Traveling light and want to back up your photos?

[DickyOZ]

My old phone was nearing its end of life so I bought a replacement. It has taken days to configure it to my preferences. Why does every App designer know better than I do what I want?

My new phone supports USB OTG (USB On The Go). All you need is a USB OTG cable like the (black) one shown in the (dreadful) photo and a USB hub with a card reader. That's a three port USB and SD/Micro SD card reader I normally use on my PC. There are much lighter ones on the market it just happens to be the one I have. In the photo it has two 128GB flash drive plugged in and an SD card.



All you then need is a file manager App to allow you to navigate around and copy files. A scan of Play Store threw up a host of them. Alas all were written by avaricious morons who knew only how to overload them with Adds while giving them the ability to copy only one file at a time. None of them would copy a folder (or its entire contents).

No problem I thought - I'll write one while we are waiting to get broadband at our new home. Fate conspired against me again - Tuesday morning my system hard drive was dead; I had an ISO of Windows 10 and plenty of backups for essential things. It still took two days to resume normal service. Except the Windows ISO resulted in 750MB of updates that swallowed my phone's hot spot data allowance. Andriod Studio was not among my backups. When I loose a system I find it far better to download the latest version of a program rather than load an old one and wait for all the mods to catch up. To add to my woes the roll-out of the NBN to our area has been delayed from October to January (at the earliest). So it may be a while before I can program anything. In the mean time if anyone thinks this photo backup idea has any merit please let me know what features you would like to see in such an App. All input a the early design stage will be most welcome.

My initial idea is to find or nominate the DCIM folder on the SD card and then use a systematic naming convention to create folders for each photo date and to copy the contents to both USB flash drives. With the usual options to skip or create copies of duplicates; I don't always delete the contents of my SD card after a days shooting. The will be no Adds or Malware in my App - if I ever get it going I'll post it here for those who might like to give this idea a go.

Dicky.

[RBSinTo]

Dicky,
Great stuff, but I just keep the exposed rolls of film in my pocket until I get home, and then get them developed. That way I'm not ladened with all that electronic dreck that the Digivolk can't live without and need to drag around wherever they go.
Robert

[Manfred M]

Dicky,
Great stuff, but I just keep the exposed rolls of film in my pocket until I get home, and then get them developed. That way I'm not ladened with all that electronic dreck that the Digivolk can't live without and need to drag around wherever they go.
Robert

Actually Robert, your example is not quite accurate. Running around with rolls of film in your pocket is just like a digital photographer traveling with nothing more than the memory cards in his or her pocket. Lose one and all your shots are lost, regardless if it is film or digital.

Redundancy is purely a digital benefit. I remember coming back from an overseas trip and something going wrong at Kodak's Kodachrome processing. Every single roll I had shot came back from the lab with a long scratch in the emulsion that ran along the length of the film. Kodak's liability was handled by replacing my film with some new rolls. Never an issue with digital...

[rpcrowe]

These days, I travel with a Chromebook and use it for a lot more than just downloading images.

However, I do use the Chromebook as a conduit between my card reader and the small physical size but, relatively large capacity external hard drives on which I store my RAW images. I do not do any processing on these images but, although the Chromebook screen is only 11-inches, it is easier to detect any glaring mechanical errors in my images than it would be on my camera LCD.

The ASUS Chromebook that I use has a USB 3.0 slot and my card reader has USB 3.9 capability. I don't know if the UDMI capability of my card reader makes any difference when downloading via my Chromebook.

My only question is; how could I download my RAW images onto a pair of external hard drives at one time. Speed is important since I always download my images at night, after a long day of shooting. I am usually quite tired at that time and ready to go to sleep...

[John 2]

............................. The will be no Adds or Malware in my App - if I ever get it going I'll post it here for those who might like to give this idea a go.

Dicky.

Yes please Richard. I use just the set up you describe for back up or if I'm running out of memory but with a Sony 7in tablet that we generally travel with. I've loaded File commander to access the files stored (on a mini SD). That was reasonable in the beginning but as it has been updated over time, the ads have started to become very intrusive.

[RBSinTo]

Actually Robert, your example is not quite accurate. Running around with rolls of film in your pocket is just like a digital photographer traveling with nothing more than the memory cards in his or her pocket. Lose one and all your shots are lost, regardless if it is film or digital.

Redundancy is purely a digital benefit. I remember coming back from an overseas trip and something going wrong at Kodak's Kodachrome processing. Every single roll I had shot came back from the lab with a long scratch in the emulsion that ran along the length of the film. Kodak's liability was handled by replacing my film with some new rolls. Never an issue with digital...

