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HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA
Update Feb 5, 2009: While I liked using the HyperDrive in general in the field, I had a few problems (e.g. the unit would get hot after backing up a large card and then claim the battery was dead, despite having a good charge, until the unit cooled down). I've tried contacting the company multiple times now and haven't received a single response. Because their support is so poor, I can't recommend this product. The quest continues for a good, in-the-field backup solution! -end update.
Backup in the field is always a pain. Many people bring a small hard drive that is bus powered, like a G-DRIVE mini. Drives like this are a great way to backup a full Aperture project, including your selects, metadata, and adjustments. Unfortunately, if your computer dies, so does your backup strategy. Plus if you are in an area with limited power, you want to save your computer's battery power, and a bus-powered hard drive won't help.
For a number of years now, a variety of companies have made self-contained storage devices that are essentially a screen, card reader, hard drive, and battery. Unfortunately, many of these have been large, had poor battery life, and had small hard drives. Some of these devices are quite nice, like the Jobo GIGA Vu PRO, which can also replace act as a media player. However, what you really want for a backup device is something with a large hard drive, good battery life, and low weight, which none of these devices provide.
Sanho recently introduced the HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA, which is the best answer to this wish list I've found yet. This device is about the size and weight of a G-DRIVE mini, and available in 120-500GB capacities ($350 to $550 at HyperDrive.com and slightly less at B&H). It reads 14 different types of storage cards, claims to be able to download 250GB on a single charge (presumably this is with the brightness set to low, thumbnail previewing turned off, and data verification turned off), and has a high-resolution 3.2" screen. There are smart features, like incremental backup of cards, too.
Since I'm off at the edge of the Earth right now (forgive me, you won't get any replies to comments for a while), I decided to get one and try it out. The best deal I found was to buy the case only from Sanho directly for $300 and a 500GB Samsung 9.5mm hard drive from NewEgg for $110, giving me a 500GB unit for $410. Installing the drive required unscrewing two screws on the case (screwdriver included with the case), sliding the drive in (I didn't need to change the jumper), removing the plastic piece from the battery, and replacing the cover. 5 minutes later, my HyperDrive was ready and with a 4GB SanDisk Extreme IV card, I saw transfer speeds around 25-30 MB/sec.
When you want to use the HyperDrive with your computer, the only trick is to select USB mode from the device's menu. Then, plug it into your Mac with the included USB cable, and it will appear as a hard drive. Use Aperture's local file importer, and browse through the drive. There should be one folder per compact flash card. Make sure to eject the drive when you're done importing.
While this device isn't the most rugged in the world, I've been happy with it so far. When I get back, I'll share how it worked out!
This sounded like a good alternative to the high cost of the Epson units. After reading some of the reviews on B&H, however, I am no longer interested.
I like the Wolverine Data "FlashPac" drives. No fancy color screen, no magical file management, but very, very durable and with a good battery life. I plug in my card, hit 'Copy' and it slurps everything off of the card into a directory. I turn it off. I continue on my way. When I get home, I plug the FlashPac in and import each folder into Aperture.
My FlashPac took me around the Mediterranean for 3 weeks when I didn't have my Mac with me. Worked very well!
FWIW, the shell-only version of the unit is now on "special" at the vendor's website for only $250 ($50 discount).
I use a PDX70 that is essentially an HD with a tiny B&W screen and a very simple OS that copies any card that you insert into a directory. It uses replaceable - rechargeable batteries, and it also works as a battery charger. I can charge it to the wall or car lighter. It's great tool. It was my back-up when traveling in Asia.
I bought a Hyperdrive about a year ago for a two week trip to Morocco. No way I could take a laptop so it was this or more SD cards.
It worked flawlessly. It's very simple to use though I wish the menu system was a bit more straight forward. It isn't an elegant design like the Epson but then the price is right.
Would I want to rely on it to judge images? No. Would I use it to show photos to clients (if I had any) probably not. But it sure is a practical solution.
Thanks for the mention of this Josh. I look forward to your fuller review. It looks like a promising solution, but I wonder about a "head-to-head" comparison with the comparable Epson product.
Don't do it! I have tried this route and these devices only gave me more heartache and a false since of security as they failed miserably.
It is much better, more economical and secure, to simply use an external drive like the Lacie Rugged 500GB which are very cheap now, and they run firewire 800, 400 and USB. Plug it into your laptop only to update Aperture Vaults in the field and that does not drain the battery too much.
In the field, most photographers import the images into Aperture on their laptops as Managed and do not erase the memory cards until they return home. That already puts the images in two places.
Only if you have the time and power to do field post production work in Aperture would you really need to (and have the power to) back up your extra work with an Aperture Vault using the Rugged drive.
