Netbook For Travel Storage?

[Ed Cordes]

Up till now I have been using a ColorSpace to upload my images fro the CF Cards in the field, then copying them to my laptop back in the hotel/camp. I am considering a netbook for its light weight. However, they only come with 160 Gig HDs. So I was thinking of continuing to use the Colorspace to upload the cards in the field, then when back in the camp using Light Room to copy the files to a WD Passport 320 Gig through the Netbook. I would then have a copy of the image on the Colorspace and another on the WD Passport. Of course I could also keep a copy on the Netbook until the 160 Gig gets filled.

The 160 Gig sounds like a lot. However, after the XP OS, and security software as well as Light Room are added the remaining available space may actually be under 100 Gig. When my wife and I both shoot for an extended 2 week trip this will not be enough. Therefore the WD Passport enters the picture.

Does this sound reasonable as a work flow? If it does I could use LR to edit and keyword during down times.

One question is can I download LR from the Internet and add the license number to activate it? since a Netbook doesn't have an optical drive it is hard to place it on the Netbook without downloading. or can I copy the LR CD to an USB flash drive then copy this to the Netbook.

This is a long post and I appreciate your reading and any responses you may have.

Thanks,
Ed

[Dan Brown]

Hi Ed. I don't know if this will help but in the June 2009 issue of the Outdoor Photographer, page 32, Bob Krist writes about the Netbook, he likes it for travel.

[Roger Clark]

Ed,
In your scenario, you could end up with one copy of your images on the external drive. Any mechanical/electrical device can fail at any moment (my microwave failed tonight while cooking dinner). My view is minimum 3 backups. I buy enough cards to keep all images on cards for one entire trip (I currently have about 120 GBytes). Then I carry a couple of USB drives for additional backup in case the laptop fills. (500 GByte USB drives are pretty cheap). Then I keep the USB drives when full and do not re-use them.
I also carry an Epson P5000 in case the laptop fails. The Epson can copy images to a USB drive as well as review images.

[Rene A]

Ed,

I'm traveling at his moment with a netbook & camera in England. I purchased a Samsung N20 12" screen 1200x800 (with less resolutions you have to move the screen up or down) & has 160 hd. I upload the images to the netbook & then transfer them to a 500 gig external drive. it all is quick. the netbook is fast because I put 2 gig ram in.

well worth the investment.

[Tell Dickinson]

One question is can I download LR from the Internet and add the license number to activate it? since a Netbook doesn't have an optical drive it is hard to place it on the Netbook without downloading. or can I copy the LR CD to an USB flash drive then copy this to the Netbook.

Hi Ed, I have the Samsung NC10 it has a very good battery life and is smaller than the NC20, and use it as a second storage device while away from home, I have deliberately not installed much to keep disc space to a maximum and after XP, BreezeBrowser, Recovery software and a couple of other programs are installed I still have over 140G left (not sure how much LR would take).

I also had to load something from CD, I have a home network and therefore 'shared' the CD player on one computer and then 'Mapped a Network Drive' letter on the NC10 to it and everything installed fine :)

[David Kennedy]

Ed,
That is exactly the work flow I'm considering for the Galapagos: copy to HyperDrive, then copy from HyperDrive to WD Passport via a netbook. I'm not sure I'm going to bother with much editing, though. I may load BreezeBrowser and make some general edits (kill the really, really bad ones) but wait to import into Lightroom until I get home. I'm just not sure that the netbook (whichever one I wind up buying) will have enough "kick" to run LR.

[beykirch]

Hi Ed,

I am using such a set-up since a couple of weeks and it works for me. First of all I copy the files to the netbook via a USB CF reader and than to two external harddrives. One of them is a Jobo GigaOne which can be used as a stand alone set for copying or as backup for the USB CF reader.

You should avoid using Lightroom on the netbook. It is fast enough, but has serious problems with the low screen resolution of typically 1024x600. Some of the configuration pop-up windows are so big that you cannot see the "ok" and "Cancel" buttons at the bottom of the pop-up window. Therefore, I am using CaptureOne 4.8.1 on the Netbook.

BTW, I have tried to calibrate the screen of the netbook using i1Match. That wasn't possible due to the same reason: The screen was to small to see the relevant buttons.

