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Digital Photography Storage Solutions - How to Keep Your Digital Photographs Safe
It's not really sufficient or wise to simply rely on one PC's hard drive either; many people have done so, and regretted it at a later stage when their computer has had a virus or other unforeseen malfunction. On this page we are going to look at some possible solutions that will ensure, or at the very least, guard against, a total loss. We'll start off with: Memory Cards for Your Digital Camera
One factor that will greatly affect your choice will be what type of camera you are using. There are some memory cards that are suitable for 'point & shoot' compact digital cameras, and there are others which may very well slow down your dslr to a degree. When you're looking for digital photography storage solutions, the speed of the card can be paramount. The speed of the card affects how quickly the data as a RAW or JPEG file is written onto the card. The following class classification for memory cards are based on the slowest amount of data transfer possible (in other words, it could be faster depending on other factors such as your dslr hardware, but it shouldn't be slower): Obviously with a mid to high end dslr, the effect the card has is minimal where a slower card is being used, the on-board internal hardware of the dslr being a more important factor. Yet the effects may be felt when taking multiple shots per second, as in sports photography, or if you ever plan to use a HD video option on the dslr. There are some cards which are suitable for both HD video and dslr's (more and more dslr's also have a HD video option) and these function well on pretty much all types of cameras, and this can be an important factor when you are either looking to upgrade to a mid to high end dslr, or wish to use it on more than one device. One such card from one of the most respected brands, is the SanDisk Extreme HD Video 16 GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card When Choosing memory cards just remember to bear in mind these key points: Online Storage Solutions
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If you are a photographer who is often on the move, or simply looking for another digital photography storage solution, then a laptop is a viable option and needn't cost a fortune. Some mid to high end dslr's also have a blue-tooth capability which is very useful for instantly transferring shots taken in a studio or elsewhere, directly onto the laptop. This allows for instant review and storage protection. This, of course, also saves much time that would be otherwise used for manually transferring the images yourself. Not only this, but it's also an instant back-up should something go wrong with the memory card (using this method, you have two instant storage devices working at the same time). It would be my advice to choose a laptop with sufficient RAM, in case you wish to also edit your photos on it at a later stage. Laptops need adequate RAM in order to handle digital images at a decent processing speed. Very Cheap Laptop Computers can show you how much RAM you need for successful digital photography storage and photo editing. Many laptops these days also have a dedicated SD memory card port. I myself have found this very useful on my laptop, and it also saves on buying a separate card reader. Hard Drives – Portable & Otherwise
A portable hard drive is also a possible digital photography storage solution that shouldn't be overlooked, and you should probably spend a little bit extra for quality as some have been known to 'wipe-out', although certainly not as frequently as CDRW discs. There are some portable hard drives such as the Toshiba Canvio Portable Hard Drive
 with forensic data recovery, in the unlikely event of something going wrong. As the title suggests, it's essentially a 'digital safe'. If you are planning on starting a photography business then it may just be the right choice. You can't get much safer than fire and flood proof, unless of course it's 'thermo global nuclear war' proof, in which case none of us will be needing it. If you're a photographer with a business or plan on starting one in the future, your images are/will be your most valuable asset, and it's well not to underestimate their safe-keeping. CDRW – Burning Your Photos to a Disc
CDRW discs are notoriously fallible, and contrary to popular belief, can frequently get wiped or damaged. Even with high quality CDRW discs this can be the case. The original price doesn't seem to be a factor either. Imagine storing some great hard-won shots only to return months later to find them all gone! At best, CDRW discs should only be used as one of a combination of digital photography storage solutions. Just don't rely on them is my advice. Digital Photography Storage - To Store or Not to Store, That is the Question
This may seem excessive, but only so if you've never been the victim of losing a lot of shots. If you view each shot as an asset that can potentially be sold at a later date, then it becomes quite obvious that digital photography storage is something you should take care with. Even if you don't plan to ever sell your shots, it is still a real sad moment when you lose them. 'Prevention is better than cure', as the saying goes. Two of the above choices would be the absolute bare minimum in my view... three would be close to ideal for digital photography storage though. |
. It's not only very fast, but can also cope with extremes of temperatures (There are also usually special deals available on it). 
that are very reasonably priced and will automatically back up your files when it detects new images or other data put on your PC (not all portable hard drives do this). This can save a lot of time if you're not keen on dragging and dropping every single new photo or file manually. It also fits in the palm of your hand and can be taken anywhere if needed.