Best way to back up sd cards without a computer?
Discussion
I've Googled this but most of the info is a few years old now. I don't mind getting a small, light netbook (I already have external HDDs) if necessary but thought I would ask in case there was a better solution. The files will be quite large, 70MB or so and there will be a fair few of them.
Not entirely clear what your problem is? I assume you do have a computer since you have external HDDs. Most people will transfer their photos from an SD card to a filing system on a computer which might very likely store the picture files on an external HDD rather than taking space on the computer HD itself. The SD card could then be reformatted and re-used or you could stash it away as separate storage. If the images are important you will probably want an on-line cloud back up - lots available at varying costs.
My system is to catalogue and file using Lightroom, put the image files on an external HDD, use "crash plan" as secondary back up and put my "better" images onto Flickr (which provides 1Tb of free storage). I may also scatter a few others around on various other media sites. Hope that helps
My system is to catalogue and file using Lightroom, put the image files on an external HDD, use "crash plan" as secondary back up and put my "better" images onto Flickr (which provides 1Tb of free storage). I may also scatter a few others around on various other media sites. Hope that helps
Beggarall said:
Not entirely clear what your problem is?
My apologies, I should have said that this is an away from home situation where I might be taking several hundred pictures. I will also be travelling by air with some weighty equipment so I'm looking for a lightweight solution.the above or a nexto: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nexto-NVS2801-Storage-Bac...
There used to be photo "tank" things - a fatter portable hard drive with a battery, card slot and buttons/display that let you copy the contents of a card to it. Like these: http://www.urban75.org/photos/photo-storage.html
Don't seem to be so common now - memory cards got bigger and cheaper, and computers got much smaller. The whole netbook thing happened not long after that article and I took a tiny little Samsung one around the world, backing up photos to an external drive then also uploading when we were somewhere with internet.
The only ones I could find were things like this with a "pro" level price: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1191265-REG...
Don't seem to be so common now - memory cards got bigger and cheaper, and computers got much smaller. The whole netbook thing happened not long after that article and I took a tiny little Samsung one around the world, backing up photos to an external drive then also uploading when we were somewhere with internet.
The only ones I could find were things like this with a "pro" level price: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1191265-REG...
I use a Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro - effectively a self-powered hard drive, with an SD card slot. Will connect to a pc via USB
Also acts as a streaming device, so you can view stuff on something like an iPad (although the wireless network isn’t fast, so big files are slow to load)
Neat trick is that it can be configured to copy the content of an SD card as soon as it is inserted - can also wipe it afterwards
I have a 2TB version, so it’s also used as a backup drive
Also acts as a streaming device, so you can view stuff on something like an iPad (although the wireless network isn’t fast, so big files are slow to load)
Neat trick is that it can be configured to copy the content of an SD card as soon as it is inserted - can also wipe it afterwards
I have a 2TB version, so it’s also used as a backup drive
The trouble is, a device that can transfer data, and that you can plug hard drives into, pretty much is a computer.
Like you, I've been looking for an idea travel solution - I work in the video world, and regularly back up terabytes of data on location, or even between locations in the back of a van. I'm always lugging my large and heavy MacBook pro around, and its a pretty inelegant solution.
However, most beposke small solutions, like the nexttoDI, are generally way more expensive than a regular old laptop.
A couple of thoughts
1) More memory cards. - SD cards are pretty cheap theses days, so for photos, just having way more cards could be an easy solution.
2) Chromebooks - if you can find one with USB3 port(s). Chromebooks are super affordable, and some are super light as they're made of plastic. Im tempted to go this route myself, if I can find one with 2 x USB 3 ports.
3) A laptop you can trick out. Ive pimped my old macbook pro, by replacing internal DVD drive with another HD, so I'm running two huge internal drives. Means that for backing up on the go, I don't have to always faff with external hard drives. (although i do anyway as for work projects, i like multiple backups, not kept in the same place)
Id love to be able to build a super portable data wrangling station. I'd want to have a touchscreen tablet size device, with multiple USB ports and multiple card slots, twin hot swappable battery system, and twin slots in the top, where I can slot in 2.5" drives, as if they were discs. (Id want the OS running off a small internal solid state drive.). Sadly its a bit beyond my technical ability to build!
Like you, I've been looking for an idea travel solution - I work in the video world, and regularly back up terabytes of data on location, or even between locations in the back of a van. I'm always lugging my large and heavy MacBook pro around, and its a pretty inelegant solution.
However, most beposke small solutions, like the nexttoDI, are generally way more expensive than a regular old laptop.
A couple of thoughts
1) More memory cards. - SD cards are pretty cheap theses days, so for photos, just having way more cards could be an easy solution.
2) Chromebooks - if you can find one with USB3 port(s). Chromebooks are super affordable, and some are super light as they're made of plastic. Im tempted to go this route myself, if I can find one with 2 x USB 3 ports.
3) A laptop you can trick out. Ive pimped my old macbook pro, by replacing internal DVD drive with another HD, so I'm running two huge internal drives. Means that for backing up on the go, I don't have to always faff with external hard drives. (although i do anyway as for work projects, i like multiple backups, not kept in the same place)
Id love to be able to build a super portable data wrangling station. I'd want to have a touchscreen tablet size device, with multiple USB ports and multiple card slots, twin hot swappable battery system, and twin slots in the top, where I can slot in 2.5" drives, as if they were discs. (Id want the OS running off a small internal solid state drive.). Sadly its a bit beyond my technical ability to build!
singlecoil said:
Beggarall said:
Not entirely clear what your problem is?
