Mac iBook traveling

[Melanie]

I'm leaving for Europe in 3 months I was thinking of bringing my laptop (Mac iBook) one of the reasons for going on this trip is to work on my portfolio, so I will be taking many many pictures. I want to be able to put the pictures on the web as I'm traveling as well as e-mail pictures to friends. Thats why I figured I would bring my iBook, it isnt heavy.
Also I was thinking if I dont bring my laptop and decide to depend on interent cafes will i have a hard time using their computers so that i can send out photos. if the cafes have Mac's I could just use iPhotos. but if the internet cafes have PC's what program would i use to send photos. i currently have a nikon coolpix 4300, although i am in the market for a new camera.
could someone please help me out. i know this topic has been addressed on this board, but no one has seemed to asked my question.

thanx,
Melanie

[MuvverRussia]

Firstly, I really, really wouldn't bother with a laptop. It's something else to carry, be worried about etc. Instead go for more memory cards, or something like an Ipod photo. Failing that, many camera shops will copy photos from memory card to cd for a small charge.

As for putting pictures on the web, I take it you're after free hosting? There's always the likes of webshots etc - uploading photos to these sites is relatively straightforward and doesn't require any proprietary software.

In terms of cameras, what's your budget? The Canon EOS 350D looks pretty damn good at the moment, although it isn't cheap, especially when you add on the cost of some decent lenses. I personally use a Panasonic DMC FZ5 and have had some good results, I mainly chose it because it has a very good Leica Vario Elmarit lens (equivalent to 12x optical zoom).

[Eagle]

As far as bringing a Laptop to Europe, I concur with Muvver that it's often not the best idea for a variety of reasons. Having expensive kit like that has a high "worry factor" and is one more thing to haul around (no matter how compact and light it is). I believe the I-Book uses a "world" power supply but you would still need plug adapters. Also, I'm not sure whether net Cafes will allow travellers to connect to their ISP?

If you're going to put pictures on the web while you're travelling, are you planning on using a site such as pbase or smugmug? Keep in mind that transferring high resolution images (ie: 5-8 MP JPEG's or whatever) takes a lot of time to upload. You might get some useful information from this site -- www.adrianwarren.com/faq/ontheroad.shtml#Storing.

Finally with regard to the new Camera, what type are you considering: newer Point & Shoot, "Monster Zoom" (such as the FZ5 Muvver mentioned or the Canon S2-IS) OR digital SLR???

I can appreciate the questions you have, as I'm trying to work out solutions for some of the same issues before my next trip. I will most likely have a dSLR (probably the 350D that Muvver mentioned) which also has somewhat of a "worry factor". However, I will NOT be travelling with a Laptop, as I'm trying to minimize the electronic gear to some extent.

[Melanie]

MuvverRussia, you said uploading pictures onto these free sites is easy and doesnt require software. yes that is true - but how will i get my photos that are on my camera onto a computer, i currently have a nikon coolpix 4300, i would have to install the nikon software.
i'm going to be gone for about a year, doing an around the world trip. im not just taking pictures for recreation, i study photography and this is my intended career choice.

-melanie

[MuvverRussia]

Easy - buy a card reader. I've got one that takes SD, MMC, Compact Flash and smart media. All you do is take your memory card from your camera, place it into the reader and plug it into a USB port. The reader then appears as a removable disk.

Card readers are pretty cheap, about £10-15 (no idea about US prices, but they should be less than $20 or so).

If you're looking at going into professional photography then I'd strongly suggest a dSLR. They aren't cheap, but they offer loads of flexibility and can get great results. Again, I've no idea about US prices, but a eos 350d is about £650 with the 18-55mm kit lens. Add a couple more lenses (70-300mm or so?) to that though, as well as a decent selection of filters (UV, ND, Polarising etc) and you'll be sorted.

[Eagle]

Melanie, to add to what Muvver wrote, a Card Reader would probably be your best bet. However, you might want to read my comments on Card Readers in this section of the Board in the "PDA for blogging" thread.

As you don't have a profile, I couldn't tell where you're from so can't recommend locations where you can buy Card Readers. You might want to register if you're going to be here on a regular basis?

I also agree with Muvver that if you're going into professional photography, you might want to look at something a bit more versatile than the P & S Cameras (although one News Photographer that I saw profiled on the web, uses a selection of about four P & S Cameras as his only tools for taking photos in war zones; he has taken some amazing pictures!).

