[BingoBongo275]

I was going to get a Sony TG3 for a trip in the autumn to Florida/Disney

Anyone know whether stores will dump memory card data to DVD's, like they do photo's?

I'm conscious that I may take a lot of footage and at 4gb per 30 mins it could be VERY expensive in memory cards

Any ideas?

Cheers

Jez

[Jodoi]

I'm also interested in the answer to this!

We go to Florida this Tuesday and I've got a Panny SD9 with 4x 16GB cards and 1x 4GB. I want to shoot on top quality so this will give me approx 8 and a half hours recording.

Having never owned (or used ) a camcorder before, I have no idea if this will be enough or not!

[willc111]

I took my Canon HF100 with 2x16GB SDHC cards (~4 Hrs of recording) on a 2 week holiday to Italy, and ended up with about 10 Hrs (80 GB) of footage.

I used a portable USB OTG (On the Go) hard drive, and just backed up the SDHC cards at the end of each day, and then erased and reused them.

If you haven't seen these before, they are very small portable hard drives that can be used without a computer. Just plug your card (SDHC, Memory Stick or whatever) into it via a USB card reader and it will automatically suck all the data off allowing you to reuse the card again.

They cost about £30 + the cost of the hard drive. A 160GB hard dive costs about £35. So for £65 you get the equivilant of 10x16GB memory cards, which is pretty good value.

Here's an example of the kind of thing i mean...
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...278394&CatId=0

[BingoBongo275]

That sounds exactly what I need!

So let me get this straight, I need the OTG box, plus a HD, plus a card reader - right?

Sorry to be a dummy but can you point me to the other 2 things?

Also what about power supply - will it all work in the US?

Cheers

Jez

[solidamber]

If going to Disney universal the main shopping is on the HWY 192
http://www.kissimmee-us192.com/map/ushwy192mapindex.htm
the whole road is lined with shops you will find the independant retailers here rather than in the Malls

[inzaman]

Originally Posted by BingoBongo275

That sounds exactly what I need!

So let me get this straight, I need the OTG box, plus a HD, plus a card reader - right?

Sorry to be a dummy but can you point me to the other 2 things?

Also what about power supply - will it all work in the US?

Cheers

Jez

If you look at the detailed specs it states, battery, inlcuded ac adaptor, USB bus

[BingoBongo275]

Thanks inzaman - so it only needs an HD. Does it specificall need a portable or external drive....

or will a standard internal like this http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...231&Sku=Q71216 do?

I notice this only has an "ata100" interface whereas the OTG is "ata300". Confusing!

Cheers

Jez

[willc111]

Hi Bingo,

For the enclosure I linked to, you'll need to get an SATA 2.5 inch hard drive, and a USB memory card reader. I should mention that I haven't tried that particular model (the InfoSafe enclosure) myself; I have an Apacer Steno CD211, but it's very old, and has been discontinued now.

There are other models available as well, but for some reason they seem to be difficult to find in the UK. Here's a link, for example to a US site...
http://www.meritline.com/camera-mate...nclosure1.html
...that has quite a few different versions; some with built in card readers.

I would suggest doing a bit of research and seeing if there are any others available in the UK. The one I linked to was just the most obvious one I found using google.

If you do decide to go for this one...
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=278394&CatId=0
...then there are a few things to be aware of...

1. You need to get an SATA 2.5 inch HD for it. The one you linked to in your last post was an ATA-100 (also know as IDE) HD. Why they use such confusing terms, I don't know, but the two types aren't compatible.
Any of these...
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=3094&Nav=|c:2266|c:2268|c:2 269|&Sort=0&Recs=10
...should be fine, but note that this site...
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/produc...d=14&subid=896
...has them a little bit cheaper.

2. Formatting the drive. If you look at the picture of the USB enclosure, it has a sticker on it saying "Attention, hard drive must be formatted using FAT32". This may be an issue, as Windows can't easily format a FAT32 harddrive to more than 32GB. You need to use a special program, which can be downloaded here..
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/FAT32format.shtml
...which can format large FAT32 hard drives. This only has to be done once when you first connect the drive to a PC, so it's not too bad, but it's still a bit of a pain, and a bit techy.

