Steve'sDigicams

sjms · Jul 7, 2002, 12:08 AM

i'm still on the fence about them. reliability is a big thing to me. i would hate to shoot 300+ shots and have it decide no longer to function with my pictures on there. too many moving parts and power consumption issues. i go on the side of caution and have multiple cf cards. your choice of size. 256 MB holds 90+ highest quality JPG at $+/- 105 now. if your shooting RAW or TIFF then microdrive is the choice for size. they don't compress too well. at highest Q JPG decompresses to 14MB per image give or take a few KB into photoshop.if your trying to quick turn these images JPG is the way. RAW will require you to sit down and work every image. TIFF isn't a problem though. once you find the sweet spot in photoshop and the camera combo you'll be able to batch process your images in reasonable time

[Edited on 7-7-2002 by sjms]

[Edited on 7-7-2002 by sjms]

NHL · Jul 7, 2002, 4:59 AM

sjms

While I agree with everyone that the microdrive may be less reliable than CF card, but I have use this devices for over a year in hot, humid, sandy and salty condition to build enough confidence in trusting them. Plus the condition on the beaches are hot enough to liquified the gel lubricant in my D7!

Beside even if you use CF flash cards you'll still need to download them to a laptop or Mindstor, which still rely on rotary spinning medium anyway. I think the microdrive is a Godsend for the # of shots I take on most of my weeklong trips. Once you'll get use to the microdrive, like me you'll be buying more of the microdrives before another CF cards...(but I don't shoot for a living)

sjms · Jul 7, 2002, 9:55 AM

your absolutely right on the number of shots issue. i'll probably get one one of these days. but putting your eggs in one basket when shooting for someone elses money raises reliability/liability issues. redundancy of usable memory. and if it's worth money burn it to a CD ASAP. we are talking commercial apps in thus situation. just remember, and i hope it never happens, "if the microdrive aint spinnin- you aint grinnin" definately have some form of backup card to work with

NHL · Jul 8, 2002, 6:20 AM

Yea, I do pack CF cards & my 990 as backup but leave them at the condo, and haven't got the chance to use them yet! But 256Mb is like a little more than 2+ roll of film.

I thought going to digital get you away from all this changing film business... With the microdrive all I need is another battery set (and sometime I don't even need it). I love the convenience of travelling light which the microdrive buys me !!!

[Edited on 7-8-2002 by NHL]

sjms · Jul 8, 2002, 8:57 AM

ok i'm just having a little fun hear. relax. we both have valid opinions. by the way what make cards are your cf's and since you dont use em wanna sell them?

[Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms]

[Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms]

[Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms]

[Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms]

NHL · Jul 9, 2002, 5:55 AM

smjs

Unlike the 995, my 990 can only use CF flash and wouldn't accept the microdrive... The 256Mb's are Sandisk and SimpleTech. In fact they are pretty cheap now since I've bought one from Amazon a few months ago for $89 after rebate and the shipping was free from Amazon...

The other use I found for the microdrive is to transfer pictures between computers since their sizes exceed Zip/Jaz (Jaz requires SCSI), and so much faster than burning CD!!! (ever try to find a picture on a CDr or edit from a CDRw?). My friends and I actually stop e-mailing pictures since we often ran over our limits...

http://www.stevesforums.com/forum/vi...ad.php?tid=415

[Edited on 7-9-2002 by NHL]

... Problem with high speed DSL

[Edited on 7-16-2002 by NHL]

sjms · Jul 9, 2002, 9:27 AM

try investing in a network. (2?) 10/100 cards $20-20 and a hub/switch today is about $40-50. if your on dsl or cable invest in a router/switch about $70-80 with any of these combinations you'll be transferring faster, allows for printer sharing and connection sharing. you'll also be able to share other devices like your jaz or your readers also and at a network running 100Mbts/sec should satisfy your need for speed

sjms · Jul 9, 2002, 9:29 AM

oh yeah. jaz supports firewire with an adapter.
finding pictures- i run Access DB. the disks are catagorized numbered and cataloged. it ain't that hard.

now we have gotten way off the discussion boards track. lets either take OUR issues off the board or start another thread for our mutual admiration society
[email protected]

[Edited on 7-9-2002 by sjms]

