Anyone take along their laptop?

[boydski]

That Iomega thing sounds good but does it come with a bigger drive and Sony format?

Hi Jonathon,

The zip disks only hold 250 Mb, but you can take as many as you'd like. They are the size of fat floppy disks. You can fit 2 128 Mb cards worth of pictures on one disk, and usually more, as I rarely actually fill up a card. I'm not sure about the Sony format, but they can read both Smart Media and Compact Flash cards.

The photoshow also has a USB port and is compatible with both Macs and PC's. If you plug it in to your USB port, it shows up as a "removable disk" in most operating systems. I also find it convenient for backing my documents and financial records from my computer.

Boydski

 

[Finesse]

Hey boydski.....

Please tell us you recently bought Fotoshow.......I went on Iomega's website only to find out its been discontinued .

I haven't looked around for it too much (internet) but I hope you can inform us where we might find some "leftovers"

Wonder why they discontinued it.....Its perfect for this application...( well digital cameras on vacation at least .... I'm sure there's not a huge market for underwater photo use) but...Even Ikelite has it on there website!!!!

Hope you can help

Scott

 

[Dee]

The Fotoshow is no longer being made but it's still available is some stores. Another product is the Digital Wallet.

I came across a review of several of the available storage devices on Steves Digi-Cam reviews site.

They aren't cheap but cheaper than a new laptop!

 

[boydski]

I just checked, and Dee is right, they have discontinued them. What a bummer, you find something that works and then they stop making them! ;-0

Sorry to get your hopes up. I've had mine for about a year and half and didn't realize they weren't still around. I'll be bummed if it quits working and I can't replace it.

I did a search for "Fotoshow" on google, and there are few places still selling them, but not anywhere that I could personally recommend.

Good Luck,

Boydski

 

[Dee]

The local Ritz Camera at the mall has a Fotoshow for $149. The Zip disks are 8paks for $99.

One thing I like about the FotoShow is the ability to view the pics on a TV. I need to see how they're coming out since I only get to clear water a couple times a year! Do you use this function? I'm also wondering if all TV's will allow you to hook into them. for instance, how do I know if the TV at CoCo View Resort will let me hook up the FotoShow?

So you really like it that much?

 

[boydski]

Hi Dee,

I really do like mine. It presents great pictures on a TV. I actually frequently use it to do "slide shows" when people are interested in "seeing what is down there". This has worked really well at my Mother's Nursing home, and generally attracts quite a crowd.

Checking the pictures you have taken during the day, in the evening on your TV really helps you correct problems you may be having with exposure, strobe positioning, focus, etc. By using this on my first trip with my camera ( April 2001 ), I was able to eliminate all the backscatter in my photos after the second day of use.

After you copy the images to a zip disk, the first time you plug it in to a tv and run it, the software generates thumbnails that allow you to browse the images. It also has zoom and minor editing features but these are mostly good for zooming in on something to see "what the heck was that".

A laptop has far more feautres and storage, but I just hate the weight, and when I'm on vacation, a computer is the last thing I want to use.

I'm actually not a big fan of Iomega products, but this one has always worked very well for me.

Boydski

 

[Dee]

I didn't even think about being able to use it for slide shows/show and tell until Finesse mentioned it. That's something to consider because other than that, I'll only be using it a couple times a year for dive trips.

I was considering just getting more cards. With that same $150, I can buy several more memory cards. I had forgotten that my camera came with a TV connector so I do have a way of viewing the pics on a trip.

Then there's the expense of the Zip disks. They aren't cheap, an 8pak is $99 but I haven't really shopped around.

Guess it's 6 of one and half dozen of the other, eh?

Thanks....I have plenty to think about!

 

[Finesse]

You have stirred my interest too.......I have four 128 cards (two which may go back if I'm stirred enough )......but it kills me to have three cards or 384 Mb of storage that will normally never see use unless I'm in a traveling situation and cannot download pics....Two cards should be more than enough when traveling with one of these devices....

I assume there is no image quality drop(lose) when transferring all this data to zip disc......but has anything ever corrupted and been lost in a transfer??? What about saving panoramic shots (a function at least on Olympus cameras) and then trying to download them to print??

What kind of download time do you see once your at home and start transferring to CD??? The same or longer than the normal transfer from the camera. (Can/do you use a USB cable for transfer from 250 zip disc to CD-R)

Besides the obvious I really like the idea of being able to leave the unit hooked to the TV and to use it as a player for these photos.....
Can you read and play a smartmedia card without first downloading it to a zip disc??

I personally would much rather use this than lug around the lap top...we all ready have too much other stuff that is necessary for our adventures. I take it you need 110V to run the thing....no portable power.

Thanks
Scott

 

[boydski]

I assume there is no image quality drop(lose) when transferring all this data to zip disc......but has anything ever corrupted and been lost in a transfer??? What about saving panoramic shots (a function at least on Olympus cameras) and then trying to download them to print??

Hi Scott,

All the device really does is copy the JPG file to the zip disk, so there is no data loss. I have never had any file corruption from a file transfer, even when using the less than ideal power on a boat. I also have an adaptor for a cigarette lighter so I can use it in my car. I would add that the zip disks are magnectic media, so are prone to loss over time, and can be damaged. I have not had one fail on me yet, but I do copy the files as soon as I'm home just to be safe.

I have never used the panoramic shot function on my camera, but I believe it just saves a JPG on your Smart Media card, so should be copied over just fine. I do not know how it would be displayed on the TV, but I think it would be "letterboxed" like watching a widescreen DVD on a standard TV.

What kind of download time do you see once your at home and start transferring to CD??? The same or longer than the normal transfer from the camera. (Can/do you use a USB cable for transfer from 250 zip disc to CD-R)

I do use the USB cable to copy the files to my PC when I'm home. This is pretty fast, and likely is faster than the "burn" speed on my CD burner, but I remember the days when disk controllers couldn't keep up, so I copy the files to my hard drive first, and then burn 2 zip disks worth to one CD ( about 500 Mb ). This also allows my organize the shots into folders with dates and meaningfull names, so I can find them later.

Can you read and play a smartmedia card without first downloading it to a zip disc??

No, not on your TV, they have to be loaded to disk first. And, I should point out that the "copy" function of just copying your files from smart media to zip disk is pretty fast ( just a minute or so ), but the first time you turn on the "fotoshow" software to look at the pictures on a TV, it takes about 5 minutes to go through the files, catogorize them, create thumbnails, etc., on the disk. It displays a file coundown on the TV while it is doing this. The copy function works slick between dives, but when I want to check the pictures later, I turn the unit on, and then go grab a bite to eat or something. It may not actually take 5 minutes, but it seems like a long time in relation to the file copy. This only happens the first time you use the zip disk after loading photos on it. Every time after that, they are already catagorized.

I personally would much rather use this than lug around the lap top...we all ready have too much other stuff that is necessary for our adventures. I take it you need 110V to run the thing....no portable power.

Yes, the unit comes with a 110 Volt power adaptor, and you can get a 12 Volt DC adaptor for a cigarette lighter.

What is funny, is that I do always take 2 128 Mb cards with me, but have never used the second one. One card holds a lot of pictures and I have never actually run out of room.

Most of the digital photographers I have talked to just use several cards. I think this is actually less expensive, but I like to be able to look at ( and show off ) my pictures!


Boydski

 

[Dee]

I guess I better go look at this thing tomorrow!