View Full Version : Should I take a laptop when traveling?
I like to review pictures after a day of shooting (say 200 pictures on average) when I am traveling. City trips. I want to see what I did, learn, and improve my way of working on the spot. And not take along a batch of cards to be disappointed afterwards.
So what do you suggest I buy? I shoot M8, predominantly in RAW. I use Phase One's Capture1. This is great for instant reviewing of results.
And what would be best suited:
1) a Mac Air 128 GB? Backlit screen (high contrast viewing) and very slim and light at 1,5 kg.
2) a MacBookPro 13 inch. A shop adviser said this has a better backlit screen. Starting to be heavy at > 2 kg.
3) a plastic MacBook.
For at home I will settle on a MacMini I think, on which I plan to have Aperture running.
alberti
martin s
08-29-2009, 12:15
A 15" mbp and an iMac (preferably 24"). Works really well, if I'd be home more I might take a smaller laptop (mba), but usually I'm stuck with the laptop.
The 13" plastic macbook cracked on me twice. I'd say at least unibody.
martin
I took a 12" Powerbook around the world with me, and in all honesty it was a pain, because its responsibility and normally where you'd be adventurous with a camera you wont be with a notebook.
There are plenty of web cafes out there now (even in Kabul!) that it negates the necessity to have one for that purpose. A pelican box full of cards will be the best way to go. As for actually inspecting your images as you go, hey its vcation - leave the editing to later when you get home, that way you 'elongate' your trip!
Roger Hicks
08-29-2009, 12:22
The only reason I carry a laptop is if I'm planning on writing as well. Otherwise it's a waste of space and weight. If the pic is any good, that will almost always be evident from the camera screen. If not, likewise.
Cheers,
R.
if you do city trips, travel by taxi or rented car, laptop is not much extra.
last summer I did motorbike trip to Europe, and didnt take laptop with me, but missed it especially for seeking affordable hotels from the next stop. I had trouble finding internet cafes in most destinations in Central Europe, and ended up fiddling with iPhone's limited browser, or just driving out there and trying my luck :)
edit: alternative for bunch of SD-cards is iPod + camera connector. in my moto trip I used this setup and after the trip dumped all photos from iPod to my Mac at home. my camera connector is USB1.1, so transfer is somewhat slow, but never knew if faster model was done by Apple.
I'm from the film school. Earlier this month was the first trip I've ever taken with the M8. A road trip to St. Louis. Prior to that I brought along the M7 and a bag full of film. So I'm used to not looking at the final results until I get back. That LCD screen has spoiled a lot of people.
back alley
08-29-2009, 12:51
i bought a dell netbook, for image storage, processing (an old copy of elements) and internet/email use (should i ever travel).
works great in a local coffee house too!!
wgerrard
08-29-2009, 12:57
I carried a laptop when my employer paid for the trip. On my own dime, I don't need to carry one.
Whether you carry one or not depends, I suppose, on what you want to do with it. If checking that day's digital output is compelling, then have at it. If you have space on a server someplace, then FTP'ing the files up there rather than waiting until you get home might be a sensible thing to do.
BillBingham2
08-29-2009, 12:58
I have a laptop back at the room to make backups of all the cards. I lock every card at the end of the day and take out a different one. I have two old 20GB ipods with the photo adapter that I used a few years back and need to get into the swing again with it.
While I prefer a Mac you might think about a Netbook with a large hard drive. I still think Apple will come out with an iPod Touch soon to combat the windows netbooks. Some netbooks come with Linux loaded which would be my preference.
B2 (;->
I'm all film, but still take a laptop when travelling. I recently bought a $300 Acer Aspire One netbook. It is sufficient for my computing needs and is nice and compact for travelling - fits in my Domke 803.
if you do city trips, travel by taxi or rented car, laptop is not much extra.
--> alternative for bunch of SD-cards is iPod + camera connector. in my moto trip I used this setup and after the trip dumped all photos from iPod to my Mac at home. my camera connector is USB1.1, so transfer is somewhat slow, but never knew if faster model was done by Apple.
Jarski, that IS an interesting thought. My iPod is some 80GB, so can hold almost a month of shooting (planned trip to Japan :))
Last year I took my laptop along and it did help me, I went through an intensive course on how to shoot (the digital age does require quite some more discipline). The old habits of film age are that I just tried the extensive DoF often - to get a bunch of uninteresting group pictures or cityscapes. Having the laptop around helped me a lot.
