offerings of a 1mb card. And that also means you'll be packing a few CDs with you... blanks and recorded ones.

    Most CD's hold 700mb today, so you need about 1.5 cd's/1gb of data. If you carry the sleeve's instead of jewel cases they do not take up too much space. CD's are also super cheap about $0.25/disk so $0.50 to backup 1gb is pretty cheap, given that the CF card costs almost as much as the drive. If it was 100% reliable it would be an easy way to backup if you did not want to deal with a laptop.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited January 12, 2004
    Or you could spend about $250 for a 20GB portable hard drive. The Tripper ne_nau.gif

    tripper2.jpg
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited January 12, 2004
    wxwax wrote:
    Or you could spend about $250 for a 20GB portable hard drive. The Tripper ne_nau.gif

    tripper2.jpg

    True, but a CD is much more archival than a hardrive, plus if you drop the finished CD most of the time it will be fine, not the same with the tripper. Sure you can drop the CD burner too, but it does not store all your images. I think CD's are a safer format, especially when traveling. You can always ship home burned CD's.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2004
    FWIW, Patch, these guys agree with you WRT making multiple CD copies for backup.

    Neo, the machine they cite is this one: the Micro Solutions Roadstor (I hate these names!)

    rs-included.jpg

    What it has over the competition is a TV out (s-video as well) and it's also a DVD player. Kinda cool.

    Here are the other two CD burners they write about.


    The Alera Digital Photo Copy Cruiser
    alera_1773_124744

    Nixvue Vizor
    vizor.gif
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • Tom VervaekeTom Vervaeke Registered Users Posts: 57 Big grins
    edited January 20, 2004
    Tripper
    I like the Tripper. Based on a recommendation by a friend I got a 40GB triper from the Discount Shop (http://the-discount-shop.com/) just prior to Xmas. I just stick my CF card in there, press a few buttons, and my 512MB CF card is sucked dry in a matter of a few minutes. In the meantime I'm off shooting more shots with the other 512MB card. It will process 3-4 of these transfers prior to needing it's battery charged.

    On a recent trip to CA over the holidays I stuffed GB after GB in there. Later, I moved the materials with a USB cord to my laptop. Normally on trips of < 1 week I won't even take a laptop as I defy almost anyone to shoot > 40GB in a week.

    These things come is 20, 40, 60, and 80 GB units.

    I lent mine to a friend on AdvRider who is now in Baja for 5 weeks dirt riding with friends. He's got a 3.2MP Sony A70 and my Tripper along. I expect he will come back with 5-10GB of pics. In that environment a laptop could not go safely for sure. And, he'd have to shell out a s**tfull of money for enough CF cards to last.

    CD's are fine, but they only hold 650-700MB and are slow to write. If I'm out shooting the Nikon in RAW mode I can fill a 512MB CF card in 1-2 hours or less. I need something quick and painless like the Tripper to move my images to safety.

    The whole unit is about the size of (dating myself here, I'm 47) an 8-track cassette. Kinda cheaply made but for < $300 bucks I've essentially got a 40GB CF card.

    My .02.

    Tom
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited January 20, 2004
    Makes sense to me, but I'm just standing on the sidelines. I think the difference is between my needs (I can handle losing an image if necessary) and the needs of a pro (who absolutely, positively must preserve the images they shoot - it's their livelihood.)

    So I reckon I'd chance it with a hard drive. But a pro wants the mental comfort of having their shots safely filed, and also backed-up somewhere. That's why it's worth it to them to carry around CDs, which are solid state and pretty rugged. I think carrying CDs around with a burner is a little clumsy, but it sure is a lot safer than a more fragile hard drive device.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited February 2, 2004
    Here is an article by a photographer who used a portable cd burner setup on a climbing expedition to the Himalayas.