My apologies, I should have said that this is an away from home situation where I might be taking several hundred pictures. I will also be travelling by air with some weighty equipment so I'm looking for a lightweight solution.Fordo said:
The trouble is, a device that can transfer data, and that you can plug hard drives into, pretty much is a computer.
Like you, I've been looking for an idea travel solution - I work in the video world, and regularly back up terabytes of data on location, or even between locations in the back of a van. I'm always lugging my large and heavy MacBook pro around, and its a pretty inelegant solution.
However, most beposke small solutions, like the nexttoDI, are generally way more expensive than a regular old laptop.
A couple of thoughts
1) More memory cards. - SD cards are pretty cheap theses days, so for photos, just having way more cards could be an easy solution.
2) Chromebooks - if you can find one with USB3 port(s). Chromebooks are super affordable, and some are super light as they're made of plastic. Im tempted to go this route myself, if I can find one with 2 x USB 3 ports.
3) A laptop you can trick out. Ive pimped my old macbook pro, by replacing internal DVD drive with another HD, so I'm running two huge internal drives. Means that for backing up on the go, I don't have to always faff with external hard drives. (although i do anyway as for work projects, i like multiple backups, not kept in the same place)
Id love to be able to build a super portable data wrangling station. I'd want to have a touchscreen tablet size device, with multiple USB ports and multiple card slots, twin hot swappable battery system, and twin slots in the top, where I can slot in 2.5" drives, as if they were discs. (Id want the OS running off a small internal solid state drive.). Sadly its a bit beyond my technical ability to build!
The Acer chromebooks have 2x USB3 eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Chromebook-CB3-431-1... £229Like you, I've been looking for an idea travel solution - I work in the video world, and regularly back up terabytes of data on location, or even between locations in the back of a van. I'm always lugging my large and heavy MacBook pro around, and its a pretty inelegant solution.
However, most beposke small solutions, like the nexttoDI, are generally way more expensive than a regular old laptop.
A couple of thoughts
1) More memory cards. - SD cards are pretty cheap theses days, so for photos, just having way more cards could be an easy solution.
2) Chromebooks - if you can find one with USB3 port(s). Chromebooks are super affordable, and some are super light as they're made of plastic. Im tempted to go this route myself, if I can find one with 2 x USB 3 ports.
3) A laptop you can trick out. Ive pimped my old macbook pro, by replacing internal DVD drive with another HD, so I'm running two huge internal drives. Means that for backing up on the go, I don't have to always faff with external hard drives. (although i do anyway as for work projects, i like multiple backups, not kept in the same place)
Id love to be able to build a super portable data wrangling station. I'd want to have a touchscreen tablet size device, with multiple USB ports and multiple card slots, twin hot swappable battery system, and twin slots in the top, where I can slot in 2.5" drives, as if they were discs. (Id want the OS running off a small internal solid state drive.). Sadly its a bit beyond my technical ability to build!
wsurfa said:
The Acer chromebooks have 2x USB3 eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Chromebook-CB3-431-1... £229
Excellent - thanks for the heads up, that'll be perfect for me.To the OP - I just spotted this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ex-Pro®-Picture-Driv...
Have no idea how well it works, but looks quite cost effective.
Theres a part of me that would be a little hesitant baking up important data, without the ability to actually check the data as you can on a computer - but your milage might vary
It's been posted few posts up - exactly what the OP is after
Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TB-Passport-Wireless-P...
Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TB-Passport-Wireless-P...
mudnomad said:
It's been posted few posts up - exactly what the OP is after
Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TB-Passport-Wireless-P...
The reviews are not encouraging, unfortunately.Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-TB-Passport-Wireless-P...
Very much a fan of this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TI3WQJS/ref...
It is a bit clunky, but combined with any 2.5" HD and it makes the perfect travel companion... you need an iphone/ipad too, but that's almost a given these days.
It is a bit clunky, but combined with any 2.5" HD and it makes the perfect travel companion... you need an iphone/ipad too, but that's almost a given these days.
Fordo said:
wsurfa said:
The Acer chromebooks have 2x USB3 eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Chromebook-CB3-431-1... £229
Excellent - thanks for the heads up, that'll be perfect for me.To the OP - I just spotted this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ex-Pro®-Picture-Driv...
Have no idea how well it works, but looks quite cost effective.
Theres a part of me that would be a little hesitant baking up important data, without the ability to actually check the data as you can on a computer - but your milage might vary
A few hundred photos?
Lol. Leave them on a card? I really wouldn't bother with back up unless I was talking thousands of images.
However, I have used a WiFi SD Card in my 5D3, with auto back up to my iPhone. From there I can do what I want with the images. In effect I was carrying no extra equipment/bulk.
Lol. Leave them on a card? I really wouldn't bother with back up unless I was talking thousands of images.
However, I have used a WiFi SD Card in my 5D3, with auto back up to my iPhone. From there I can do what I want with the images. In effect I was carrying no extra equipment/bulk.
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff