Epson P6000/P7000 Surgery
If you have one of these, you already know you're a genius. If you don't have one, or you stopped using yours because the storage was too small...here's your ticket to easy RAW file backup in the field.
The Epson P-6000/P-7000 Multimedia Storage Viewer allows photographers to back-up and view CF and SD cards with just the click of a few buttons. No added software, no hunt for drivers, it just works. The problem with these little brains is that they came with a small memory. Originally made with either a 30 or 40 GB hard drive, the last version boasted a whopping 180GB hard drive right before Epson discontinued them in 2008. They are a great tool for managing large numbers of files when using a computer is not feasible or practical. I carry two of these on long shoots and just plug my 64 or 128 GB card in to them and press go. Speedy back-ups and I can share the now easy-to-view images with clients or friends either in the field or back at the hotel by plugging the Epson into a modern TV. But my secret that I now share with you is that I've upgraded the drives on these...substantially. The two I carry to the field are 500GB drives. Enough for a whole weekend with room to spare. Armed with a charger, this duo is unstoppable.
The devices can be had in good condition on eBay, Craigs List, and FaceBook sales pages as well as pawn stores now and then. They usually run about 100 with the charger (DON'T BUY ON UNLESS YOU GET THE CHARGER) and at least one battery. You'll also need some cloning software. Acronis and Macrium are good tools but there is also freeware out there that may do just as good.
This is a long post but I wanted to cover the whole process I use. At the bottom is the slide show in PDF.
The batteries for these are getting a little long in the tooth and if yours won't hold a full charge all weekend. Don't despair! Go here for a post on how to modify the batteries.
Don't be intimidated by the task. It's very easy if you stay organized. Once you're done, you'll have a great photographic tool for use in the field and you'll soon wonder how you got a long with it. If you run into trouble, contact me through the web site and I'll do what I can to help.
Epson Multimedia Storage Viewer Modification PDF