LTO backup advice for low budget feature

[skim08]

Hello out there,

Will be working on an ultra low budget indie feature.

Some LTO questions:

1.
If I have less than $1K budgeted for LTO backup of ~60 hours of RED 4K footage, is LTO-3 possible?

Doesn't seem we have nearly enough $ to afford to buy an LTO-3 deck, right?...

2.
Therefore, should I just look into getting LTO-2, which sounds more affordable? Is it as reliable as LTO-3 or 4, and just slower and more obsolete?

3.
From what I've been able to glean, most people buy their _own_ LTO decks and do the archiving themselves.

So... How long does it take to backup to LTO-2 vs LTO-3 and LTO-4?

4.
We're short handed.... Are there any recommended post houses in Los Angeles that offer LTO backup service? How much?

note:
LTO would only be a safety archiving measure, in addition to having two copies of all footage on two sets of hard drives (one set of drives for primary editorial use, the 2nd set of drives for backup).

Is there any good resource online about LTO options so I can stop pummeling you with my question marks? :sarcasm:

Thanks so much!
Susan