CompactDrive PD70X Review

	CompactDrive PD70x Review
	June 1st, 2005

Glossary

Chimping:

Chimping is the act of reviewing your images in the field. It's named for the sound photographers often make when reviewing 'their' images (ooh, ooh, ah), although chimpanzees are usually a bit more animated in their expression. Hmm..., after seeing some photographers chimping in the field, perhaps I should take that back.

Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB):

Fluid dynamic bearing shafts ride on an oil fluid (usually ester oil) and there is no metal to metal contact during normal operation. It would seem that this would result in less friction and therefore use less power. Unfortunately this is not the case with current FDB designs. While there is no metal to metal friction, there is a phenomenon known as 'lubrication shear' which creates drag. This in turn results in additional power consumption and additional heat. The production of heat is a two fold affair in FDBs. Not only does the bearing design produce heat due to drag, but the the actual motor structure itself produces more heat due to the additional power drain. Nothing is 100% efficient. See: Hitachi's white paper on fluid dynamic spindle motors for more information.

RAW files:

RAW files contain non-processed 'raw' image data for the most part, and are almost always stored in a given manufacturer's 'proprietary' format. Viewing RAW image files requires direct file support for the specific type of RAW file to be displayed, hence many image viewers offer limited RAW file support if any.


All original images, source code, and content, are Copyright © 2005, by John Ray - All rights reserved Nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without express prior written permission. Any content or images used by permission are the property of their respective owners. See the acknowledgments page for details.
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All original images, source code, and content, are Copyright © 2005, by John Ray - All rights reserved Nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without express prior written permission. Any content or images used by permission are the property of their respective owners. See the acknowledgments page for details.