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Jan. 4, 2006
I've noticed many digital photographers growing concerned about the longevity of their storage media—especially their backup CD's and DVD's filled with images and other important data. I think that some of the concerns about the potential loss of data that can occur from CD rot or scratched and broken disks are valid. But I also wonder how much the controversy is being fueled by companies selling alternative storage solutions. My experience has shown me that if you handle your precious CD's and DVD's with care, and keep them out of direct sunlight or high heat, you can avoid most problems entirely. As for loss of data caused by fading dyes or incompatible media readers, most name-brand discs should give you plenty of time (20-100 years) to re-copy your files--without loss of quality--to a more advanced digital storage media with higher capacity and even longer life.
In fact, current recordable CD's and DVD's can even survive a flood without much more than a dry towel to make them as good as new. I wish I could say the same about several boxes of negatives, slides, and prints I had carefully stored in the driest part of my basement. Well, it was the driest part of the house prior to the flood—and I'm not talking about a biblical proportion event that wiped out a great deal of the South this summer. No, my personal flood occurred when the septic tank outside my house reached the full mark at exactly the same time that I emptied an 80-gallon hot tub on the upper floor. With no where to go, the water erupted from my first floor toilet, spread out across the wood floors around the bathroom and rained down on the boxes in the basement.
That happened at midnight, so by the time I discovered the problem five hours later, it was too late for some of those treasured silver-halide memories. Some of the damaged film originals and prints I'll be able to salvage with help of digital scanners. But many are now, and will forever remain, crappy photos.
On the other hand, the dozens of photo-filled CDs and DVDs that suffered a similar fate are just fine. They smell a bit funny on the outside, but at least the photos inside don't stink.
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