Portable photo storage devices
By Aimee Baldridge
(July 30, 2004)
If you don't want to carry a laptop computer when you travel or if you like to go out and take a lot of pictures on weekend afternoons, consider adding a portable photo storage device to your camera bag. You'll be able to download your photos to it directly from the camera's memory card so that you can reuse the card as many times as you like. Portable photo storage devices don't all work the same way, though; some store your images on little hard drives, and some burn them to disc. If you already own a gadget that can store digital files--such as an MP3 player, a thumb drive, or a portable hard drive--but don't have a way to connect it to your camera, an inexpensive USB bridge might be able to turn it into a photo storage device. To figure out which one will best meet your needs, take a look at our comparison charts for a rundown of the pros and cons, the key specs, download speeds, and battery life of current portable photo storage devices.
(July 30, 2004)
Hard drive based
These compact devices store your photos on little hard drives with capacities as high as 80GB.
Bridges and links
You can hook up your camera to a variety of storage devices with these gadgets.
Disc burners
Portable burners record the images on your camera's memory card directly to a CD.
More resources for travel and vacation photography:
Packing your bags preflight: portable photo storage
Packing your bags preflight: power and portability
Photos on the spot: five snapshot printers compared
Packing your bags preflight: portable photo storagePacking your bags preflight: power and portabilityPhotos on the spot: five snapshot printers compared
