Storage Options for Digital Photos

What do you do with your photos after taking them? With today’s high-resolution digital cameras, finding suitable storage can be tricky. It’s easy to accumulate a few gigabytes (GB) or more of images on a week’s holiday. Finding the best ways to keep track of them – and preserve them for the future – represents a serious challenge. Fortunately there are plenty of good solutions to choose from, as we outline here.

We’ve split our survey into two sections, one covering options for travellers and the other home- and office-based solutions, on the assumption that most photographers require both options. We also look briefly at a relatively new type of storage/display device, the digital photo frame, which has risen to prominence over the past 12 months.

In each category, we’ve focused on value for money; in other words the cost per gigabyte for each storage option. But that’s not the only factor you should consider. We will also assess:
1. How easy it is to store and view stored image files;
2. How likely the stored files are to remain intact and readily accessible;
3. How easy it is to share images via the storage system.

Different photographers will place different priorities on each of these factors. Only you can decide which ones are top of your list.

Options for Travellers

1. Memory Cards
Your camera records images to memory cards and it was once believed that a handful of cards would provide enough storage capacity for the average snapshooter. No longer; a handful of cards can provide temporary storage for a week or two’s shooting but you will need to transfer the images to more permanent storage once your vacation is over.
Pros:
– Light, compact and easy to carry.
– Minimal cost if you only buy what you need.
– Re-usable.
– Easily shared.
– Easy to send home when full.

Cons:
– Easily lost/mislaid.
– Easy to over-write files. (Find some way to distinguish cards that are full from unused cards).
– Relatively low capacity.
– Some computer knowledge needed to transfer and view files.

Cost/GB: $7 to $39 (depending on card speed and capacity)
Security: Relatively low
Accessibility: Easy
Viewing images: Requires a computer or viewer
Image Sharing: Requires a computer

2. Portable Storage Devices
Although you can buy portable image viewers for between $100 and $300, they usually accept only small image files and are unsuitable for use by serious photographers. In contrast, ‘proper’ portable storage devices consist of a laptop hard drive in a case, and provide the functionality photographers require. Some have LCD viewing screens; almost all have slots for transferring files from camera memory cards.

Pros:
– High capacity (typically 80GB to 120GB – or more).
– Small footprint and readily portable. Most weigh less than 500 grams.
– Most support both still image and video viewing and include slideshows with audio.
– Most will connect to TV sets for playback, and printers for direct printing.

Cons:
– Vulnerable to impact shock and vibration, both of which can cause drives to fail.
– If the drive fails or the device is lost or stolen, you lose all your pictures.
– Time spent transferring file can vary from a few minutes to 30 minutes (or more) depending on the amount of data.
– Battery operated so you need to carry a charger or replacement batteries.

Cost/GB: $10 to $12
Security: Moderately high
Accessibility: Relatively easyViewing images: Good – but depends on screen size and resolution
Image Sharing: Good – but requires a computer

3. Laptop Computer
A great solution for travellers – provided you have space for it in your carry-on bag. Tops in versatility, it provides high storage capacity and allows you to view images on a large screen. You can install editing and cataloguing software and use the computer to email photos home when travelling.

Pros:
– Very high capacity (typically 200GB and over).
– Highly configurable and versatile.
– Superior image and video viewing facilities.

Cons:
– Vulnerable to impact shock and vibration, both of which can cause drives to fail.
– If the drive fails or the device is lost or stolen, you lose all your pictures.
– Relatively bulky.
– Battery operated.

Cost/GB: $5 to $50 (depending on performance parameters)
Security: Moderately high – and easily customised
Accessibility: Relatively easy
Viewing images: Excellent, depending on screen size and resolution
Image Sharing: Good

4. USB Thumb Drives
Until manufacturers devise some way of connecting these drives directly to a digital camera for downloading image files, they are only suitable for transferring files between devices. However, you can buy products with onboard password security that is superior to most portable storage devices. Cost/GB ranges from around $5 to $10, depending on capacity and configuration.

Home and Office Storage

Although your computer’s hard drive will usually be the primary storage facility for your digital images, most photographers use one or more of the following for backing-up image files. Images can also be copied to DVD or the higher-capacity Blu-Ray disks for off-site storage, thereby providing a secure back-up in case your primary storage device is damaged.

1. Portable Hard Drives
Available in capacities from 80GB to 500GB and with USB or Firewire computer connections (or both), portable hard drives (HDDs) combine high storage capacity with portability and user convenience. Most have plug-and-play interfaces that make computer connections straightforward and many are powered directly through the USB cable. Some come with back-up software that automatically copies image files from the computer to the external drive.