3. Finally you need a card reader to connect the Memory Stick for your TG3 to the HD. Any standard USB card reader will do. Sometimes they come free when you buy a memory stick, so shop around and see what you can get. They should only cost a few pounds.

Finally, if all that sounds too complicated, then here's an alternative ALL-IN-ONE version...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NextoDI-Next...760733&sr=8-15
...with built in 160GB HD and card reader, but note the hefty premium you pay (about double) for the convenience.

Edit: Actually, with a bit more digging, there are quite a few of these on Amazon...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_ce/202-4947398-3478218?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=NextoDI&x=0&y=0

Hope that helps. If there's anything you're unsure of, let me know.

[richard plumb]

can you use those image storage things like the epson p4000 which are usually used to dump photos from a digital camera onto? Might be a useful additional reason to justify one.

[tim68]

Originally Posted by BingoBongo275

I was going to get a Sony TG3 for a trip in the autumn to Florida/Disney

Anyone know whether stores will dump memory card data to DVD's, like they do photo's?

I'm conscious that I may take a lot of footage and at 4gb per 30 mins it could be VERY expensive in memory cards

Any ideas?

Cheers

Jez

I put this question out on the disboards forums, only one reply so far.

Quote. i think you can do this in disney at magic kingdom and the kodak bit in main street.

Maybe walmart may do this as well

[tim68]

Hi all. appols for jumping the thread as I am in the same position.

I have an archos av480 multimedia player with a built in compactflash type 1 card reader, with an adaptor will it be ok to copy the files from the tg3 to the av480.

[lurcher]

Recently got an Archos Gmini 500 ( 40gb ) from these forum for £25 , no card slot but it does have a usb host socket so I can connect camera/card reader to copy files over.

[Pug_WD]

Might be worth looking into a dedicated USB transfer device, such as this one, combined with a decent USB HDD like this one (unfortunately out of stock atm.)

[BingoBongo275]

Originally Posted by willc111

Hi Bingo,

For the enclosure I linked to, you'll need to get an SATA 2.5 inch hard drive, and a USB memory card reader. I should mention that I haven't tried that particular model (the InfoSafe enclosure) myself; I have an Apacer Steno CD211, but it's very old, and has been discontinued now.

There are other models available as well, but for some reason they seem to be difficult to find in the UK. Here's a link, for example to a US site...
http://www.meritline.com/camera-mate...nclosure1.html
...that has quite a few different versions; some with built in card readers.

I would suggest doing a bit of research and seeing if there are any others available in the UK. The one I linked to was just the most obvious one I found using google.

If you do decide to go for this one...
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=278394&CatId=0
...then there are a few things to be aware of...

1. You need to get an SATA 2.5 inch HD for it. The one you linked to in your last post was an ATA-100 (also know as IDE) HD. Why they use such confusing terms, I don't know, but the two types aren't compatible.
Any of these...
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=3094&Nav=|c:2266|c:2268|c:2 269|&Sort=0&Recs=10
...should be fine, but note that this site...
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/produc...d=14&subid=896
...has them a little bit cheaper.

2. Formatting the drive. If you look at the picture of the USB enclosure, it has a sticker on it saying "Attention, hard drive must be formatted using FAT32". This may be an issue, as Windows can't easily format a FAT32 harddrive to more than 32GB. You need to use a special program, which can be downloaded here..
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/FAT32format.shtml
...which can format large FAT32 hard drives. This only has to be done once when you first connect the drive to a PC, so it's not too bad, but it's still a bit of a pain, and a bit techy.

3. Finally you need a card reader to connect the Memory Stick for your TG3 to the HD. Any standard USB card reader will do. Sometimes they come free when you buy a memory stick, so shop around and see what you can get. They should only cost a few pounds.

Finally, if all that sounds too complicated, then here's an alternative ALL-IN-ONE version...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NextoDI-Next...760733&sr=8-15
...with built in 160GB HD and card reader, but note the hefty premium you pay (about double) for the convenience.

Edit: Actually, with a bit more digging, there are quite a few of these on Amazon...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_ce/202-4947398-3478218?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=NextoDI&x=0&y=0

Hope that helps. If there's anything you're unsure of, let me know.

