Backing up photographs

I carry a small netbook that I back photos up to every day. I like having the netbook because I can also using for blogging, email, etc. Mine cost under $300, so it's not a huge loss if something happened to it. It's also under three lbs., so not much to carry. Swapping out data cards works fine, too, unless you lose them - or accidentally delete something you intended to keep.

I would never take the risk. Take a small cheap computer, or I'd you have an iPad there is a new device that will allow you to download to iPad. It is better to have a number of smaller sd cards in case it gets compromised, instead of having everything on one card and have it go bad.

Ruth,

i dont do backup. They will have to take my camera or something would have to happen for it for the pictures to go away.

But i do take extra memory cards since im not sure how much movies vs pics and stuff i will take. So if you want to call them a "backup" thats fine, but i dont use them that way.

I would imagine your DVC will eat up memory like its candy, so i can understand that, but your digital camera should be fine with one or two cards. Ive been on 2.5 trips and ive just maxed out my first card on my one camera that i take 80% of the pictures. And the settings are set for max resolution/size and with several movies on it. I should say too, that on the average i take about 2.5~3k total of pictures between the 2 cameras and thats after deleting the bad ones.

Also, when it comes to memory like batteries, the last thing you want to skimp on is that. You are spending THOUSANDS of $$$ to go there and then wimp out on some memory? While youre thinking about it, look at getting the max memory cards. It will save you time swapping them out during something special. Same for your batteries. get a spare and keep them charged.

If it was me, i would opt to buy the extra memory for 2 reasons. Size and weight. they take up little space & weight.

what you can look into if possible is an mini USB (or whatever port(s) on your cameras) to full size USB adapter. USB thumb drives maybe less expensive and if your device allows you to "download" the files to the USB drive, it would take up less space and weight also.

happy trails.

I too always back up my photos on trips. After I've spent lots of money and invested lots of time in a trip, what I have when I get home are my photos to share with friends and to help me preserve all the memories. I almost always do it at the end of every day and I keep the memory cards too. That way, if there's a subsequent problem with either a card or the notebook, I still have the photos. Also, if my camera gets lost or stolen, I will have only lost that day's photos.

I bought an MSI notebook just for travel. It only weighs a couple of pounds, fits easily into a backpack when I'm in transit and into most hotel safes. If there's no safe, I just lock it in my suitcase while I'm out. It's also nice because most places have free wifi. I am a touch typist, so I like having the keyboard for email and my travel diary. Lastly, I have a card reader so I don't have to connect the camera to the computer for back ups.

Personally, as a picture-taker myself, I just tend to take several memory cards. If I do take a small laptop, its for connectivity, not backup. I cannot speak for the video camera, as my digital does both pics and videos, but why lug the weight unless you have to?

For me, the laptop is not a 'risk' item, its pure and simple - weight I have to carry. Sometimes it is, others it isn't.

@ ruth,

i have been investigating this issue. It appears youre not alone and i am surprised there arent alot of solutions to this issue.

There are memory card "copiers" out there, but they are in the 100+ USD range. Most of them use a SSD or notebook size hard drive for the "backup" so you can get an idea of size. but one of the drawbacks is that there isnt any indicator informing the user that the copy was 100% good.

If you have a smart phone there are possible solutions. once i get some stuff in, im going to see how that works.

happy trails.

I confess - I'm an 'over backer upper'. I always take my little netbook (not much bigger than the tablets so many carry around these days). After a day of photo taking, I download my photos to the netbook so I have them on there. Then I also copy them from there to flash drives for an additional back-up. I carry the flash drives in a different place than the computer so if one is lost I still have the other as backup. I guess I'm a fanatic about my photos, I'd rather lose anything else on my trips than those.

I recently bought 2 16GB high speed Sandisk SD cards for $15 each on Amazon. Very affordable. My camera is a Nikon D600, 24mp and I'll be shooting RAW (so about 25MB per image). I have a total of 48GB of SD cards that will be going with me and I am not worried about running out of space.

SD cards are definitely the way to go for light weight/cheapness.

If you do NOT have a camera with dual slots that can make back ups, I fully understand the laptop back up idea. I believe there are cheap/small external hard drives that can download images directly from an SD card without a laptop as a good method for making back ups.

I'll be buying a used specific "travel" lens for this trip and will turn around and sell it when I'm back home, estimating I won't lose more than 10% on it. I consider it a "rental" fee. Maybe you could do the same with a lap top?

If you think memory is expensive, you don't know how to shop for it. Memory is cheap. Without knowing the precise megapixel size of your camera its tough to know exactly what you'd need. But consider this: If you don't plan on blowing your photos up to huge sizes, there is no point in having your camera set to its maximum megapixel level. If the most you would do is print out 4X6, then there is no reason to have your camera set above 8 MP. And at 8 MP, even a 16 GB card is huge.

Here's what you should do:

1) Decide on how big you intend to print pictures. Set your camera accordingly.
2) Check how many images you have with a memory card.
3) Decide on how many cards you need.
4) Buy them online at Amazon or tigerdirect.com or wait for sales, which happen twice a month.