Manfred,
Just more and more layers of unnecessary complication, and electronic dreck to schlepp. Solutions to non-existent problems. I've been photographing since 1977 and have never, ever lost a roll of exposed film. Not once. Not ever.
RBSinTo's Law states, "Everybody does what they do. I do what I do, you do what you do. And He does what he does."
So if dragging around another layer of safety net or redundancy or whatever you choose to call it, makes you happy, knock yourself out. Me? I just find it all faintly amusing. And a waste of time and money.
Robert

[rpcrowe]

Traveling "light" and shooting "film" is, IMO. an oxymoron. Twenty rolls of 35mm film have, at the most 720 exposures (with 36 exposure rolls). I can easily shoot more than many exposures in one day. I can get about 580 RAW images on a 16 GB CF card and two or three cards can more than hold me through a day of shooting with the images being downloaded each evening onto a pair of external hard drives when traveling or onto my desktop computer at home with hard drive and Cloud backup.
BTW: I have used the same CF cards for years and they appear to be virtually indestructible...

I certainly respect people who stick with film. I shot film since 1955 and professionally after 1958 and enjoyed the medium immensely. However, after I purchased my first DSLR, I never again shot a frame of film. At the last Civil War Reenactment I attended, I met a guy who shot "wet plates". I respected him and his process interested me also but, I certainly would not consider that medium for my own shooting...

[RBSinTo]

Traveling "light" and shooting "film" is, IMO. an oxymoron. Twenty rolls of 35mm film have, at the most 720 exposures (with 36 exposure rolls). I can easily shoot more than many exposures in one day. I can get about 580 RAW images on a 16 GB CF card and two or three cards can more than hold me through a day of shooting with the images being downloaded each evening onto a pair of external hard drives when traveling or onto my desktop computer at home with hard drive and Cloud backup.
BTW: I have used the same CF cards for years and they appear to be virtually indestructible...

I certainly respect people who stick with film. I shot film since 1955 and professionally after 1958 and enjoyed the medium immensely. However, after I purchased my first DSLR, I never again shot a frame of film. At the last Civil War Reenactment I attended, I met a guy who shot "wet plates". I respected him and his process interested me also but, I certainly would not consider that medium for my own shooting...

Richard,
The blasting away and shooting Twelve Zillion shots just because you can is a concept I've never understood, needed or desired.
I shoot as many frames as I need to and again, have never missed getting what I wanted because I'd run out of film. As I recall, the greatest number of frames I've ever shot in one day is 16 rolls of 36 for a friend's wedding. And he and his wife were so happy with the results that he paid me more than we'd originally agreed upon.
We can go back and forth on this all day, but the only Digital versus Film point that I like is your ability to change ISOs from shot to shot at the flick of a switch or dial. Other than that? Meh.
Robert

[John 2]

Dicky,
Great stuff, but I just keep the exposed rolls of film in my pocket until I get home, and then get them developed. That way I'm not ladened with all that electronic dreck that the Digivolk can't live without and need to drag around wherever they go.
Robert

Robert, I don't understand why there is a need to be so disparaging of people who clearly have the ability to see the advantages of digital and know how to use it. I have never come across anyone that blasts away and shoots Twelve Zillion "as a concept". Photography isn't about the tools and materials that we use (because that's what cameras, film and digital media are), it's about the images that we make. More than that, it's about enjoying a creative pass time. If that for you is using film, great and enjoy but don't make out that the rest of us are somehow lesser beings.

[Manfred M]

Robert - we all know your passion for film photography, but do find that a little more respect of other's views when it comes to the film versus digital would be appreciated.

I have lost rolls of films, I have had them crushed / damaged, fogged by airport x-ray machines (the security staff refused hand inspection of high speed film). I've had light leak through the felt light trap on 35mm film and have had emulsions scratched in handling. Accidents, poor handling technique on my part, perhaps, but not always. Some of these were definitely manufacturing or processing defects or due to handling errors by third parties. Most of my film images have deteriorated over time, in spite of me using "proper storage" in dark and humidity / humidity controlled environments; I suspect incomplete washing by the processor as at least part of the reason for this, rather than just the time related break down of the complex chemical dyes.

By all means go on advocating shooting of film, but please stop knocking digital. There are advantages and disadvantages to both formats. I can accept that, but I'm not certain that you are willing to.

[CP140]

Clearly there are a number of options available for both the film and digital communities. Which option each of us picks will depend on our resources ($ and time) and comfort level.

I've just returned from two weeks in the UK... walking the centre section of Hadrian's Wall and going a few miles up/down the Rochdale Canal.