    It is well worth reading. He burned many CD's over three weeks and never charged his cd burner (single battery) or 10D (5 batteries for it). Technology seems to be working in the wilderness.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2004
    Very interesting read. So too was the link about exposing to the right of the histogram - in essence, deliberately over-exposing the shot, but careful not to blow-out the highlights.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited February 20, 2004
    I checked this unit out at PMA and it looks really good. A nice portable option of you want to travel fairly lightweight. I also like the OLED display. Hopefully the price of these units will drop in the future.
  • DJ-S1DJ-S1 Registered Users Posts: 2,303 Major grins
    edited March 23, 2005
    The Aleratec burner won PC Magazine Editor's Choice this month. Article here.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited March 23, 2005
    And on the portable hard drive side, the EPSON P-2000 is all the rage right now. $500 bucks, tho. :bluduh
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • davemj98davemj98 Registered Users Posts: 225 Major grins
    edited March 23, 2005
    Vaio Pocket Player
    thumb.gif
    wxwax wrote:
    And on the portable hard drive side, the EPSON P-2000 is all the rage right now. $500 bucks, tho. :bluduh
    I got this gadget and took it on a trip to the Grand Canyon; listened to MP3's on the airplane both ways, dumped 1200 photos into it (and got to view them also on its screen) and left the laptop at home! It really works for me.http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=VGFAP1L&Dept=computers&CategoryName=acc_PCAccessories_VaioPocket
    davidsdigitalphotography.com
    Alpha 99 & VG, 900x2 & VG; 50mm1.4, CZ135 1.8; CZ16-35 2.8, CZ24-70 2.8, G70-200 2.8, G70-400, Sony TC 1.4, F20, F58, F60.
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited March 23, 2005
    wxwax wrote:
    Makes sense to me, but I'm just standing on the sidelines. I think the difference is between my needs (I can handle losing an image if necessary) and the needs of a pro (who absolutely, positively must preserve the images they shoot - it's their livelihood.)

    So I reckon I'd chance it with a hard drive. But a pro wants the mental comfort of having their shots safely filed, and also backed-up somewhere. That's why it's worth it to them to carry around CDs, which are solid state and pretty rugged. I think carrying CDs around with a burner is a little clumsy, but it sure is a lot safer than a more fragile hard drive device.


    As I have said previously, I don't want to spend my evening time waiting around while I burn 3 or 4 CDs. I use my laptop - buy a cheap used one if need be - and a USB 2 powered 40Gb hard drive - That gives me two independent copies of my files quickly, and if I'm real paranoid I would also burn a DVD as well while I slept. A 40Gb USB 2 powered HD can be found in the PC Connection for about $130 dollars. And no CDRs to buy or carry around or scratch. Cdrs work OK for 3 Mpxl images, but when you start shooting 8Mpxl images you just need a bigger storage medium. Shooting birds can fill up a 4 Gb card in a day easily.

    And the laptop lets me review the RAW files to see if I wish to archive them or just delete them on the spot. A TV out connection is not going to let me see my RAW files at all. If you just shoot jpgs, and don't wan to review your work, then one of these CDR burning gadgets might work, but not for me. I want to be able to see my images before I get home a week later.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,948 moderator
    edited March 23, 2005
    In today's connected world, I would venture to guess that many pros are
    carrying laptops. One to edit and two to upload and then there's e-mail
    and other stuff. Adding a cd burner to a laptop is cheap enough these
    days.

    While there's a compelling reason to look at things like the epson and cd
    burners if you will be away from a power source, there's not enough
    of a reason to opt for one of them over a laptop you may already have.

    Ian

    P.S. It's just one more power supply to add to the pile...
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited March 23, 2005
    ian408 wrote:
    In today's connected world, I would venture to guess that many pros are
    carrying laptops. One to edit and two to upload and then there's e-mail
    and other stuff. Adding a cd burner to a laptop is cheap enough these
    days.

    Some brands even have them standard on all their machines because they are so cheap. Personally, in my opinion, at 700MB a CD-R just isn't a lot of storage. I know people who only shoot with 512M cards specifically to make life easier when burning CD backups. One problem with some of the portable burners is they don't split cards onto multiple discs. This particular one might, I don't know, but you want to find out.

    Another benefit to carrying a laptop on travel is the ability to watch a DVD in your hotel room or the airplane for entertainment. Some brands even include Combo drives standard on all their laptops as well... ;)

    I'm personally torn between an Epson P2000 or bringing a notebook. Ok, what I really want is an iPod photo that will read directly from a card reader (can it?) But I would not consider a portable CD burner.
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
    Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
    My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,948 moderator
    edited March 23, 2005
    mercphoto wrote:
    Some brands even have them standard on all their machines because they are so cheap. Personally, in my opinion, at 700MB a CD-R just isn't a lot of storage. I know people who only shoot with 512M cards specifically to make life easier when burning CD backups. One problem with some of the portable burners is they don't split cards onto multiple discs. This particular one might, I don't know, but you want to find out.

    Another benefit to carrying a laptop on travel is the ability to watch a DVD in your hotel room or the airplane for entertainment. Some brands even include Combo drives standard on all their laptops as well... ;)

    I'm personally torn between an Epson P2000 or bringing a notebook. Ok, what I really want is an iPod photo that will read directly from a card reader (can it?) But I would not consider a portable CD burner.
    Exactly. I am sitting in a hotel right now (thought I'm not watching a
    movie--I could).

