Portable External USB Hard Drives - Do You Need One for Your Photography?

Portable USB Hard Drives - Do Outdoor Photographers Really Need One?

Have you been thinking of buying and using a portable USB hard drive in your business or for home computing data storage?

I am a Nature and Outdoor Photographer, and I needed a way to download all of the large file format RAW photo captures I take when on an extended away from home photo shoot.

I was initially bringing additional CF cards and swapping them out when full. This worked OK for the first few away shoots but the cost of numerous high capacity CF cards started to hit the budget in a negative way. I started to look for a way to store large files of data on a single device without keeping a pocket full of storage cards.

I had some requirements that had to be met for the storage system I needed:

• Reasonable Cost


• Light weight


• Portable with minimum moving parts


• Fast write speeds


• Reliable power supply


• Easy to use


• Easy to understand software


• Compatible with various computer platforms (MAC and PC)

I also had to answer the question "Do I really need one?"

The high capacity CF cards were running into the multiple hundreds of dollars. They were easy to use and didn't weigh much, but it was a challenge keeping them organized. Also, I had to wait until I got home to down load the files, tying up the data cards until they were emptied and reformatted.

I was bringing my laptop computer on almost every shoot, and it helped to keep the CF cards cleaned nightly at camp or the hotel. There was one problem though. With the programs and data that I had on my laptop I noticed that my system hard drive started to fill, and also operated much slower when it had to manage all of that data.

The portable hard drive started to look like an answer to my needs. After a few days of searching the forums and blogs I caved. I bought one and have never looked back at the decision.

These are the strong points I have found using my external hard drive for my photography downloads:

Cost: I paid only $120.00 for my 1TB portable external hard drive. CF cards that only held a slight portion of the hard drives capacity cost me multiple hundreds of dollars.

Size: Physically, the one that I bought is about the same size as an iPod. Fits easily in a pocket, or in my camera bag in a small side compartment.

Ease of use and reliable software: Mine was just plug and go. It came preloaded with software that allowed automatic or scheduled downloads and backups. The system is password protected if you want, and can be partitioned for various storage needs and program uses.

Download and write speeds: The hard drives comes with various write speeds, and the one that I bought was a fast 5400X. This speed more than meets my needs to do a fast and reliable transfer and download. It also works on both my MAC and laptop PC.

Power source: Most mini portables are USB powered, meaning that your computer or laptop USB port provides all the power needed for the external hard drive. This is convenient in that you don't need to carry additional batteries, but, it will drain your computer battery a little faster if your using only portable power on your PC.

Am I happy with my portable hard drive?

I have had one now for five months, and I wonder why it took so long for me to add one of these to my equipment bag. I love it.

It is quiet, fast, has more storage capacity for any application that I will use it for. It will be a "required" piece of gear anytime I go on an extended photo shoot.