Pros:
– Very high capacity.
– Small footprint and readily portable.
– Easy to connect to any computer.
– Data protection facilities available with some models.

Cons:
– Requires a computer connection to view stored images.
– Vulnerable to impact shock and vibration, both of which can cause drives to fail.
– If the drive fails or the device is lost or stolen, you lose all your pictures.

Cost/GB: $5 to $50 (depending on performance parameters)
Security: Moderately high – and easily configurable
Accessibility: Requires a computer
Viewing images: Requires a computer
Image Sharing: Requires a computer

2. External Hard Drives
Essentially offering the same facilities as HDDs, external drives are designed to remain connected to a computer for a long period of time and offer higher storage capacities. Available in capacities from 500GB to 2 terabytes (TB), they generally require a mains power connection. Both USB and Firewire computer connections are supported and some models support the faster SATA connection.

Pros:
– Very high capacity.
– Relatively small footprint.
– Easy to connect to any computer.
– Ethernet connection available with some models.
– Little maintenance required.
– Automatic back-up software is generally included.

Cons:
– Requires a computer connection to view stored images.
– If the drive fails or the device is lost or stolen, you lose all your pictures.

Cost/GB: 50 cents to $1 (depending on configuration and performance parameters)
Security: High – and easily configurable
Accessibility: Requires a computer
Viewing images: Requires a computer
Image Sharing: Requires a computer

Digital Photo Frames

Equally at home on an office desk or shelf as they are beside granny’s chair or bed, digital photo frames promise easy access to a slideshow of stored digital photos – or video clips. An online search produced a list of 32 brands available in Australia, many of them unfamiliar but with well-known names like Akai, HP, Kodak, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, ViewSonic and Vivitar included.

Frame sizes are expressed as diagonal measurements and range from 2.4-inch (61mm) to 19-inch (483mm), with the bulk of the market between 7-inch and 10-inch diagonal size. Prices range from approximately $100 for a 7-inch frame to $250 for a 10-inch frame, although the quality of the materials used in the frame and inclusions like remote controls and wi-fi can modify prices upwards and downwards of this range.

Most frames come with built-in storage, which can range from 256MB to 1GB. Images can be uploaded to this memory from a digital camera, memory card or computer and many frames offer all three options. Slots are provided on most frames for Compact Flash (CF), Memory Stick (MS), Secure Digital (SD) and xD-Picture Cards (xD). Most frames come with USB connections, some having both Type A for USB thumb drives and Type B for interfacing with a computer.

In most cases you can only upload images as JPEG files, although a few frames support BMP, TIFF and GIF files. MP3 and WMA are most commonly used for Audio, while the MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, DIVX and AVI formats are the most popular for video. JPEG files are compressed further as they are uploaded, usually to a size that matches the screen resolution. Consequently, these devices are unsuitable for long-term storage of images that will be edited or printed larger than snapshot size.

Many frames are PictBridge enabled for direct printing of stored images. Many have remote controls. Some have built-in radio tuners, alarm clocks and/or calendars. A few come with wireless internet connections – although these can be difficult to set up and are not recommended for non-technical users. When the wi-fi connection works, you can transfer images to and from online galleries and view news and weather reports on the frame.

Screen quality is a critical issue for viewing satisfaction and screens vary widely in resolution and performance. Typical resolutions range from 96 x 64 pixels to 1280 x 1024 pixels – and the higher the resolution the sharper displayed images will appear. Viewing angles are also important to the viewer experience and need to be wide enough to allow up to three people to view the screen without any loss of picture quality.

Take account of the appearance of the frame when making your selection, and consider the area in which it will be displayed. The changing images are sure to attract attention so you want it to complement the decor in the room. Most frames are designed for standing on a desktop or shelf but some can be wall-mounted and used as a focal point in the room. Some frames are battery-powered but many require mains connections to operate.

Many frames can be accessorised with stereo speakers to provide a multimedia experience. A/V in/out connections allow the frame to be linked to a TV set or DVD player. Finally, make sure the frame has at least 6 months of warranty support, and check that adequate technical support is available if you can’t get the device to work as promised.

Pros:
– An attractive way to view digital photos and video clips.
– Small footprint and reasonably portable.
– Easy to view images on memory cards, USB sticks or via USB cable from digital cameras and computers.

Cons:
– Files are compressed for viewing.
– User interface is critical for non-technical users.
– Not suitable for long-term storage of high-resolution images or video clips.

Cost/GB: Relatively low but files are compressed for viewing
Security: Relatively low
Accessibility: Good via memory card and USB
Viewing images: Good – depends on screen quality and the environment in which the screen is placed
Image Sharing: Good for shared viewing. Direct printing also supported.

Featured Link: Verbatim Storage Media