    The way I process my shots is to dump them to the laptop. Take a quick
    look-see and then burn them to disk. That way, I have a couple of copies
    until I get back home. That might change if I were taking a trip to the
    mountains much like the linky posted earlier.

    ian
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • gubbsgubbs Registered Users Posts: 3,166 Major grins
    edited March 24, 2005
    I used to have an apacer cp100 which I was really pleased with, well built, simple to use, write verification, but it wasn't cabable of spanning across cd's so I sold it. Fortunately the model your looking does span .

    I've just recd a Delkin DVD burnaway. First impressions are good, I've just tried it for the first time and it seems to work well. Power on, DVD in, Card in, press button twice. That's it!
    It reads/ writes about as fast as my usb 2.0 card reader uploads. I reckon It could burn a dvd before you've got a laptop out of its bag and booted up.

    I'm away to West Wales for the weekend so I'll try it out more extensivley, If you can hold on a few days I'll do a more thorough review and post some pics. (assuming that my pc is up an running umph.gif)
    gubbs
    gubbs.smugmug.com

  • gubbsgubbs Registered Users Posts: 3,166 Major grins
    edited March 24, 2005
    gubbs wrote:
    I used to have an apacer cp100 which I was really pleased with, well built, simple to use, write verification, but it wasn't cabable of spanning across cd's so I sold it. Fortunately the model your looking does span .

    I've just recd a Delkin DVD burnaway. First impressions are good, I've just tried it for the first time and it seems to work well. Power on, DVD in, Card in, press button twice. That's it!
    It reads/ writes about as fast as my usb 2.0 card reader uploads. I reckon It could burn a dvd before you've got a laptop out of its bag and booted up.

    I'm away to West Wales for the weekend so I'll try it out more extensivley, If you can hold on a few days I'll do a more thorough review and post some pics. (assuming that my pc is up an running umph.gif)
    Oh Yeah, this thing is supplied with cables and a remote so it can be used as DVD player (pal and the other one) /Mp3 Player/ photo review. Just discovered that the drive can be taken out of the housing so that it can fit straight into your laptop drive bay.
    gubbs
    gubbs.smugmug.com

  • gubbsgubbs Registered Users Posts: 3,166 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2005
    gubbs wrote:

    I've just recd a Delkin DVD burnaway. First impressions are good, I've just tried it for the first time and it seems to work well. Power on, DVD in, Card in, press button twice. That's it!
    It reads/ writes about as fast as my usb 2.0 card reader uploads. I reckon It could burn a dvd before you've got a laptop out of its bag and booted up.

    I'm away to West Wales for the weekend so I'll try it out more extensivley, If you can hold on a few days I'll do a more thorough review and post some pics. (assuming that my pc is up an running umph.gif)
    Delayed update!!

    Well, I said I'd do a review, unfortunatley I went to use it in Wales, switched it on and just got black blocks on the screen instead of text and was unable to burn anything.

    Sent it back to the supplier who promptly sent me a replacement. Unfortunately, this one didn't work either. The Screen was ok, but it wouldn't recognize any discs despite trying 2 brands of cd's including the ones supplied and 2 different Sony DVD's umph.gif What a great backup device rolleyes1.gif

    So that one's gone back too!

    Maybe I'm just unlucky
    gubbs
    gubbs.smugmug.com

  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2005
    And my old favorite that i use almost daily....this thing is for sale here for about $170 USD equiv & holds 30 GIG. Thats around 3750 RAW 20D shots if im not wrong.

    Charge it from power/car/bike

    need more room...easy to open & drop a larger laptop HD in.


    [size=-1]XDRIVE PRO VP300 + 30 HDD 4200RPM + Car Charger [XDPRO30][/size] XD_Pro1.jpg [size=-1]Compactflash Card type I / type II (CF), IBM Microdrive, Smartmedia Card (SM), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick Pro (MS Pro), Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), XD Picture Card (XD)
    Black and White LCD displays working status.
    Internal: Li-ion rechargeable battery 3.6V (1.6 Hours time)
    Windows 98/98SE, Win 2000 (with driver) Win ME/XP, Linux Kernel version 2.4 or above without driver, Mac OS 8.6 - 9.0 with driver, Mac OS 10.0.1 and above without driver.
    Dimension: 13x7.5x2.5 cm Weight: 288g (including HDD) Accesories: Power adapter/USB cable/user's guide/CD Driver/

    [size=-1]US based charger free - auto switch 100-240V - adapters will be also sent to suit your country UK or EU. Separately autoswitch 100-240V Charger for AU
    Package Contains: X-Drive, Case, Charger, FREE CAR CHARGER, USB Cable, Earphones, Manual and CD Drivers.
    Shipping costs for DHL Delivery (adding CF Cards to this item will not change shipping costs):
    USA, Canada, Asia AU$ 41.00, UK AU$ 39.00, Europe AU$ 45, Australia AU$ 10.45
    IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP     [/size][/size]
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