So, you just bought a new digital SLR camera and you want to take it on your travels. It has a resolution of about five-eight megapixels and you intend on taking a lot of pictures at the highest quality. You might not have a laptop computer, or may not want to take yours with you, so by now I am sure you have realised that you are going to need to take a lot of memory with you, or spend an awful lot of your travel time in internet cafés emailing your pictures home.

At a six megapixel resolution, a standard one-gigabyte compact flash card can only store about 35 photographs. It would be a very expensive venture to purchase the ten or so memory cards that would be needed at a minimum for a two to three-week photographically-focussed trip.

Portable memory storage units and portable DVD burners are the answer to this dilemma. High resolution digital SLRs have only recently become affordable for the amateur photographer so unfortunately many of the major camera/computer brands with which you may be familiar are yet to launch a product; however this hasn't stopped many smaller companies filling this niche market.

Photo Storage Units v DVD Burners

There are advantages and disadvantages to both these types of devices. Photo storage units are small portable hard-drives with internal memory ranging from 20-100Gb. Unlike conventional portable hard-drives, however, they can be used without a computer and contain one or more slots in which the memory card from the digital camera is inserted. The digital images are downloaded to the hard-drive and then deleted from the memory card, freeing it for future photos.

Confirmation that the photos have been copied to the storage unit is given either by a small LCD screen much like that on a calculator, or a full-colour screen which can display the image.

Portable DVD burners also function without the use of a computer and have a similar slot for the camera memory card to be inserted. Unlike memory storage units however, the digital photos are burnt to a DVD or CD by the device.

Advantages

Photo Storage Devices:

• Upfront cost is the only cost
• Generally smaller in size than DVD burners
• No need to carry extra DVD/CDs
• Many devices can also be used as MP3 players and/or media players

DVD/CD Burners:

• Amount of memory is dependent on the number of blank DVDs you have (and you could purchase more during your travels)

Disadvantages

Photo Storage Devices:

• Storage capacity is limited by memory available on the hard drive

DVD/CD Burners:

• Individual photos cannot be burnt one at a time onto the same DVD. With each session of burning an entire DVD/CD must be used.
• It would be easy during travelling to accidentally write over important photographs if using rewritable DVD/CDs.

• After purchasing the device there are ongoing costs associated with purchasing blank DVDs.

• DVD burners are more bulky than memory storage devices.

As can be seen from the above, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of devices. Since they are similar in price, your decision should be based on how many photos you expect to take and how much memory you require to store your photos. If you think that you would need more than about 80Gb of storage - perhaps if you were going on a very extended trip - then a DVD/CD burner would be the best option as it allows you to have as much memory as you need.

For most people, however, a 40-60Gb storage unit should be suitable for a three to four week trip with an eight megabyte camera. Since the cost of DVD/CDs could add up it would therefore be cheaper in the long run to purchase a basic portable storage unit. If you choose a model with alternative functions such as MP3 player, then you will also be able to use it when you are no longer travelling.

Digital storage devices which have a colour screen to show an image of the photos uploaded are more expensive. Remember if you use a device with such a screen that viewing your pictures is an unnecessary drain on batteries. So, practically, non-image displaying devices are a far better option for travellers without a constant electrical supply.

For the Buyer with a Budget

If you are looking for a cheap but reliable product the so-called 'X-drives' produced by Vosonic may be your best option. As with clothing, when you buy a digital device you are not only paying for the product itself but its brand name. The products by Vosonic boast the same capabilities as those made by Sony and Nikon, but at a much lower price.

How to get the Best Price on your Chosen Unit

So you have thoroughly researched all the options, and have worked out which device is best for your circumstances. The next thing to do is purchase it, and hopefully at the best possible price. It is a good idea to head down to a local camera/computer store and see if they stock your product. The staff at these stores may also be able to provide you with some further information about the product. While you are there check out their prices.

The next step is to surf the Internet for online stores that stock your device. If possible, the best stores are those in your own country as delivery will cost less and it will arrive sooner. Compare prices; if there are any stores in your area that stock your product ask them if they can match Internet prices (most won't but you might as well ask). If they will, buy it there and then, because you will get the best support from a store.

If it is cheaper to purchase your device on the Internet¹ then you need to investigate the internet stores and find out if they are reputable. If you are in Australia all businesses have a BSB number. If an Internet site does not display it then beware. They should also have a phone number displayed on the site that you can ring to check up on them and get support.

Another good way to check out Internet suppliers is to do a web search of its name. Most likely there will be some mention of it among the many web-forums by customers who have had good or bad experiences with their service. As a rule of thumb, if an Internet store looks suspicious, then don't buy anything from it.

Good luck, and have a good trip.