I'll try this hint next week I think, to try out.
alberti
martin s
08-29-2009, 13:20
You guys are clearly a different generation. Traveling without a laptop? I'm amazed.
martin
crawdiddy
08-29-2009, 13:23
I'm all film, but still take a laptop when travelling. I recently bought a $300 Acer Aspire One netbook. It is sufficient for my computing needs and is nice and compact for travelling - fits in my Domke 803.
I'm all film as well. But I don't like to be anywhere without a laptop.
I wouldn't get a Mac, but that's just me.
I'm a Mac guy - and I always travel with a laptop ( a first-generation MacBook Pro).
Recently, however, I've been traveling with the Dell Mini 9 and installed Mac OS X on it. It weighs about 2 lbs and is the size of a travel journal. It (and an iPhone) are all I need on the go.
Nothing beats getting home and editing the day or week's work on a nice, big calibrated monitor, but this combination is really fantastic.
It lets me back-up and double check my files. It's exactly the kind of work a netbook is made for!
Here are a couple pics:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3290885743_c373ff618b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3285826532_fdb9d19d61.jpg
andersju
08-29-2009, 14:45
You guys are clearly a different generation. Traveling without a laptop? I'm amazed.
martin
I'm only 24 and have probably spent tens of thousands of hours in front of computers in my life; when I travel, I usually want to get _away_ from them :)
petebown
08-29-2009, 14:53
None of the above... I take an Acer Aspire One netbook with the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
These netbooks are very small and are easily carried in your hand luggage. However, it's a good idea to get it out and have it scanned separately at the airport security. If they spot it in your hand luggage on the X-ray machine, they will call you back and get you to empty all of your belongings out in front of them... Dirty underwear and all... Been there, done that! Thanks Dublin Airport!!!
mike kim
08-29-2009, 14:55
It depends on what kind of laptop we're talking about. I wouldn't take a Macbook Pro (or anything bigger than 12") since they're too big and heavy; they're ideal only to keep at home and take to work occasionally. I'd consider a netbook or a laptop equally small to check emails and do simple work. Anything bigger is a burden and asking for back pain.
BillBingham2
08-29-2009, 14:58
.....I've been traveling with the Dell Mini 9 and installed Mac OS X on it. It weighs about 2 lbs and is the size of a travel journal. .....
WhachUtalknAboutWillis? Running OS X on a non mac? Issue? How? Would love to learn?!?! We are a mac OS house hold in need of a Mac OS Netbook (no AirBooks thank you very much).
Let me know?
Thanks.
B2 (;->
wgerrard
08-29-2009, 14:59
Martin: Yep, I'm of another generation. But, I've been using some kind of computer pretty much daily for about 30 years. When I take a vacation, the idea is to be someplace different and to do different things. I specifically want to leave as much of home as possible behind. Carrying a laptop just keeps me tied to home. People I care about know how to find me in an emergency. That's enough.
DL: Like the Next sticker! A Next laptop would have been something. Back in the day, I couldn't afford a Next, but I certainly drooled.
BillBingham2
08-29-2009, 15:00
BTW, love the NeXT logo on it! I wish I had a Lisa sticker but all I have is a pin.
B2 (;->
mike kim
08-29-2009, 15:04
WhachUtalknAboutWillis? Running OS X on a non mac? Issue? How? Would love to learn?!?! We are a mac OS house hold in need of a Mac OS Netbook (no AirBooks thank you very much).
Let me know?
Thanks.
B2 (;->
You can install OS X on a non mac if the hardware is compatible. They call them "Hackintosh" ;) I've done it in a few PCs... it can save you some money. You can probably find a lot of information just by googling the term.
35mmdelux
08-29-2009, 19:32
A cell phone and an analogue camera are all the extras I'll take.
sonofdanang
08-29-2009, 19:47
iPod Touch (WiFi = browser/email) and Epson P7000 (photo viewing and backup)
or
MSI Wind netbook with dual-boot (OS X & Linux (Ubuntu))
More and more I use the iPod Touch and Epson combo. Very compact and light.
