I had promised long ago that I'd tell my impressions of the PD7X once I had some experience with it.
I am now back in San Francisco, in a small hiatus from four months of travelling. I spent June and July backpacking in Spain, with one small detour to the Czech Republic and Poland. The PD7X, with an 80Gb drive was my main storage during this time. I also had with me my 12' Powerbook and 40Gb ipod. I took two CF cards, 2Gb and 1Gb. Funny thing is, I never filled both of them in the field. This means that I never actually had to use the PD7X's card reader or use the drive while battery-powered. Other than that, my impression is largely the same as other people's: It does the job well, the use of AA batteries (which the PD7X will recharge when plugged) is a huge plus if you have a Pentax DSLR, and the battery door is kind of flimsy. I'd recommend the PD7X to anyone, as a great, cheap storage-on-the-way solution. Now, the absolute star of the trip was my Domke bag. It is a F803 satchel which I've had for four years or so. It will fit the istD, four lenses, and the Powerbook 12' without problems (I wouldn't always take the laptop with me, but sometimes I did). It doesn't look like a camera bag, and it ages beautifully, just like a good pair of jeans. Anyway--the PD7X is a great option if you're looking for something of its kind. j -- Juan Buhler http://www.jbuhler.com photoblog at http://photoblog.jbuhler.com
