[Leica] OT: CD-R's, Etc.

[Po-Wen Shaw <ispypowen@yahoo.com>]

> Steve Barbour asked:
>
> Thanks Henning...so the specific Kodak type is called what... and 
> where do you find the cheapest price? Thanks Steve
>
>

I have some tidbits which I hope may help:

The Kodak CD-R is called "Gold Ultima", which is gold in color (both
sides) and according to Kodak has a pure gold recording layer (I'm
not sure what this means). Kodak also makes a "regular" Ultima which
is silver in color and according to them has a hybrid silver-gold
recording layer.

Check out Kodak's FAQ at:

http://www.kodak.com/productInfo/productInfo.shtml

You'll need to type in "CD-R" in the search window, because the
short list below it curiously does not include CD-R's.

Of course, this is the Kodak website so everything is "marketing"
and needs to be taken with a grain of salt... alternatively, you can
also check out the informative (but long) FAQ from the Optical
Storage Technology Association at:

http://www.osta.org/html/cdr2.html

It explains why CD-R's have 3 different colors, and even hints (but
ONLY hints -- this is an industry trade group after all and I guess
nobody wants to say anything bad) that the gold-colored ones will
last longer. Of course the only true way to test longevity is time,
but I guess CD-R's haven't been around long enough. When I was
designing a project with outdoor porcelain enameled graphics, I
learned that there is an industry group which has placed various
porcelain enameled panels on a Washington, D.C., rooftop, exposed to
the elements year-round... for the last 25 years...

As for price, here in Seoul, Korea they cost about US$ 0.90 per unit
when purchased as a 10-pack... which is toward the higher end of the
spectrum but well within normal (most of the market is saturated
with cheaper Korean and generic brands), even when compared with the
US, I think. Obviously they will be cheaper in bulk.

* * *

Getting back on topic... I am planning to travel around Southeast
Asia (Burma, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, hopefully China) for the
next few months, which as some of you may know are among the hottest
and most humid time in this region (I wasn't able to leave during
cool weather). Can anyone offer any advice as to the best way to
minimize humidity damage to my M equipment? I won't have the benefit
of nice air-conditioned hotels, and in any case I don't want to have
to keep pulling out cameras out of some fancy temperature-stabilized
box that would also scream out "steal me". Should I just put some
packs of dessicant or equivalent into my bag and expect to send off
the equipment for a CLA later, or are there better remedies?
Although I've lived in humid Asia a few times, I must confess that
I've always had a nice cool house to store the equipment and taken
only short trips, whereas this time I will be outdoors for a long
time.

Hope this is not too silly of a question. Many thanks in advance.
Also, happy new year to a great list.

Cheers,
Po-Wen

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