Are you still buying external hard drives? It's time you consolidated all of your data on a NAS device and today, you can win a Synology DS418 NAS.
What is a NAS?
Think of "network attached storage" as the ultimate external hard drive. Your data shouldn't be spread out across unnamed internal and external hard drives. Instead, all of your pictures and important files should be housed on a single device. You can then install multiple hard drives into your NAS depending on the amount of storage you need. These hard drives are redundant using RAID to protect your files from a hardware failure locally and, using Synology's software, you can automatically back everything up offsite as well. Lastly, having your data all in one place allows multiple computers to access the same files locally, in your home or office, or remotely via the web. You'll never have to worry about losing a photograph again.
What can I win?
The Synology DS418 is perfect for individual photographers. It has four hard drive bays which can be filled with 12TB drives. It has a quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 2GB of memory, and dual Ethernet ports on the back that are capable of sending data at over 226 MB/s. Many photographers may choose to use this strictly as an external hard drive, but here at Fstoppers we actually use ours to work from, meaning that we never house any data on our computer's internal drives. Some users may enjoy taking these a step further by using the NAS as a surveillance station, or a 4k multimedia server.
How do I enter?
Entering this contest couldn't be easier. Simply comment below or on this Facebook post, and let us know why you could use a NAS device like the DS418. On Friday, November 24th we will choose one random commenter as the winner.
AND THE WINNER IS...
Congratulations Lucas Fendley! Your comment was randomly chosen as the winner of the DS418.
Would love to win! I'm a broke artist that is in need of an upgraded storage system. Then I can duplicate last two years of external hard drives into one system to work off of and keep the external HD's as a secondary backup. :)
Synology will be mailing you the unit soon. We hope it will change your workflow for the better.
Losing some of my photographs would be like losing part of my life, I really need to improve my backup system, the Synology DS418 NAS is my definitive solution!
I’d love to win this because I need extra storage and I love FREE stuff.
I like to win!
This would be a lifesaver. I have over 30 external drives (ranging from 1TB to 3TB) filled with work related pictures over the past 8 years. Our marketing department is always asking me for pictures from different timeframes, which sends me searching for hours through the multiple external drives. I know its time to get organized and this looks like a great solution!
I've been juggling hard drives and shuffling them back and forth to the safe deposit box for years. Would love a simple solution!
Running out of space. 4k video is killing me.
Dat NAS...
Every person's RAW keeper.
Looking to buy a NAS soon for the family, so it'd be nice to save some cash.
Everyone needs a NAS RAID IMO.
Pretty please pick me, need a nas so bad.
My current 2TB NAS is getting full. I need more storage.
This system would certainly outclass by 3 individual external drives that are manually backed up.
I'm quickly running out of space and can't yet afford a NAS! I would love to have it!
I have been thinking about and looking into a Synology unit for years now and never made the move. As my number of pictures increased over the years I was forced to think of creative ways to share these among all of the devices at home and some outside. Now with a recent addition to the family, baby boy, my wife and I have thousands of precious pictures. Having a Canon T1i and a Canon Pro-100 are great to capture those one time moments but those devices have a limit. A unit like the Synology has the capability to not only safeguard those pictures and videos but also to share them across all of our mobile and PC devices. Not only that, remote sharing with friends and family overseas is something we do now but it's poor at its best and the DS418 would be great at that. I was looking to purchase a Synology DS418play or DS418 this Black Friday or cyber Monday to replace a home server with clunky software and not so user friendly experiences when sharing or simply viewing our media. However my wife has not been informed of my plans and convincing her on this piece of tech would be challenging. Winning a Synology DS418 would fulfill those technical needs and finally give back time to spend with our previous son. Not to mention, keep the wife less stressed. Happy wife happy life :)
It would be useful for backup and self enrichment!
I'm running out of space and looking for an expandable solution.
I could consolidate all my external harddrives
I could consolidate all my family music, DVD and photos!
Wanted one of theses for a while now. Would be perfect as a all in one server with all my projects and archives accessible from everywhere.
My ds216play is getting full!
I could use this to backup 15 years of raw files!!
I desperately need a networked storage system.
I've been using my old desktop with a bunch of 2TB drives in it as a network drive for the past few years and would love to upgrade to this.
Sure could use this since my current backup system is one external hard drive
I'd used it to manage backup and workflows much better than I do now. Also, be great to have something reliable.
Would love to upgrade my current storage, and get something more modern! this would totally fit the bill!
por que hace poco se me jodio mi sistema de almacenamiento y perdi todos mis datos! y mis discos :S este seria el ideal para reponerlo.
Because I could store my photos on three of the drives, then have a fourth dummy drive that is actually where I stash the drugs that I smoke.
I have a dream of creating how to videos on my own web server. This would be the beginning of hosting those videos and providing my Customers management system. I have been in IT for years and have implemented a few of these. I would love to start showing off my hobby work for people who need help.
I need this because I'm nearing the physical limit of daisy-chained USB external drives.
That NAS would change my life!!!
If selected, this NAS would be used to backup the terabytes worth of images taken for documentation and preservation of the complex pictographs of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands in Texas. We rely heavily on creating large Gigapanoramas of the rock art as well as 3D models using Structure from Motion photogrammetry. Not only do we have to store the thousands of photos (50+mbs each), but also the large files they create, reaching 80gbs each too! We need all the storage we can get, as we are documenting 350 sites over the next 2 1/2 years. We calculated the need for 240 terabytes worth of storage by the end!
daddy needs a back up NAS!
I'm tired of having a bunch of wires and drives all over my desk. Also hate having to always copy and paste my files from one drive to the other for my redundancy.
I am so tired of dealing with individual drives. Sure they are color coded and I have not lost anything, but it sure is a PITA.
Fingers crossed; The DS418 would answer virtually all of my storage / backup / server / media server needs (mostly wants!).
I'd love to have this for work. I was waiting to look for a solution in Black Friday ads or ask Santa. Yes Fstoppers...there is a Santa Claus...be my Santa!
Our non-profit is currently traveling the country speaking to over 150 schools across the U.S documenting Random Acts of Kindness. This would be AMAZING to help us back-up, edit, store and protect our footage that we are collecting. . . . beats the 4 external passport drives we are using right now :)
The org is www.ThinkKindness.org
I was going to enter until I saw this post. Well deserved!
This would be for a rock solid backup system
I could use one so I’d stop misplacing the small portable ones I have laying around
As a photographer having 10 different external drives as my backup system is cumbersome. Always wanted to shift to synology nas storage system and hopefully I could win it. 😀
Would live to use it for redundant storage for pictures, application installers, Plex and Owncloud mount folders.
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I would die to have a NAS like this to be able to consolidate all my files and hard drives. Would make working sooo much more efficient
One of the worst feelings ever: when a hard drive acts erratically and you don't have a back-up. Solution: Synology DS418 NAS
I've got a bunch of external drives attached to my computer, and it's all a mess. I'd love a NAS to help me consolidate all this into a single backup system.
I really need to improve my backup game.
I want it, I need it!
I started shooting R3D raw this year and the file sizes and bandwith needed to stream 4k live playback are insane. The Synology systems look perfect to solve both of these issues for me!