I can't advise on the video camera issue, other than consider videoing less and enjoying more. ;)

Memory cards are not that expensive......less than $20 here in Calif.
But,
I have also taken a memory card into a drugstore or internet shop in London and copied the pix into a DVD. You could carry a few blank DVDs and just stop in one of the very many internet shops - they are all over London... and basically everywhere in the UK.

Photography is part of my work and it's something I love to do as I travel. I also prefer to travel light. I accomplish this by using a Eagle Creek small roll on ( a gift that fits in the overhead compartment) and a Kensington Contour Overnight Backpack which goes under the seat. The later holds my 13 inch MacBook Pro as well as my iPad, my camera with lens, (EOS 7D 18-135mm Lens) my backup camera, (Canon G15) a change of clothes and some food for the flight. I never travel without my laptop. It's durable, has a slot for DVD's and WiFi is readily available. FREE WiFi is a criteria for selecting my accommodations. If I've spent the day taking photos I most often spend the evening uploading images to my Shutterfly account. Sometimes to my blog. I also carry 10 DVD's and a few memory sticks for backup, they are light and take little room. Lastly, I wait for a sale and buy two of the largest Sandisk cards out there. For me, worth every penny. Then I'm set to roam.

I always backup my photos. Like others have stated, my photos would be the last things I would want to lose.

In the past, I brought my MacBook with me and backed up my photos every night. I recently purchased an iPad Air and love it! I purchased it with the intention of being able to backup photos, so I purchased the 128gb model. I haven't traveled to Europe with it yet, but I just returned from a vacation in Scottsdale AZ (Go Giants!) and I love love love it. I photograph in jpg and raw, but I only download the jpg's to the iPad. I also have a SmugMug account (which gives you unlimited uploads for as low as $40/year). So, once on my iPad, I can upload them to SmugMug. If I lose the raw files, it's not the end of the world, because I still have the jpg's. Anyway, it works for me.

Just a caution, I would not delete photos from your card to make room. I would recommend having several cards. I have been told that deleting photos from a card can damage the card. It is best to wait until all the photos have been downloaded and then reformat the card.

Depending on how old you are, compare the cost of a low cost netbook or even the iPad to the cost of developing your photos when you returned from vacation, per digital. Two of my pre digital vacations in Europe could have easily paid for my iPad!!

Thank you everyone for all of your advice and tips. The debate rages on in our household. I even looked at buying a used tablet to use for backing up photos. We are taking our ipad with us, but I have never used it to back-up photos. I know that there is a device that you can purchase to do this step, but our ipad does not have a ton of memory and I am just not sure about using the ipad...not my first choice. Not sure how it would handle backup of video. Not to mention, I am not the most technically advanced person around. I know enough to get buy. :)

As regards memory and memory cards issue, the primary activity that utilizes so much memory isn't really the photographs so much as the video. We take TONS of video and that eats up a lot of memory. As we go through museums, my husband is consumed with filming every nook and cranny, so I know we will be taking lots. However, that being said, I am looking at purchasing 16gb cards (less expensive) because I am afraid to film on a single card with tons of memory. My fear in using a single card is that if that card becomes contaminated or damaged, then we have lost the entire trip. At least across several 16gb cards, we have the potential to only lose part of the trip. Also, I will not be deleting any photos or video during the trip...will wait to do that when we get home and I can make another million or so backups. :)

I am also going to explore different services (kinkos?? like) in the area wherein I can take the card to them and have them copy it onto a disc, although this could get pricey. If I go to an internet shop and have my own discs, is it possible to make copies onto the discs at these places? Have zero experience with this venue.

Overall, it is the debate between caution and over-caution, expense vs budget, packing light vs taking the kitchen sink.

@ Ruth,

I mentioned some parts i was getting for my smart phone to try and copy/backup (BU) some smart cards.

well, since you have an ipad, you maybe able to do the same thing. here is a link to an article if you care to readup on it and how its done. Note that in the article its not an ipad in use, but an non ipad, but the concept is the same.

enter link description here

note in the article, there is only a few items need to do this and an file manager app.

according to the apple ipad specs, the minimum memory used in the ipad was and still is 16 gb. You probably have some garbage in the memory but that shouldnt hold you back from copying/moving files to your ipad. It may force you to clean up your memory too. You may have to repeat this process several times to completely copy the SD, but its a possible way of doing it without having to spend time looking for someplace to copy/transfer your files.

Re: internet cafes and such.

i have used them in all of my travels in the past 2 years and i dont remember if they had any or allowed transferring of files. the only issue i would be concerned with is having any unwanted hitchhikers in the file transfers.

What you can do is a dual approach.

Buy a hand full of SD memory to hold you over for a few days. Since you already know your video filming habits, you should have an idea of how many SD cards you will eat thru in a few day(s) and i would use this as your basis for the "handful". This will give you time to spend looking for someplace to copy/transfer your files on your first stop and not prevent you from doing the tourist thing. also, you can figure out how you will want to proceed for the rest of your trip. note that while doing all this, you wont be seeing/doing any tourist stuff.

good luck and happy trails.