[Leica] Downloading Files External HD with Aperture 2

[csemetko at gmail.com (Craig Semetko)]

Hey All,

I'm on the road and getting overwhelmed with digital files, and  
computer technology is not my strong point. I have a 500 GB lacie hard  
drive with me, and I'm running a macbook pro with Aperture 2. The hard  
drive on my computer is virtually full. Is there a way to download  
digital files from my M9 directly onto the Lacie, bypassing my  
computer's hard drive? Or do I have to download the files in Aperture,  
then dump the files from Aperture onto the external drive?

The thing that makes me crazy about doing that is in Aperture, a  
typical M9 file is 17.48mb; when I drop and drag them on the Lacie,  
and subsequently open them from the Lacie in PS3, they are 12.9mb, at  
72 resolution. To the technically challenged, this appears that by  
simply dropping and dragging a file on to an external HD I'm losing  
almost 5mb of information. Is this the case? Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance,

Craig