My (digital) solution to backing up while on the road? The SD cards from the day get stuffed into a "Passport Wireless" USB hard drive. Once the shots from the day have been copied to the drive, the drive is connected to the laptop/netbook and the day's shots are copied to a folder on the laptop.

By the end of the day I have three copies... the cards, the drive, the laptop.

[DickyOZ]

Dicky,
Great stuff, but I just keep the exposed rolls of film in my pocket until I get home, and then get them developed. That way I'm not ladened with all that electronic dreck that the Digivolk can't live without and need to drag around wherever they go.
Robert

I remember those days Robert - I was an Olympus fan from the days of OM-1. But when you spend a month in the great Aussie outback you will find you rolls of film full of red dust unless you have a very secure container. Plus they have to withstand 30C plus temperatures. Drive a car through one bush track and you will never ever get all the red dust out of it.

I have found an App that works and is add free. It's called Solid Explorer, I find it a bit awkward to use but well worth the $1.99 price. So when I head off to the back of beyond for August I will take no more than what is in the photo plus a 64GB and 16GB SD card for the camera (I haven't room for a laptop or tablet) and expect to return with 1000+ photos which will of course be whittled down to a few hundred 'keepers'.

Digital film is cheap - shoot fast and shoot often. That doesn't mean careless or wasteful photography - it just means you will miss far less opportunities.

Dicky.

[tao2]

Hi Dicky,

Ah had been looking for something like this for a long time but my phone, while still fairly sophisticated, was years too old tae use this tech. Got a new(ish) phone recently, Windows, upgraded tae WIN10 Mobile. It's excellent and avoids all the ads and interruptions that Android drive ye crazy with. Only had tae delete 4 apps ( had tae keep around 5 which couldn't be deleted but haven't enabled them nor even signed up for them). Unfortunately they do use space but very little. The advantage of Win10 Mobile is that there's a built -in file manager. Just waiting on this...



and hoping it's compatible (seller claims it is). Reason ah need it is that my phone only has 32gb storage, so ah'm thinking NFC/WiFi from camera tae storage card on phone. Again, according tae the seller, storage cards'll show as separate drives. 64gb micro card (in adapter) from ma old phone and a 16gb micro card which came with ma old phone.

Good luck with yer project.

[pnodrog]

Dicky,
Great stuff, but I just keep the exposed rolls of film in my pocket until I get home, and then get them developed. That way I'm not ladened with all that electronic dreck that the Digivolk can't live without and need to drag around wherever they go.
Robert

I don't miss the arguments I used to have when they wanted to x-ray the film in one of the old high radiation machines. Always tried to get them manually inspected. Also keeping them from getting to hot could be a problem.

I don't miss film at all after using it for over 40years.

[DickyOZ]

Hi Dicky,

Ah had been looking for something like this for a long time but my phone, while still fairly sophisticated, was years too old tae use this tech. Got a new(ish) phone recently, Windows, upgraded tae WIN10 Mobile. It's excellent and avoids all the ads and interruptions that Android drive ye crazy with. Only had tae delete 4 apps ( had tae keep around 5 which couldn't be deleted but haven't enabled them nor even signed up for them). Unfortunately they do use space but very little. The advantage of Win10 Mobile is that there's a built -in file manager. Just waiting on this...



and hoping it's compatible (seller claims it is). Reason ah need it is that my phone only has 32gb storage, so ah'm thinking NFC/WiFi from camera tae storage card on phone. Again, according tae the seller, storage cards'll show as separate drives. 64gb micro card (in adapter) from ma old phone and a 16gb micro card which came with ma old phone.

Good luck with yer project.

Hi Boab,

that is a very neat device - I have managed to locate it on Amazon. Can you use a USB gender bender to mount a flash drive (On the left hand side of your picture) as well?

Regards,
Dicky.

[tao2]

Hi Boab,

that is a very neat device - I have managed to locate it on Amazon. Can you use a USB gender bender to mount a flash drive (On the left hand side of your picture) as well?

Regards,
Dicky.

Hi Dicky,

Aye, ye can...cable or cable-free ?

[sachtjen]

Dicky,

I would welcome software to make this process easier, but I found that using the Android operating system with no apps at all gets the job done. You can copy entire folders and there are no adds. I wrote a tutorial a while back on how to do this.

https://michaelsachtjen.wordpress.co...-to-usb-drive/

Michael

[tao2]

oops, put in a USB extension cable instead of the transgender one...

Here's the female/female connector with flash drive. Dunno if it works, haven't tried it yet......