saving pictures to disc: I edit my pictures and file them according to topic. Eventually I like to clear my computer and put everything on disc for long term storage. What are the best...

ollie Loc: Ogdensburg, NY

I edit my pictures and file them according to topic. Eventually I like to clear my computer and put everything on disc for long term storage. What are the best discs to store pictures on ? I see CD's and DVD's some are +R some are -R some are +R&W.
I know I used to use Walmart (very few choices in this area of the country) and got the archival CDs. I want to use the best storage method. Any input would be appreciated. I'm currently using Memorex DVD+R 8.5gb. I use Nikon D7100, D7000 and D800 cameras so the files are sometimes quite large, especially if I used HDR

sab2101 Loc: Henderson Nv.

ollie wrote:

I edit my pictures and file them according to topi... (show quote)

Hi Ollie, I prefer to use DVD's over CD's only because they hold much more info, at a very small price difference. The reason that some are + and some are - is what your equipment will take newer equipment will take both. You know you can use "+" so you might as well stay with the "+" ones. The R&W discs signifies that they are rewrightable, you can go back to the disc and add or erase to it. Just another feature if you want it. As far as brand I us HP discs never had a problem with them. There are a lot of other brands on the market as well. The choice is really up to you. I would just stay away from the really cheap, no name brands. I hope I have helped you................Mike

amehta Loc: Boston

ollie wrote:

I edit my pictures and file them according to topi... (show quote)

I use external hard drives instead of disks, since it is much easier to both access them and make backups. I zip all the pictures from a particular session together, using store, not compress, because image files compress very little. When I copy the zip file to a second drive, I can do a listing of it in Windows Explorer, and that verifies that the zip file is intact.

ollie Loc: Ogdensburg, NY

amehta wrote:

I use external hard drives instead of disks, since it is much easier to both access them and make backups. I zip all the pictures from a particular session together, using store, not compress, because image files compress very little. When I copy the zip file to a second drive, I can do a listing of it in Windows Explorer, and that verifies that the zip file is intact.

I worry about the external hard drive crashing. I'm old school
(film and negatives)and don't know what to trust the most

amehta Loc: Boston

ollie wrote:

I worry about the external hard drive crashing. I'm old school
(film and negatives)and don't know what to trust the most

Yes, external hard drives crash. That's why I have two copies on separate drives. If one crashes, I make a copy of the copy. It's much easier to make a copy of the drive than the disks. And disks get scratched or degrade over time, how often are you going to check them? It's easy to check that the external drive is working well.

"Trust but verify!" Much easier with HD than CD/DVD. :-)

CharlesA Loc: New Jersey

amehta wrote:

Yes, external hard drives crash. That's why I have two copies on separate drives. If one crashes, I make a copy of the copy. It's much easier to make a copy of the drive than the disks. And disks get scratched or degrade over time, how often are you going to check them? It's easy to check that the external drive is working well.

"Trust but verify!" Much easier with HD than CD/DVD. :-)

I use both SONY-DVDs and this external USB3.0 HDD:

http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Security-Local-Backup-WDBFJK0020HBK-NESN/dp/B00E3RH5W2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1396385826&sr=8-10&keywords=wd+external+hard+drive

Charles

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I use 1 or 2 TB external drives. 1 is for unworked, raw images, second is for finished product images. (I have now started working Lightroom 5 so am saving the nef file and the xmp file on the finished drive. The drives are less expensive that DVD and DVD is not rated for archival storage. Yes I know the drives fail but that's why I use 2. Also since they are usb, I can move the drives between my 3 desktop computers and 2 laptops so it give image portability. (1 laptop and 1 desktop is wife's other laptop and 2 desktops are mine. Big one has 10 tb of drive and 16 gb of mem fast processor for editing photos.. others are average machines.

Cattreasure

I too use dvd's along with a portable hard drive. After having an external drive crash, I feel better knowing my photos are on dvds.

johnsnap1947 Loc: New Fairfield, CT

If you go the DVD route you might want to look into Verbatim-UltraLife-Archival DVDs. In my opinion it's better to make multiple copies of your files on separate DVDs rather than put them on multiple HDs which are more expensive. I would also recopy the DVDs every few years or so because they too will go bad..

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

According to Jim Harmer at improvephotography.com, CDs and DVDs are not the best way to permanently back up photos because they have a limited lifespan of about 5 years (more or less). I use three high capacity external hard drives to back up my photos.

kwils Loc: Salem, Ma

ollie wrote:

I edit my pictures and file them according to topi... (show quote)

If you want to put the photos on a disc instead of a hard drive I would use Blu Ray BD-R discs. They hold 25 gigs of space.

rupadhya Loc: Illinois

I save my digital pictures to an external hard drive. I have over 35,000 images that date back to 1994.

I used to use CD-Rs to back up, but they fail after a few years.

If you have something you want to keep, it is best to back your stuff. I had a flood and my hard drive was under water.

Insurance paid for a new computer, but without backups, I would have lost a ton.

I also keep the RAW images, to re-edit the images.

- Raj

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

ollie wrote:

I worry about the external hard drive crashing. I'm old school
(film and negatives)and don't know what to trust the most

Ollie, I understand your issue, but I can tell you that with over 30 years in IT, I just don't trust optical media (CDs & DVDs). I've lost too much to them. They are fine to hand someone a copy of files they need to have/see, but for long-term, reliable storage, the best is an external (or internal) hard drive. Then, another hard drive to back up the first one.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

ollie wrote:

I edit my pictures and file them according to topi... (show quote)

Supermediastore.com has a huge selection of discs available. I've bought all sorts of brands, and I rarely get a defective disc. I've used Ritek and Tai-Juden(sp?). DL discs will hold twice as much.

I prefer external hard drives for backup. I have three externals plus NAS for backup.

CharlesA Loc: New Jersey

brucewells wrote:

Ollie, I understand your issue, but I can tell you that with over 30 years in IT, I just don't trust optical media (CDs & DVDs). I've lost too much to them. They are fine to hand someone a copy of files they need to have/see, but for long-term, reliable storage, the best is an external (or internal) hard drive. Then, another hard drive to back up the first one.

I concur, you need at least 2 backups, either HDDs or that plus optical disks. I had well over 200 CDs going back 10 years ago. A couple of folders went bye-bye so last year I put the whole lot of pictures on DVDs, then I threw out the CDs. Maybe in a couple of years I'll do the same type of transfer putting the data on BluRays.

Charles