There are my two cents...
been using a hyperdrive colorspace (old version) for a couple of years and i've been very happy with it!
some key features are:
- easily swappable hard drive
- long battery life
- recovery feature - i've been using this lately because a friend of mine had corrupted memory cards and hyperdrive was able to recover them!
Hi all, I'm back around now and wanted to mention that the HyperDrive worked quite well!
Norman, I know a lot of people like using external drives, but if your computer dies, your drives go, too. One person on this trip who was using external hard drives for backup had this happen (and she ended up backing up her cards to my hyperdrive, too). I don't know how your friends manage to not erase their cards. I have about 64GB of CF storage, but with a 21MP camera and frequently shooting over 20GB of data a day for a couple weeks, there's no way I could just let the cards be.
I'd looked at the Wolverine unit before, but the HyperDrive had a bigger HD, better battery, and faster drive. Those were really key for me. Another person on the trip had an Epson. Its screen is definitely nicer for looking at photos (I really wouldn't bother unless it's an emergency with the hyperdrive), but it's a larger unit and, in my opinion, not as good as a backup device.
The main issue I had was that the battery was a bit funky. I turned on hard drive and card verification and disabled all previews. I could probably get 100GB on a charge. However, when I was backing up a stack of cards, the unit would get hot and it would claim it had far less charge than it actually had. That's not an issue on a full charge, but on a half charge, it would sometimes decide it was out of power and just shut itself off. Letting it cool down some between cards mostly took care of this, and incremental backup came in handy for restarting backups, but this was annoying. I've emailed the company to ask about this. Hopefully it's just my unit and not a general flaw!
Aside from that, I really like this device and would recommend it to anyone as a great backup solution.
Come on now. Lets put things in perspective! Even if you are very heavy on the trigger and take photos all day with a 21 megapixel camera, one 32GB memory card will hold over 1500 raw images, or the equivalent of over 42 rolls of film! Five of those cards in your camera bag take up very little space, are very reliable (I have even accidently run a memory card through the wash and recuperated the images) and that would be equivalent to more than 210 rolls of film!
In all the years of assignments on film, I never shot more than 100 rolls on a trip, even on major stories about cities. The problem with digital is that it can change ones state of mind and rigor. I was guilty of this to an extent as well, but have become tighter again with how much I press the button every day. I now probably shoot less frames than with film, mostly because I seldom need to bracket exposures as with slide film.
Although digital has given us more control over our work, the other side of the coin is that we now perform a larger part of the image chain workflow. I and most of my colleagues are magazine photographers and we do not have time for the post processing of thousands of trial and error images every week.
I always try to travel as light as possible with 2 cameras and 2 lenses (second is mostly just for backup) and usually leave all images on the cards, because excess stuff can seriously effect your endurance and ability to work freely.
Hey Norman, I think we just must shoot differently. From 2 weeks in the Falklands, I shot over 8,000 images. I've found I shoot less now that I'm shooting digitally because I know when I've gotten the shot I wanted and I don't need to bracket. I have far fewer "trial and error" images, as you call them. Just because you never shot more than 100 rolls back in the film days doesn't mean that I or other people haven't. After all, when you're traveling to a remote, hard-to-reach destination, film was always the cheapest part of the trip.
Yet while film was cheap, that's a lot of money to invest in 32GB cards (I get about 600 RAW shots on 16GB, BTW), especially when there aren't any fast 32GB UDMA cards. Yes, I could buy twice as many 16GB UDMA cards, but it's cheaper to buy a HyperDrive or similar, and those devices are rather small.
On a side note, I finally (just today, over a couple weeks from first contacting them) received a reply from the HyperDrive's manufacturer, offering to replace my unit's battery. We'll see if that helps!
On a side note, I finally (just today, over a couple weeks from first contacting them) received a reply from the HyperDrive's manufacturer, offering to replace my unit's battery. We'll see if that helps!
Hope it runs well with u now.
Customer service usually ask customer for detail to decide which part goes wrong, and if it's hard ware problem and within warranty time, RMA is given, and return unit will be sent back as soon as the bad unit is reparied. While it usually takes less than one day to fix it. Seems the decision took long.
I love my color space UDMA. Perhaps a firmware update may help you? Anyhow, mine does get too warm, and the battery seems to last a very long time on my unit, though it is only the 120GB one. Of all the ones I seen this is the one that works well for me personally, and the raw images are decoded with no problems from my canon 5D Mark II.
I love my color space UDMA. Perhaps a firmware update may help you? Anyhow, mine does not get too warm, and the battery seems to last a very long time on my unit, though it is only the 120GB one. Of all the ones I seen this is the one that works well for me personally, and the raw images are decoded with no problems from my canon 5D Mark II.
Anyone try installing an SSD into this thing? I would expect a big impact in increasing battery life... granted cost and storage not a good as a regular drive.