Al Kaplan
08-29-2009, 19:48
A "reporters notebook". It looks like a steno pad but is half as wide so it'll fit in the back pocket of your jeans or the inside pocket of a sports jacket. Lots of ballpoint pens or pencils.
I'll try this hint next week I think, to try out.
alberti
did a bit of research but could not find the product anymore from Apple Store, this (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Camera-Connector-iPod-White/dp/B00083PGFS) old (same than mine) version is avail in some shops.
if you choose this path, remember to copy camera files relatively often to iPod, as slow transfer sucks iPod battery quite fast if you have multi gig contents to transfer over. this almost did me a trick in my first week of trip, having accumulated 3-4 gigs of JPEGs and raw, then tried to transfer using half charged iPod. no chance, had to fully charge both camera and iPod and then all went through. later I copied camera more often, with smaller amounts of data. using 80 gig iPod also, never had a problem space running out, and there was also quite a bit of music in there too :)
Roger Hicks
08-30-2009, 00:27
You guys are clearly a different generation. Traveling without a laptop? I'm amazed.
martin
Dear Martin,
Why do you need a laptop when you're travelling?
Note the word NEED. How will your travelling be impaired without it?
Are you going to carry it with you everywhere you go (as I do with my cameras, which is why I favour a small outfit)?
Or are you going to leave it in your hotel room to get stolen? (Or at least, for you to worry about.)
Finally, how are you going to carry it? Especially when space is limited, for example on a motorcycle or in carry-on luggage on an aircraft?
If I'm travelling in Europe, by car, with a lockable trunk, there's not much reason not to carry a laptop, so I quite often do: mostly for keeping the accounts (most of my travel is on the business). But why do I need it for my photography? Cards are not expensive, and there's a screen on the back of the camera.
Cheers,
R.
WhachUtalknAboutWillis? Running OS X on a non mac? Issue? How? Would love to learn?!?! We are a mac OS house hold in need of a Mac OS Netbook (no AirBooks thank you very much).
Let me know?
I have OS X running just fine on a Dell Mini 9. I use a laptop a lot when travelling for taking notes and processing text (part of my day job). It's close to perfect, literally everything in the machine is supported out of the box (including wireless, Bluetooth, sleep, Software Update, etc.) The only thing that does not work is hibernation ("Deep Sleep"), but I don't need that - on a charged battery I can leave the machine in normal Sleep for more than a week. The machine costs about $200 and weighs slightly more than a kilogram. It feels plasticky and the keyboard is small, but for travelling it's much better than a MacBook Air - it costs eight times less, is lighter and more compact, the form factor is more useful, and there's less danger of losing it.
You need at least the 16GB configuration of the Mini 9. You can also get a faster aftermarket flash memory drive with 32GB for under $100. The machine has an SD slot, so extra user data can go on an 8GB or 16GB SD card or USB drives.
You need a retail copy of OS X if you want to do so. Also, the End User License Agreement (EULA) imposed on the software says that you may install it only on "Apple-labeled" hardware. Whether EULAs carry any legal force in your country depends on where you are - the question is whether the manufacturer may legally impose any restrictions on you on your use of the software after the sale - as long as you're not violating other laws, such as by copying it and giving it to someone else.
There are a number of guides for installation at http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/mac-osx-guides/; the whole thing revolves around a bootloader called DellEFI (http://dellefi.mechdrew.com/guide/).
You guys are clearly a different generation. Traveling without a laptop? I'm amazed.
Different generation maybe - but hardly in terms of overall computer addiction. As you age, you gain in self-confidence (or maybe only in experience) and lose in carrying capacity, which makes it easier to leave all the "what if" stuff at home. I've shed most of that dreadful pile I carried across the world some twenty years ago, and feel much more comfortable now that I manage to carry my entire camera rig plus clothes for a week with one hand...
Much like Roger, I travel without a laptop unless I have anything to write - I am so far a computer junkie that my handwriting has long become tediously slow or almost illegible. FWIW I even travel without a camera, unless I have an assignment or given me a self-assignment. And if I did not have responsibilities which made a cellphone inevitable, I'd do without that as well.
martin s
08-30-2009, 01:46
@Roger
I work as a network administrator, I only travel where there's a internet connection fast enough for some remote care taking. Pays for the Leica habit, but there probably wasn't a single day in the passed years I wasn't in front of a computer for at least a few hours, that might be the main reason to take a laptop.
