Use of an iPad to assit with RAW file backup?

I will be traveling to Norway at the end of April and was hoping to use my iPad to backup the RAW files from my Canon 5DM2. There are very strict regulations on hand luggage (one bag only under ~18 pounds). With my Canon 5DII and Pentax 67II an two lenses for each, film, iPad, I am pretty close to the weight limit. My intent is not to store them on the iPad nor process them or anything like that. I just want to back up my CF cards either in iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a wireless external hard drive for peace of mind. I have enough CF cars so I will not have to delete any images on the trip.

So far, I am able to connect the 5M2 to the iPad, see the RAW files that are on the CF in the camera on the iPad and download them. HOWEVER, the files seem to be converted to PNG(?) on the iPad and I have not been able to transfer them to an external storage system (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc). Maybe I am missing something... special app..... or I am doing something wrong.

First off, has anyone tried this? If so, how? .... and were your RAW files intact on transfer? Thanks in advance for any input including whether I should be using another device (ultrabook, netbook, notebook, <12 inch diagonal and under 3 pounds in weigh).

Do a Google search on "ipad raw files"

The top hit is this Macworld article.

In the Macworld article see this:

Work with raw files

Amazingly enough, the iPad supports the same raw files that your Mac does. You can upload these files from your camera to the iPad and they will appear as regular photos in the Photos app, Keynote, and third-party applications. When you transfer the images off of the iPad to your Mac, they will maintain their full raw integrity. If you email them from the iPad, however, they will be attached as a converted full-sized JPEG instead of a raw file.

Because raw files take up more space than JPEGs, you will want to move them off your iPad as soon as possible. But what about those great raw shots that you want to keep on the iPad for sharing with others? There's a terrific solution called Raw+JPEG.

Great article Richard. Thanks. However, I should have mentioned, I use a Lenovo PC as my main computer not a Mac. I will be away for around 10 days with no laptop / PC. I was hoping to be able to upload the RAW files (I never shoot RAW+JPEG but if I need to, I will) to either Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud or a wireless drive as a backup for piece of mind. I have not found an app that lets me do this reliably.

I wonder if you can import them to FilterStorm Pro and export from there. I use FilterStorm for RAW processing on the road, but thus far I've only exported via email. Not sure if it will synch with any of the options you mention, but it could be worth exploring. It's one of the more comprehensive photo tools available for iPad.

Max

Eva, I've done that very same thing with my former 5D2: USB Cable to Apple Camera Connection Kit, import my CR2's, then at home plug in the iPad to my PC, and when it shows up in Windows as a device, just open it like you would a hard drive and go get the CR2's. That doesn't work for you?

Eva, have you considered a photo storage/viewer hard drive? These are not cheap but they have card readers and run off rechargeable batteries. They usually cost over $300 - depending on size. Nexto Di, Hyperdrive Epson and others are brands I am familiary with. The other alternative, which is probably more cost effective and smaller, would be to just buy additional cards.

Thanks everyone for your valuable input.

Max - I did look at Filterstrom Pro. It does seem to do almost what I want. I can upload from the ipad to Dropbox but it limits the size of the RAW file I can transfer up to 22MB per file. Some of the RAW files coming off the 5DM2 are close to or over 30MB. It does have some other useful features so I purchased the app.

I did find another app that does exactly what I want. PhotoSync http://www.photosync-app.com/photosync/en/home.html . I can upload the RAW files intact to Dropbox, Google Drive, plus many others. PhotoSync even allows me to upload directly to my Zenfolio account but the files would need to be in TIFF or JPEG format (Zenfolio requirement).

Paul - I will not have a laptop with me while on my trip, so the PhotoSync file transfer program, which allows me to upload intact RAW files to my Dropbox or Google Drive seems like the next best thing until I get home. I am able to transfer the RAW files from my iPad to my PC but again I wont have access to it for 10 days. On my trip to Scotland last year, I shot around 58GB total for all my RAW files (5DM2 and Powershot G1X Pro). My iPad3 is the 32GB version (with about 20GB free space) so it would quickly fill up. I don't want to keep the RAW files on the iPad, just use the iPad as a transfer medium.

Gene - The storage/viewers seem way over priced for what they do. I have considered the Seagate 1TB WiFi plus ($199.99) but it seems to still have some bugs as the Seagate Satellite did. I am still investigating this option though as a redundant backup to Dropbox in case there is an issue with an internet connection in Norway. I will have more than a sufficient number of CF cards with me and will leave all files on them until I get home. I just like to have at least a double backup system for my images.

Thanks again everyone.

Eva,

My understanding is that due to the limitation of iOS, you cannot copy files from iPad to an external disk such as Seagate WiFi plus. You can only read or stream contents (such as movies) from the disk To the iPad. As a result, it cannot be used for backup purposes.

That's why I use an Android-based tablet when I travel.

One more cheap'ish option is the Acer C7 Chromebook, $199, which I bought for our recent trip to Costa Rica, since my ipad didn't have enough space and I didn't want to haul our main laptop. It's 3 lbs and has a 320gb hard drive, an SD reader and an 11" screen, so you can review your shots as well if you want. Just slowly. I brought a usb drive as well and copied all shots to the chromebook and then also to the external usb drive and kept them separate while travelling.

There are various quirks to making it all work, but if you're somewhat techy, not a big deal. I'm happy to elaborate if anyone is interested, just send me a note.

Thanks Yiming. I kind of figured Apple was going to make it almost impossible.

Thanks Jeff. I am seriously considering an 11.6" ultrabook or tablet due to all the road blocks I am encountering with the iPad. I cannot take my main laptop due to hand luggage weigh and size limitations on my trip in Europe.

Eva, I will post my Nexus 7 + external HDDs solution later for your reference.

Thanks Yiming. I'll go have a look. Long term, I will probably go with a PC based ultrabook for travel.

Eva, have you read Jim's review this month of the Puget Systems Traverse 11 laptop. It is only 4 lbs and measures 11.3 x 8.1". His review is very informative. I plan on getting one of these myself to use on photo trips.