Excellent detail - thanks!

Cheers

Jez

[Phil Hinton]

WE have started using the type of solution that is being discussed here for dumping our footage when shooting videos for the forums.

We use the DVCPRO HD standard on our Panasonic HVX201 which has two 32GB P2 cards (basically pcmcid). With two cards and recording at 720p we get 140 mins. Once I fill the cards, we use a My Book 1TB hard drive to dump the footage from the cards, then erase and reuse the cards. I was very wary of using such an approach as I was used to tape and having my footage, as I saw it, in my pocket and safe. However I have only had one transfer failure and for everything else it has worked perfectly.

One rule I do use is to delete bad shots while shooting to save space on the cards, this saves time transfering footage you are not going to use. For me to download two full cards on to our HDD takes about 30 minutes and is done at the end of the day. I have never yet hit my 140mins during normally daily shooting around the trade shows etc.

With our camera the cards can stay in the unit and just a USB 2.0 cable is needed to transfer the footage over, no need for card readers. Check to see if your camera will allow tranfer via USB or firewire and if so that should negate the need for card readers etc.

One thing I would point out is the need to see that your footage has gone on to the hard drive. See if your camera has a host facility to read external HDDs, or take your lap top and use that to check (as I have started to do recently, just for piece of mind).

I would also recommend that you do a few dry runs where you shoot footage and then dump to the HDD. Make sure you have it all sorted out before going on holiday as the last thing you want is the panic of a technical issue eating into your holiday time.

Have fun!

[BingoBongo275]

Thats good advice Phil - thanks

Cheers

Jez

[Urien Rheged]

I'm also interested in this.
I have a Sony CX6 HD Handycam which came with a 4GB pro duo card.This only gives 30 mins at best PQ setting.

Is there an 'all in one' product that I can buy that will allow me to transfer the video from the pro duo to a portable hard drive 'on the hoof' so to speak. I see people mentioning these OTG (on the go) enclosures, can you buy a ready made one, i.e. enclosure with hard drive and card reader already fitted rather than one you have to put together yourself? Is there an all in one ready made solution for this?

[A n d r e w]

Originally Posted by R1PLEY

I see people mentioning these OTG (on the go) enclosures, can you buy a ready made one, i.e. enclosure with hard drive and card reader already fitted rather than one you have to put together yourself? Is there an all in one ready made solution for this?

Some all-in-one options were suggested in post #8, earlier in this thread. Can't vouch for them having never tried them.

Andrew.

[Urien Rheged]

Originally Posted by Courtaj

Some all-in-one options were suggested in post #8, earlier in this thread. Can't vouch for them having never tried them.

Andrew.

I did read the whole thread but missed that. Thanks.

Ouch! The all in ones are a bit expensive.
Anyone know of the cheapest 'memory card backup hard drive with built in pro duo card reader' that are available?

Would somethink like this work? Has anyone used one of these?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PhotoBank-LA...ef=pd_sbs_ce_1

[rhubarbe]

If you are going to buy one of these you'll need to check that it will read the capacity of card you are intending to use.

When I was looking for a tank to read 8GB card last year there weren't many about. Now that we have 16GB cards I expect that the proviso is still valid.

I used a Nexto Multi 2325 (new model 2700):

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/Cat...Xtreme+ND-2700

Though I do realise that the exchange rate has now moved against us.

[webby]

I use something very similar but I found that the battery will not last for more than a 2GB transfer. There is a 5v input on mine which I use and it will last a bit longer, but it still runs the battery down too quick. In the end I made a 3.7V supply from the mains that replaces the battery and now it will last indefinitely. I'm sure these are designed for still photos where 1GB is a lot of photos, not video where 8GB is just an hour!

[Urien Rheged]

So these 'Nexto' ones are good ones to get then?

[Urien Rheged]

Originally Posted by webby

I use something very similar but I found that the battery will not last for more than a 2GB transfer. There is a 5v input on mine which I use and it will last a bit longer, but it still runs the battery down too quick. In the end I made a 3.7V supply from the mains that replaces the battery and now it will last indefinitely. I'm sure these are designed for still photos where 1GB is a lot of photos, not video where 8GB is just an hour!

