Ni**n Coolwalker or FlashTrax

[Bruce Watson]

I ordered an Epson P2000 from an online store that indicated they had them in stock the other week.

Of course, when I received the followup email, it stated that they actually did not have any in stock and weren't expecting them until the 15th, maybe.

In fairness, they did not charge my card and I can easily cancel.

I need the storage sooner rather than later, so I have been doing some research on the Nikon and FlashTrax products, both of which are in stock.

Any user opinions? I note that the Nikon Coolwalker is rated to handle any file that Nikon cameras produce, including NEF which is the designation for RAW.

Is this compatible with 20D RAW format? How about the FlashTrax, the site states that it will read 10D RAW, anyone used a 20D with them?

Comments on battery life, speed of transfer, etc., would be welcome and appreciated.

[Alan Neilson]

I have not used the Flash tax, but have heard good reviews on the item here is link to their sit hope it helps http://www.smartdisk.com/support.asp

[davidwegs]

I have the 40gig Flashtrax and it reads my RAW Canon files for the 1ds2,20d and 10d.

It is a great product, robust and fast, but you need two batteries.

[DeeplyDigital]

Quote from www.warehouseexpress.com re. Nikon the Coolwalker:
"Only Nikon NEF RAW files are supported. Raw files from other camera brands ie. Canon, will not be displayed"

Re. battery life etc. it may be worth waiting for the Epson as it gets great reviews all over the place.

J.

[Lenny_D]

I'm a bit dissapointed in the Flashtrax. The quality of the screen is really mediocre (not even close to the LCD screen on the camera). It is too slow to quickly browse through your pictures and it eats batteries. I wouldn't recommend it. I don't know about Coolwalker....

Lenny

[KennyG]

I'll disagree with Lenny on one point. I would recommend the FlashTrax. Mine has seen well over a year of very hard use in the most adverse conditions, handled in excess of 50,000 images and has never let me down once. I did not buy it as a display device, and if that is what you want, go for the Epson. If you want a reliable storage device with great support and up-to-date firmware posted virtually as new cameras are released, go for the FlashTrax.

[Lenny_D]

Kenny, I understand your point. The Flashtrax is reliable, small and robust, I agree. But a portable harddisk with CF interface is 1/3 of the price! So if you have access to power regularly, use a harddisk as storage and forget about a display. One of my hopes was that the battery life made it possible to use the Flashtrax on a trip without having regular access to electricity. But that was wishfull thinking... I actually ran into a situation camping in the bush (without having power) and after a few days it let me down... Then the limits of digital gear are really getting to you. (In that case the harddisk wouldn't be a solution either... I suppose)

[LexLuther]

I own the Flashtrax 40GB and took it on a recent trip to Cuba for my brother's wedding. I can't believe how useful it was. I was very nervous about it actually making it back home with pics in tact but everything worked out perfectly. It was very hand to hook up to the TV in our room and show fellow wedding party members pictures of the entire ceremony.

As for battery, yes, it's not the best. I believe it could handle a 2 x 1gb cards to transfer and then would be finished and need another recharging. The recarging unit they provide with the unit does work abroad and I had no problems using it with the 220V wall sockets in Cuba.

After the trip, the wife was VERY impressed with it, and actually was happy that we got it.

[Huckaback Photo]

I also use the inoplus Phototainer (Flash trax ) as mentioned, they really are the same product just dif names.
I bought mine from a company called Crown digital .

http://www.crown-digital.co.uk/ishop/883/shopscr10.html

I totally agree with Kenny & likewise did not buy it for viewing but for portable storage .
pos used for over 20,000 images so far. seems well made, does need a spare battery but only £20.
Available 20 gb / 40 gb / 80 gb and yes you can even store and play mp3's on it,
mine is totally for my photos.
I do lot of talks & audio visual shows ,laptop ,dig projector etc. and this portable drive has all AV shows on it (with backups on CD) then run through laptop its works great.

I did have one problem with a corrupt file once, this i sorted by running check disc & norton utillities.
once a card is loaded i always check to ensure files are transfered properly with the viewer screen.
and can then re format CF or MD if needed.
I was doing a wedding in Nothern Greece last year and was able to show images imediately to people without carrying a laptop and don't forget this will play back on a TV screen.

all in all one of the best bits of kit iv'e found sure there's lots of other makes,
But this works for me.

Martin (Huckaback Photo)

[Huckaback Photo]

LexLuther
just saw your post and i repeated your remarks regards wedding .
I was in such a remote part of Northern Greece near to the Meteora region (famous for 12- 13 century monastries perched high on out crops of rock) .
Few people spoke any English but the universal language of photography with the abillity of this bit of kit made me a lot of friends.
the volume of images i came home with would otherwise not have been possible.
Cheers
Martin

[steven]

I too have the FlashTrax 40gb version.
While not totaly happy with battery life I am able to get 2 2gb cf copied and fully verified on one battery charge. I don't find this to be outstanding battery life be the batteries are not too expensive (I have 3).
The one thing that disapoints me about this is that viewing RAW files you only get to see the small embeded JPEG and cannot zoom in. Looking at the downloaded images is just not usefull.