Jul 7, 2002, 12:08 AM	#21
sjms Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,735	microdrives i'm still on the fence about them. reliability is a big thing to me. i would hate to shoot 300+ shots and have it decide no longer to function with my pictures on there. too many moving parts and power consumption issues. i go on the side of caution and have multiple cf cards. your choice of size. 256 MB holds 90+ highest quality JPG at $+/- 105 now. if your shooting RAW or TIFF then microdrive is the choice for size. they don't compress too well. at highest Q JPG decompresses to 14MB per image give or take a few KB into photoshop.if your trying to quick turn these images JPG is the way. RAW will require you to sit down and work every image. TIFF isn't a problem though. once you find the sweet spot in photoshop and the camera combo you'll be able to batch process your images in reasonable time [Edited on 7-7-2002 by sjms] [Edited on 7-7-2002 by sjms]

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Jul 7, 2002, 4:59 AM	#22
NHL Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: 39.18776, -77.311353333333 Posts: 11,599	sjms While I agree with everyone that the microdrive may be less reliable than CF card, but I have use this devices for over a year in hot, humid, sandy and salty condition to build enough confidence in trusting them. Plus the condition on the beaches are hot enough to liquified the gel lubricant in my D7! Beside even if you use CF flash cards you'll still need to download them to a laptop or Mindstor, which still rely on rotary spinning medium anyway. I think the microdrive is a Godsend for the # of shots I take on most of my weeklong trips. Once you'll get use to the microdrive, like me you'll be buying more of the microdrives before another CF cards...(but I don't shoot for a living)

Jul 7, 2002, 9:55 AM	#23
sjms Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,735	your absolutely right on the number of shots issue. i'll probably get one one of these days. but putting your eggs in one basket when shooting for someone elses money raises reliability/liability issues. redundancy of usable memory. and if it's worth money burn it to a CD ASAP. we are talking commercial apps in thus situation. just remember, and i hope it never happens, "if the microdrive aint spinnin- you aint grinnin" definately have some form of backup card to work with

Jul 8, 2002, 6:20 AM	#24
NHL Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: 39.18776, -77.311353333333 Posts: 11,599	Yea, I do pack CF cards & my 990 as backup but leave them at the condo, and haven't got the chance to use them yet! But 256Mb is like a little more than 2+ roll of film. I thought going to digital get you away from all this changing film business... With the microdrive all I need is another battery set (and sometime I don't even need it). I love the convenience of travelling light which the microdrive buys me !!! [Edited on 7-8-2002 by NHL]

Jul 8, 2002, 8:57 AM	#25
sjms Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,735	ok i'm just having a little fun hear. relax. we both have valid opinions. by the way what make cards are your cf's and since you dont use em wanna sell them? [Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms] [Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms] [Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms] [Edited on 7-8-2002 by sjms]

Jul 9, 2002, 5:55 AM	#26
NHL Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: 39.18776, -77.311353333333 Posts: 11,599	smjs Unlike the 995, my 990 can only use CF flash and wouldn't accept the microdrive... The 256Mb's are Sandisk and SimpleTech. In fact they are pretty cheap now since I've bought one from Amazon a few months ago for $89 after rebate and the shipping was free from Amazon... The other use I found for the microdrive is to transfer pictures between computers since their sizes exceed Zip/Jaz (Jaz requires SCSI), and so much faster than burning CD!!! (ever try to find a picture on a CDr or edit from a CDRw?). My friends and I actually stop e-mailing pictures since we often ran over our limits... http://www.stevesforums.com/forum/vi...ad.php?tid=415 [Edited on 7-9-2002 by NHL] ... Problem with high speed DSL [Edited on 7-16-2002 by NHL]

Jul 9, 2002, 9:27 AM	#27
sjms Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,735	try investing in a network. (2?) 10/100 cards $20-20 and a hub/switch today is about $40-50. if your on dsl or cable invest in a router/switch about $70-80 with any of these combinations you'll be transferring faster, allows for printer sharing and connection sharing. you'll also be able to share other devices like your jaz or your readers also and at a network running 100Mbts/sec should satisfy your need for speed

Jul 9, 2002, 9:29 AM	#28
sjms Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 2,735	oh yeah. jaz supports firewire with an adapter. finding pictures- i run Access DB. the disks are catagorized numbered and cataloged. it ain't that hard. now we have gotten way off the discussion boards track. lets either take OUR issues off the board or start another thread for our mutual admiration society [email protected] [Edited on 7-9-2002 by sjms]