Of course, whether you will be able to take a larger Camera on your trip depends to a large extent on your budget. For a "basic" dSLR you're probably going to need about $2K to get set up properly (again, I don't know where you are, so don't know what currency you're dealing with?). If you want more advanced Cameras, be prepared to spend LOTS more. If this is something that might interest you, post another note and I'll provide a few comments that might be of help.

Cheers!!!

[Melanie]

thank you, i'm definately going to look into that "Card Reader" you mentioned eariler and see if it will work out for me.


-melanie )

[Eagle]

To reiterate what I wrote in my previous Post, make sure you understand the "driver software" issue, as you will encounter a variety of OS's and PC's in your travels. Also, be sure you know to "eject" the Card Reader when you're finished using it (this is SO easy with Mac's!).

It's possible that many net Cafes will have Card Readers already set up, so this may not be a concern in some places? A lot more people are travelling with digital Cameras now, so I'm sure this "business opportunity" hasn't been lost on the people operating the net Cafes!

[Melanie]

hi everyone, i registered an account to make things easier. yes any recommendations on cameras, etc... and with the issue of card readers please let me know.
i have 3 months to get everything settled. i leave in novmeber.

[Eagle]

Before I can offer any suggestions on the Camera, we need to narrow down exactly what you're looking for, and approximately how much you want to spend. A brief idea of the three categories you will be considering would probably look like this:

-- newer Point & Shoot (to upgrade the model you have now)
-- "Monster Zoom" Camera, such as the FZ5 or S2-IS
-- Digital SLR Camera

Also, do you "favour" any particular Camera brand / model? As you already have a digital Camera, there will be less of a "learning curve" but even so it would be a good idea to buy the new Camera fairly soon so that you're completely familiar with this before you leave on your trip. Also, since you'll be going for a year it would be good to "shake out the bugs" from the Camera (if there are any?).

You should be able to find a Card Reader fairly easily at any electronics / camera store, but be sure to read to get one that doesn't require Driver software (although PC's that use Windows 98 apparently still need a driver?).

From what I've seen of the MAC's in use in Net Cafes, many of these are still using OS-9, but I imagine they'll be getting with the program soon and installing OS-10 machines. PC's are more prevalent though.

I know it's a bit of a complex process to go through all the information, as I'm doing the same thing right now. I'll probably treat myself to a new dSLR at Christmas, so I'm currently wading through all the Reviews, Forums and other technical jargon.

Cheers!!!

[MuvverRussia]

eagle said:

get one that doesn't require Driver software (although PC's that use Windows 98 apparently still need a driver?)

No idea about windows 98, but I'd have thought that most net cafes would be running XP by now. I haven't seen Win 98 in a long, long time. That said, card readers are pretty simple, so you mightnt need a driver.

If you can't find a net cafe then you could always take your memory cards to a camera shop for the photos to be copied onto cd. I've done that quite a few times and it isn't expensive.

[Melanie]

I dont think at the immediate moment I could afford a digital SLR, although I would love one. I'm probably going to have to look @ newer point and shoot and monster zooms.
I do lean more towards Nikons, I work with those the most and like most of their models.
In regards to the card reader, I just have to make sure it doesnt require a software program. And Im going to purchase some memory cards probably 256MB in size.

[MuvverRussia]

Nikons are pretty expensive for what they are (with the exception of the D50 and D70). For US$500 you could pick up a Canon Powershot S2is or Panasonic DMC-FZ5. Reviews of both are below:

www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/ - Canon
www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/ - Panasonic

There's also the Panasonic Fz30 if you want manual focus, external hot shoe mounts etc (it's about as close to a dSLR as you'll get, although at US$650 you'd expect it to be). Check out www.dpreview.com/articles/panasonicfz30/.

[Eagle]

I was going to suggest the same two models that Muvver listed. The S2-IS is extremely popular right now, and would be a good model to consider as long as you don't want a "hot shoe" for the Flash. Another model you might look at is the Canon G6, which also got the coveted "Highly Recommended " rating. Surprisingly, the Pro-1 didn't quite do as well in the reviews.

If you could afford a dSLR, either the Nikon D70S (6 MP) or the Canon 350D (8 MP) would be good candidates. One suggestion though, don't buy the "kit lens" with the Canon, as the performance has been rated as somewhat "mediocre" by a lot of users. You should be able to get this in a package with a slightly better model such as the 17-85 IS USM (which also gets mixed reviews, but seems better overall).

Once you have some idea on which model you're interested in, check the Forums at dpreview also, as the experiences of other users can provide a lot of good information to help in your purchase decision.

Good luck!!!

[Melanie]

I seem to be leaning more towards the Canon Powershot S2 IS. So I suppose now I will just try to see where I can buy it for the best price.

melanie