Pro-photographer / First NAS

[JeanMouette]

Hi, I am a pro photographer and I currently use for work/storage external HDs that requires me to use docking stations. Backup is done on 3.5” HDs that I keep somewhere else. I use a MacBook Pro late 2019 with 16 TB of RAM. At home (a 50 square meter flat) I have internet with the optical fibre (477 kb/s upload / 247 kb/s download / Ping 16 ms). I use these 3.5” HD only for storage of my RAW pictures. A RAW file weights between 50 and 60 MB and one session of photography is between 10 and 40 GB. I work with Lightroom. The catalogue is always on my computer HD and the RAWs on my external HDs. As far as my workflow is concerned I first put my RAW files on two 2.5" 500 GB HDs mounted in RAID that I use for my recent work (that's when I do most of the editing and post production), once the disk is full I transfer everything on the 3.5" HDs that I use as storage and archive. I also perform backups when necessary. I always have a minimum of 2 copies of all files.

Recently I spent a couple of months abroad and I had to carry with me two 3.5” external HDs, the docking stations, the plugs, wires, etc. It was really not easy to take all that thru airports, taxis, flats, etc. without mentioning the risk for the integrity of the HDs (theft, damage, etc.).

After that, I looked for a solution and a NAS seemed to me to be a good alternative for several reasons: 1/ working from home without being limited to my desk where all the wiring is 2/ working from somewhere else when I’m not at home 3/ for accessing my archives files when I’m away. I don’t think I need RAID as I already have backups and my activity does not really need continuity.

Being a newbie when it comes to NAS, I looked around and it seems a 4 bay model like Synology or Qnap could be a good option. Either DS418, DS918+, DS420+, DS920+ or even TSx53D. To be honest for my use, I really don’t know if 2.5 GbE makes a real difference or not and is worth the higher price for the Qnap. I’m totally clueless, hence this message...

I hope I was not too long and clear enough.

Thanks again for your help !

 

[oRBIT]

If you consider yourself a newbie and is after a NAS, you probably want to go for Synology. My experience is that their software is easier to understand and work with.
And remember, RAID is not the same as backup.

 

[JeanMouette]

If you consider yourself a newbie and is after a NAS, you probably want to go for Synology. My experience is that their software is easier to understand and work with.
And remember, RAID is not the same as backup.

I'm a total newbie I confirm. So Synology seems better for you. Would you recommend a specific model with regards to my use? From my understanding RAID offers a continuity in work in case of failure of one or more disks. As I plan to use my disks mostly for storage/archive purposes, I'm fine with not having a RAID and keep my backup is a separated location.

 

[oRBIT]

A 4-bay model is probably wise since you seem to handle quite some amounts of data. If you're using the NAS for just storage you could probably just pick just about any model, I'd probably go for a + model for extra performance.

 

[WST16]

Hi and welcome,

If all you need is a final archiving place for your finished photos then you’re only limited by the storage capacity and the RAID options of the model you choose. However, if you want to edit photos on the NAS and make it the central point of your workflow then check the following videos.

On a different note, latency of 16ms for a fiber connection is a bit high IMO.

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On the other end of the spectrum. You have this maxed out solution. What’s acceptable is relative

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[jeyare]

@JeanMouette welcome in this forum.
when you need get deep information about pro-grade environment, you can spend first 10-15minutes with a reading of this similar thread in our forum:

Best NAS for Capture One/Photo Editing

what can help you prepare yourself to a next stage = best architecture for your pro-grade experiences.

Maybe it’s not so easy for some, but I always start this kind of discussion not from end (exact NAS model, or how many bay), but from begging (your expectations and business growth for next 3y). Otherwise you will buy a nice box that will be useful to anyone who sold it to you (his income) and not for your business.

when you will finish the proposed reading, take a coffee and we can start from the beginning. Btw, your expectations are really nicely described, then we need deep dive.

 

[jeyare]

just few questions, based on your As-Is environment description:

1. At home (a 50 square meter flat) I have internet with the optical fibre (477 kb/s upload / 247 kb/s download / Ping 16 ms
Q: maybe it’s a mistake? What kind of test did you performed?
Because for the optical fibre internet this speed is really slow, for an example it’s 1/1000 of common possible optical fibre internet speed. When you need be in touch with your data (in your home) from a remote site, we need definitely confirm your real internet speed.