Recommendations for practical removable storage Media for transferring and archiving Digital photographs.

When your digital camera produces single files of 420 MB (a panorama or a rollout), then you need heavy duty storage. A Zip is not much use for files of this size.

The Dicomed Field Pro, adapted by Better Light to do panoramas and circumferential rollouts, can produce a single file of over 1 GB. So not even a Jaz can help here.

JAZZ drive | Apex 4.6Gig | ZIP drive

But Pinnacle Micro makes the Apex, 4.6 GB to the disk. Now that is industrial strength storage media. We get them from Optical Laser, in California, from Steve Cohn, (800) 523-2098, e-mail stevenc@opticallaser.com.

We tested the Nikon Beluga to see if its direct overwrite capability can surpass the speed we already enjoy with the Pinnacle Micro Apex. Unfortunately the Nikon technology was premature. We had to return the unit as being unfit. To replace it we purchased two more Pinnacle Micro Apex units.

Nowadays you will want a fast CD burner and a DVD-RAM. You can get both from ProDirect, e-mail steve@pdisales.com.

what is a RAID array and why do all digital photographers need one?

Posted early 1998, last updated Dec 3, 1999.