Regards

Bernd

[Ed Cordes]

Thanks for all the feedback. Between the ColorSpace, the HD on the Netbook and the external I will have at least 2 copies of each image. Interesting about LR being hard to use. Will Canon's DPP work? There has to be some way to view the images from cameras the the XP RAW reader can't decipher?

[beykirch]

Hi Ed,

haven't tested Canon's DPP so far. In the end all applications with pop-up windows bigger than 600 pixels on the vertical side are having problems with the netbooks.

What works very well is the EOS Utility. I am trying in this moment to shoot some very shy birds in my back yard with the netbook and the live view mode of my EOS 5DII:

The 5DII is connected via a 10m USB cable to the netbook in my living room and I am operating the camera (including AF) from there. It's not easy (more or less due to the quite slow AF in Live View mode) but it works quite good.

Regards

Bernd

[Tell Dickinson]

Will Canon's DPP work? There has to be some way to view the images from cameras the the XP RAW reader can't decipher?

Hi Ed, I have not tried DPP but have also installed Picasa (free download from google) and that works very well for just quickly scanning through new images, not much good for editing though.

[Rocky Sharwell]

I have been debating the same thing--i have a an old Hyperdrive (80gb) which may need to be updated. I had been toying with the idea of getting a small macbook but am leaning towards taking my 17 inch MacBook Pro and an external drive. I like the idea of having three copies of each image.

[Rene A]

Bernd,

I had a 10" netbook and returned it for a Samsung 12" because of the 1024x600 limitation. The only good viewer it tested with was Fastone & Lightroom. 12" screen weights 8 oz more. Newegg is the only online reatailer that sells Samsung N20. Samsung also makes a 12 each for Dell for that reason US online reatailers have to import the N20 though an independent asian wholesale vendor.

[Rene A]

Ed,

DPP will NOT install on a 10" netbook.

[bobhandal]

Ive got the small acer inspire One w/160 gb, and take along a mini La Cie 500 gb usb powered hard disk, this combo works like a charm. I use faststone to view and delete the obvious ones, the doubtful I leave until I get to the main computer. Cheap, effective and I can internet and make skype calls.

[Jay Gould]

Hi, I am led to believe that all of the netbooks are using a motherboard "invented" by Asus. My research thus far is that they apparently have the most reliable units. I have spoken with several users of this unit and they are quite satisfied with its performance.

SWMBO has declared that hence forth she will have her own internet access! Therefore I am going to purchase this unit or something similar prior our departure for South America in October.

For my needs I carry a Dell XPS 13.1 which has a 175gb hard drive. I also carry two La Cie Rugged 500gb hard drives for a double backup; one in my bags and one in Jackie's bags. If both La Cie drives fail then it must be that I wasn't meant to have those images.

I use a Lexar USB 2.0 to download from the CF card to the laptop and then copy to the La Cies.

[BillTyler]

I'd look into getting a higher capacity external drive. I have a couple of 500 GB drives (Seagate Freeagent Go) that are each the size of a typical paperback book, and take their power from the USB port, so you don't need an external power module. My download workflow is to use Lightroom to import to one drive and backup to the other simultaneously. Adding a netbook, you'd still have a very compact and lightweight package. They're available on Amazon.com right now for $119.99. They come in smaller sizes also, but you don't save much.
Bill

[Ed Cordes]

Thanks for all the responses! I have heeded the advice garnered here and decided my HP laptop at 5 pounds is going to be OK. By the time I add an external drive the cost and weight increases, and, as many have said, the 1024/600 limit will not really let me see my images well enough to examine them appropriately.

I have also decided that buying a Gura Bag will allow me to save 7 pounds over my current LowePro PhotoTrekker II.

[David Kennedy]

Thanks for all the responses! I have heeded the advice garnered here and decided my HP laptop at 5 pounds is going to be OK. By the time I add an external drive the cost and weight increases, and, as many have said, the 1024/600 limit will not really let me see my images well enough to examine them appropriately.

I have also decided that buying a Gura Bag will allow me to save 7 pounds over my current LowePro PhotoTrekker II.

Good luck, Ed. FWIW, I just picked up an MSI Wind netbook and am really thrilled with the performance with BreezeBrowser. I don't plan on editing in either LR or Photoshop--don't even know that I'll install Photoshop with it, but it will definitely work for preliminary "weed whacking" and confirmation of focus in the field.