LaCie’s Rugged external hard drive series has long been a favorite for many photographers. Despite the dorky orange color, they are offered with single (USB) and triple (USB, Firewire 400 and 800) interface, can be operated in bus-powered mode, are fast and hold lots of pictures with capacities up to 500GB.
Recently, LaCie announced the LaCie Rugged XL hard drive with a capacity of 1TB. Suited for speed-intensive applications or for large-scale backups, the LaCie Rugged XL is compatible with both Mac and PC environments. In addition, it supports two key interfaces: Hi-Speed USB for universal compatibility, and the extreme speed of eSATA 3Gb/s. The new drive also includes a complete software bundle for easy formatting with LaCie Setup Assistant, as well as Genie Backup Assistant software for Windows users and Intego Backup Assistant software for Mac users.
Price:
LaCie Rugged 500GB: 165.99, Amazon: 147.99
LaCie Rugged XL: to be announced
Do you process all of your images on a Mac? Getting ready to buy one of the newest Mac desktops or notebooks, but are turned off due to the lack of a Firewire 400 port? Do not despair.
Let’s face it – Firewire 400 support is coming to an end. But Apple continues to put Firewire 800 connectors into its machines. How to then use your Firewire 400 devices? Through inexpensive cables or adaptors. Firewire 800 is backward-compatible with all Firewire 400 peripherals, so just plug a Firewire 400 peripheral into an adaptor and connect that to your Mac.
Some solutions:
Sonnettech sells a Firewire 400 to 800 adaptor (see image) for around $15.
Wiebetech sells a 3ft adaptor cable, called the 7380-0000-11, for $11.
Monoprice.com sells adaptors and cables that convert Firewire 400 to either Firewire 800 or USB.
One of the least expensive adaptor solutions, so you do not have to deal with messy cables, is SIIG’s Firewire 400 to 800 adaptor. $12, Amazon: $7.40
Today, Western Digital announced a new version of its My Book World Edition. Featuring sizes of 1TB and 2TB, these My Books are ready to be plugged directly into your router. With the click of a few buttons, the storage device can then be configured. As always, it comes with bundled backup-software that can be installed on your Mac or your PC. Given the good experience we have with our Western Digital drives, we have high hopes for this one.
Price: $449.00 (2TB), Amazon: $393.33
Drobo has established its data storage robots as one of the premier providers of redundant data storage. This is exactly what photographers need and thus, a lot of different sites (TWIT, TWIPphoto, Digital Outback Photo, Luminous Landscape and others) have praised it. Having used it here for almost 6 months (Drobo USB with 3 1TB drives), we can confirm that it deserve the praise that is heaped on it. We use it mainly for backup, much of it autmated. It’s easy to use (connect the unit to a PC or Mac, install software and plug in the drives) and very reliable. The USB unit we have is a bit noisy, but that does not bother us, since the backup unit is connected to our file server and tucked away. Drobo listened to the complaints – the noise problem has been alleviated in the newer USB/Firewire units.
Our verdict: Highly recommended!
Price: $499, Amazon $374.95 after rebate
G-Technology’s G-Drive Mini is a small, rugged, bus-powered USB and Firewire 400 drive that is easy to carry, yet has enough capacity to store all your images while you are on the road. Designed mainly for Apple Macintosh, it also works with any Windows computer. Capacity ranges from 100GB to 160GB
Amazon Price: $170.00