Otherwise I'd still take one, merely because it's a habit. Evernote makes up 30% of my brain. And yeah, I'd leave it in the hotel (usually a rented apartment). I carry my laptop in a Crumpler bag, no issues so far.
martin
did a bit of research but could not find the product anymore from Apple Store, this (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Camera-Connector-iPod-White/dp/B00083PGFS) old (same than mine) version is avail in some shops. :)
Jarski, So just have "iPod photo software v1.1 or later. Simply plug the iPod Camera Connector into the iPod dock connector, plug your camera's USB cable and watch your images make their way to the iPod, ready to view in a slide show!", like the site says. I had a look on my machine, it is 30GB. Good enough for a week of shooting!
The other options with the netbooks though sound very enticing (specially if I can use a small $200 machine for quick reviews, sorting pictures in folders with appropriate titles, places visited etc, and making notes; as well as for emails.
This thought will keep myself happy until Christmas for sure.
alberti
Jarski, So just have "iPod photo software v1.1 or later. Simply plug the iPod Camera Connector into the iPod dock connector, plug your camera's USB cable and watch your images make their way to the iPod, ready to view in a slide show!", like the site says.
connect camera with USB cable to camera connector which is connected to iPod. turn camera on and iPod notices it, and asks can it start copying memory card contents into it. different copy rounds will show as "rolls" in iPod.
I have a iPod camera connector. Somewhwere deep in a drawer...
Its a nice concept if it was not for the slow USB 1.1 speed. Backing up a couple of gigs can cost you more than an hour easily. If your iPod Classic battery lasts long enough. Further iPods are popular items among fiefs.
No way, IMO:
Thief magnet
Work magnet
Another thing to lose/get broken/take care of
You are supposed to be on holiday!
I have a iPod camera connector. Somewhwere deep in a drawer...
Its a nice concept if it was not for the slow USB 1.1 speed. Backing up a couple of gigs can cost you more than an hour easily. If your iPod Classic battery lasts long enough. Further iPods are popular items among fiefs.
guess Apple didnt see enough markets for it, assuming most people carry laptop with them anyway, and stopped improving it :confused:
one more thing about preview option in iPod for files copied over from camera. it works only for JPEGs, so video, raw etc. only an icon is displayed indicating file is there, but content can be seen only in camera or computer. so its basically a storage media, nothing more.
Mephiloco
08-30-2009, 14:28
WhachUtalknAboutWillis? Running OS X on a non mac? Issue? How? Would love to learn?!?! We are a mac OS house hold in need of a Mac OS Netbook (no AirBooks thank you very much).
Let me know?
Thanks.
B2 (;->
I'm currently on a quad core hackintosh because I refuse to pay apple's insane prices for their outdated hardware. At the time that I built this box a similar configuration would've cost over $3500, for older hardware, with less compatibility. At the time I was mostly doing video editing and I'd sometimes have clients who insisted on the work being done in Final Cut (despite Avid being equal or in most cases, superior), so I needed to be able to dual boot Windows and Os X. Apple's bootcamp drivers leave much to be desired, and their hardware selection is very slim if you're accustomed to the x86 architecture (which apple has adopted).
Anyways, I'm running Snow Leopard on my hackintosh with no problems at all, and saved several thousands dollars and ended up with a better system. If you're looking for info, there's the forums at InsanelyMac (forums.insanelymac.com) and a few other sites.
To be on topic, when I travel I do not bring a laptop. I think the last time I brought a laptop with me when travelling was when I was 19 or so (I'm 25 now). Sometimes I'll load up apps I might need when travelling onto my ipod so I can just plug up the ipod to a computer anywhere and have what I need (Photoshop, Premiere, etc).
Mac. Always the version for the operating system you're running.
Thanks, I have seen a lot of very valuable feedback, and it changed my conception!
The hardware fiefs worried me too (leave a shiny MacPro in the hotel room, without a prper hardware lock . . .arghhh.
But the option to by an el Cheapo netbook and hackintosh it, that gives me an appeal. I thought it 'disgraceful' but it might just work.
It will allow storing a days work, for weeks at end, in all separate files and folders, and allow me to add some notes, and for reviewing just see it better than on the camera screen, even if I will have to double RAW and JPG for simplicity of viewing . . .
alberti
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