Capture NX2 and Lightroom Workflow

this article has been re-tracted.  I am no longer using Capture NX2 on a regular basis.

Storing digital images? Firewire vs. NAS

Storing digital images?  Firewire vs. NAS

Which is faster for storing files… a Firewire connected 7200rpm hard drive or a GB connected NAS?  Firewire vs NAS?  (There is no point of comparing USB2.0 to Firewire as it is well established that firewire transfer rates are faster.)

Every photographer has the dilemma of figuring out how to store 100s of GBs of digital image files.  My workflow includes transferring images to Macbook pro after a shoot, eliminating rejects, categorizing keepers and then setting up a more permanent storage solution.  Once I am back to my office all files are moved from my Macbook hard drive to a bigger and redundant hard drive(s).  This test was performed to determine which method of storage would work more efficiently in my workflow.

The test was conducted by transferring a 683.7MB folder containing 68 photographs to and from my Macbook Pro.  The firewire Mini Pal 7200rpm 500GB device (Acomdata) was connected via the firewire 400 port.  The Western Digital My Book World Edition was connected via a wired high performance Gigabit switch. (Dlink DGS-2208… http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DGS-2208-8-Port-Desktop-Switch/dp/B000FITKK8)

Test results:
NAS to Macbook Pro desktop- 1:37
Macbook Pro desktop to NAS- 3:01

Mini Pal to Macbook Pro desktop- :21
Macbook Pro desktop to Mini Pal- :31

Obviously write speeds to the Macbook Pro were faster than to the storage devices.  But I was surprised that the firewire, rated at 400Mbps, would be nearly 5x faster than the NAS rated at 1Gbps for downloads and 6x faster for uploads.

So the results are in and Firewire wins by a mile.  My workflow will now move images via firewire to the Mini Pal for regular manipulation and management.  I will continue to use the NAS for backups while unattended.

Note: as of 09/20/2008 the Acomdata Mini Pal was available at costco.com for $159.99.
Note 2:  It is worth noting that my Western Digital My Book World Edition is/was configured for RAID duplication of all data written to the drive.  So in truth the My Book had to write my data twice during the test.  But this is an acceptable condition of the test as this is a “real life scenario” that represents how I would actually use the My Book every day.
Note 3:  My Macbook Pro has a 5400rpm hard drive.