Ahh, that's very interesting to know. Thanks. Do these not come with a adaptor for a mains power supply then? How long does it take for it to transfer the video (say 4GB) from the pro duo card to the portable device?

[rhubarbe]

TBH, I didn't use the Nexto that I imported from the US. It sat here for about nine months and then I sold it.

8GB cards are so cheap now that I decided to take 48GB with me last year, and it was enough.

This year I'm taking 2 x 16GB and 3 x 8GB so will have even more footage (of the same place ) to bore folk with.

We get no visitors, now.

[Urien Rheged]

Originally Posted by rhubarbe

TBH, I didn't use the Nexto that I imported from the US. It sat here for about nine months and then I sold it.

8GB cards are so cheap now that I decided to take 48GB with me last year, and it was enough.

This year I'm taking 2 x 16GB and 3 x 8GB so will have even more footage (of the same place ) to bore folk with.

We get no visitors, now.

Where is the best place to get the legitimate 16GB & 8GB cards from?
I have heard many scare stories about fakes from Ebay.

[A n d r e w]

Originally Posted by R1PLEY

Where is the best place to get the legitimate 16GB & 8GB cards from?
I have heard many scare stories about fakes from Ebay.

£36 for Transcend 16Gb Class 6 here: http://www.memorybits.co.uk/shop/sd/...s16gsdhc6/8626 (though Class 6 is usually slightly overkill).

7daysh*p says they'll do Transcend 8Gb for £13 here: http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=104378 (though they appear not to have any in stock).

Andrew.

[Urien Rheged]

Originally Posted by Courtaj

£36 for Transcend 16Gb Class 6 here: http://www.memorybits.co.uk/shop/sd/...s16gsdhc6/8626 (though Class 6 is usually slightly overkill).

7daysh*p says they'll do Transcend 8Gb for £13 here: http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...ucts_id=104378 (though they appear not to have any in stock).

Andrew.

These are SD cards aren't they? I need Pro Duo.

[BingoBongo275]

Hi - I started this thread and after consideration decided that the best route was still to but a number of 4GB memory cards - Amazon seem to be about the best price for the Sandisk Pro Duo, which work fine in the Sony TG3 @ £16.

I looked at an external hard drive/backup unit but the downside imo was:

1) The initial cost
2) Can you ever be totally sure its backed up the files correctly before you wipe the memory card - since there's no monitor?

Hence all things considered I'm going to buy another 4 or so sandisk 4gb's which will give me just over 2 hours of actual footage I need ('cus I can delete the crap). If I need more then its off to Walmart

Hope this helps

Cheers

Jez

[Urien Rheged]

Originally Posted by BingoBongo275

Hi - I started this thread and after consideration decided that the best route was still to but a number of 4GB memory cards - Amazon seem to be about the best price for the Sandisk Pro Duo, which work fine in the Sony TG3 @ £16.

I looked at an external hard drive/backup unit but the downside imo was:

1) The initial cost
2) Can you ever be totally sure its backed up the files correctly before you wipe the memory card - since there's no monitor?

Hence all things considered I'm going to buy another 4 or so sandisk 4gb's which will give me just over 2 hours of actual footage I need ('cus I can delete the crap). If I need more then its off to Walmart

Hope this helps

Cheers

Jez

Thanks for that. having looked into it for a few days I think I will do the same. I will take a look on Amazon for the £16 Sandisk Pro Duo cards. Is that teh US amazon store or the UK one?

[webby]

My digimate 3 came with a mains adapter, but could only supply 1A. The battery had to supply the rest, so after 30 mins would run out and the drive would stop. It consules about 1.5 - 2A depending on hard drive chosen. I had to make a 3.7V power supply that fed into the battery slot to get the thing to work for long periods. I think it took about 40mins for an 8GB transfer, but the display does tell you when its complete and successful (as far as it knows!) There is a 0 to 100% spinning disk that updates continously while its saving files. The device is about £20 which is quite reasonable as it can be used as a multi-card reader without a hard disk. I added a 250GB hard drive for £60 and its been useful now it can work for long periods! My little 3.7V supply also works off a dvd player battery, so it is also portable if I take a 9V-12V battery with me. Hope this helps.