[ScottE]

I have an 80 gb FlashTrax and have been happy with it. I use it for an image storage device while travelling and do not spend a lot of time looking at the images on the screen. The screen is really only good for a quick check of composition and exposure, not for judging image quality.

I would not use the Nikon device because I shoot RAW format most of the time and the Nikon will not display Canon RAW files.

The Epson P-2000 sounds like an ideal device, but I am concerned that it is only 40 gb. It is easy to shoot 2 gb or more of RAW photos a day if you are in good locations with good light. If you are travelling for a month you are going to run out of space. Sometimes you could find a computer lab and have them burn CD's then clean up a little space, but that may not be too convenient, or even possible in some locations. Too bad they don't make a 60 or 80 gb version.

I would not use a simple hard drive device that does not have a screen to play back your images. I have an Image Tank that functions that way. One time I copied a full 1 gb card with prize moose and black bear photos on a trip to Banff/Jasper. The LCD diplay indicated the copy process was going on and that finally it was completed. When I got home, all my other cards had been copied on to the Image Tank, but there was no trace of that one card. I got the FlashTrax so I could do a quick review to ensure that the images were actually copied. (I still use the Image Tank for a second back up.)

The main problem with the FlashTrax is that batter life is not very long. If you are going to be travelling be sure you have an adapter plug. If you have a vehicle but may be away from a wall socket, get the 12 volt car adapter. I have used mine many times in remote drive-in locations. If you are going to be back-packing away from your vehicle get an extra battery or two. You should be able to rely on one battery for three or four days, depending on how many pictures you take.

[Bruce Watson]

At this point, I have the use of a borrowed laptop to hold off the decision.

I think it will be to wait for the Epson.

Thank you all for the good advice and for sharing your experiences.

[Monito]

The word is Nikon. We like to say Nikon around here so that Nikon users and people who are considering using Nikon cameras will find this site when they search for Nikon with search engines. This way Nikon users are less likely to retain their Nikon equipment and all are less likely to buy Nikon equipment. Thus Canon will continue to reap the benefits of its technical superiority over Nikon.

Did I remember to mention Nikon?

[tommykjensen]

The one thing that disapoints me about this is that viewing RAW files you only get to see the small embeded JPEG and cannot zoom in. Looking at the downloaded images is just not usefull.

Isn't this enough to verify that the images has been transferred correctly? That is my main concern about buying a portable device.

[Huckaback Photo]

If you're in the market for portable storage, make sure you get a drive with viewer and therefore image verification. its the only real way to know all is saved .
Only use the screen for confirmation, when out & about .
constant viewing is not what it is intended for on location.
if a message appears on display just after card is inserted eg: battery is low etc. do not load the card is my advice.
Last evening met a mate just back from Dubai, was using up his cards far to fast.
solution : he went and bought a portable CD writing version of above instead of flash trax !!!

loaded up some cards. but when he got back to his son's place there was a computor so he checked
the cd. you guessed it . nothing recorded. tried then to burn another cd again blank.

went back to shop, would not accept replacement. but exchanged for new Flash trax. 40 GB drive. now happy he can see whats there on location, & not back home in UK with no images .

Many of us depend on batteries wherever we travel around this world.
if you do not carry spare bats for your camera i guess you would not carry spare for portable drive.
So most important ...BUY THE SPARE NOW...
Why carry thousands of pounds worth of kit to be let down a battery. also this is not the sort of battery you will find in normal outlets Beware !
all good imput i hope.
Martin

[Bruce Watson]

The word is Nikon. We like to say Nikon around here so that Nikon users and people who are considering using Nikon cameras will find this site when they search for Nikon with search engines. This way Nikon users are less likely to retain their Nikon equipment and all are less likely to buy Nikon equipment. Thus Canon will continue to reap the benefits of its technical superiority over Nikon.

Did I remember to mention Nikon?

Ummm, my original post did indeed have Nikon spelled correctly in the subject line. Either through automation or admin. intervention, it was changed shortly after being posted.

Nikons are nice, Canons are great, not to mention many other brands of cool kit. I like them all, horses for courses, etc.

[tommykjensen]

Can't use it myself :evil: but thought other (US useres) could use a $50 mailin rebate if they are considering the FlashTrax

http://www.smartdisk.com/FTX40-80%20$50%20OSMD00056.pdf

Don't know if this is old news...