Digital Vacation Strategies

New Topic: How do you cope with digital cameras on vacation?

The film is free, if you download it. What do you take along to be able to download it?

Are there different strategies for CompactFlash cards and SmartCards?

What are the vital accessories? Batteries and multivoltage chargers, sure, but which models?

Vacationing minds want to know.

-iNova

Peter iNova said:

New Topic: How do you cope with digital cameras on vacation?

The film is free, if you download it. What do you take along to be able
to download it?

Are there different strategies for CompactFlash cards and SmartCards?

What are the vital accessories? Batteries and multivoltage chargers,
sure, but which models?

Vacationing minds want to know.

-iNova

Click to expand...

on my last vacation I took my laptop PC to download pictures. At the time I had just received my new digital camera and only had an 8 meg CF card. That meant I had to take the laptop in the car (kept in the trunk). Now with a 48 meg CF card, I figure that I can go all day (at mid-range resolution and quality) without having to download. If price is no object, consider getting the Sony Picturebook; only 9.5" by 5.5" by 1.5" and 2.5 lb. It has a 266 MHz Pentium, 4.3 gig hard drive and 64 megs of RAM.

you should have at least 2 sets of NiMH batteries and a charger. I found that I could go more than one day without having to change batteries. Of course, it all depends on how many pictures you take.

MAHA batteries seems to be very popular. I got Olympus batteries which a rated 1450 mah. A good place to buy them at last checking is buy.com

Happy vacation.

I'm considering an Iomega Clik drive....I just wish it had higher capacity disks,
along with 2 sets of NiMH batteries and charger.

I'm also bringing my card reader and software, so if I get a chance to hook up to a pc, I can ftp files back home as well.

Peter iNova said:

New Topic: How do you cope with digital cameras on vacation?

The film is free, if you download it. What do you take along to be able
to download it?

Are there different strategies for CompactFlash cards and SmartCards?

What are the vital accessories? Batteries and multivoltage chargers,
sure, but which models?

Vacationing minds want to know.

-iNova

Click to expand...

I took my 950 on a vacation to Yellowstone last month. I brought a laptop computer and PCMCIA adapter for downloading. I filled up my 64 MB CF card each day, then downloaded them each night in the hotel room. I also brought an 8 MB CF card for extra capacity, but didn't end up using it.

On the busiest day, I switched from Fine to Normal compression about halfway through to squeeze more pictures onto the card.

It occurs to me that I could have actually done a download or two to the notebook PC in the car, but I didn't take that many pictures.

I also brought 3 sets of NIMH batteries and the Radio Shack 1-hour charger. I don't use this charger normally, but it lets me charge a couple of sets each night at the hotel easily. I only ended up using about 1.5 sets of batteries each day.

A writer writes, a photographer takes photographs, and a brain surgeon---

I really must start taking more pictures.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Janet

Michael Moncur said:

I took my 950 on a vacation to Yellowstone last month. I brought a laptop
computer and PCMCIA adapter for downloading. I filled up my 64 MB CF card
each day, then downloaded them each night in the hotel room. I also
brought an 8 MB CF card for extra capacity, but didn't end up using it.

On the busiest day, I switched from Fine to Normal compression about
halfway through to squeeze more pictures onto the card.

It occurs to me that I could have actually done a download or two to the
notebook PC in the car, but I didn't take that many pictures.

I also brought 3 sets of NIMH batteries and the Radio Shack 1-hour
charger. I don't use this charger normally, but it lets me charge a
couple of sets each night at the hotel easily. I only ended up using
about 1.5 sets of batteries each day.

Click to expand...

Hi There,

I took my CP950 on vacation last month to Utah. I brought a laptop and two sets of NiMh batts w/ the Radio Shack 1 hr. charger. My 48 meg CF card would definitely fill up by the end of the day, and I would download the pictures through the PCMCIA slot. One day I did overflow onto an 8mb card, and of course, "fine" or "normal" mode makes a big difference. It took about a day and a half of normal usage to go through a set of batteries.

One note for vacation- I feel that the wide angle lens in critical. It really opens things up for outdoor shots, letting capture much more impressive landscapes. The only pain is becoming quick at getting it on and off the camera.

Going digital for vacation is great- no more developing, and no more feeling constrained by cost as to what pictures you can take. I found that my camera became more of a visual diary- you can take a picture of the place you stayed, or the Denny's you ate breakfast at, or even random road shots to fill in the narrative blanks. With a good thumbnail and slideshow setup it becomes a great way to remember a trip. My film-bound friends were a bit envious.

Just don't expect to make any poster-size blowups later!

----Bkperry

This is fun topic.

I just got back from vacation to the beautiful Nova Scotia in Canada. Everywhere is picture scenery. Listen to my strategy.

First of all, I took 3 cameras with me which I think is a bit crazy but after all worth the trouble. They are: Oly 2000, CP 950 and the cute little Fuji2700.

Its a mix of smartmedia and compactflash storage. In addition, batteries are mix of NiMh and lithium.

I took with me 3-32mb and 2-16mb smartmedia. 2-48 mb compactflash and 7 click disk (40mb each). I only took 3 sets of NiMh batteries with a charger and 2 lithium batteries (for MX2700).

End result is: I took about 360 pictures all together in 6 days. All taken at highest resolutions.

Most of the pictures were taken by the CP950 because of its versatility with different environments. I download pictures from to time to time and filled up 5 click disks. I hardly finish 2 of the 32mb smartmedia disks.

Click disks are not bad idea for trips if you use 32 mb smartmedia and don't want to carry laptop with you but they only hold up to 40 mb which become problem for compactflash more than 40 mb.

My dye-sub and Epson 1200 prints are as good as my friend's 35 mm prints. In addition, the panoramic and extra large prints are big hits.
Digital cameras is definitely a big part of a memorable trip!
Amy Lee

bkperry said:

Hi There,

I took my CP950 on vacation last month to Utah. I brought a laptop and
two sets of NiMh batts w/ the Radio Shack 1 hr. charger. My 48 meg CF
card would definitely fill up by the end of the day, and I would
download the pictures through the PCMCIA slot. One day I did overflow
onto an 8mb card, and of course, "fine" or "normal" mode makes a big
difference. It took about a day and a half of normal usage to go through
a set of batteries.

One note for vacation- I feel that the wide angle lens in critical. It
really opens things up for outdoor shots, letting capture much more
impressive landscapes. The only pain is becoming quick at getting it on
and off the camera.

Going digital for vacation is great- no more developing, and no more
feeling constrained by cost as to what pictures you can take. I found
that my camera became more of a visual diary- you can take a picture of
the place you stayed, or the Denny's you ate breakfast at, or even random
road shots to fill in the narrative blanks. With a good thumbnail and
slideshow setup it becomes a great way to remember a trip. My film-bound
friends were a bit envious.

Just don't expect to make any poster-size blowups later!

----Bkperry

Click to expand...

I definately agree with the CLIK drive! I love mine! Much easier to drag around (fits in my camera bag nicely) and cheaper than more CF's

Amy Lee said:

bkperry said:

Hi There,

I took my CP950 on vacation last month to Utah. I brought a laptop and
two sets of NiMh batts w/ the Radio Shack 1 hr. charger. My 48 meg CF
card would definitely fill up by the end of the day, and I would
download the pictures through the PCMCIA slot. One day I did overflow
onto an 8mb card, and of course, "fine" or "normal" mode makes a big
difference. It took about a day and a half of normal usage to go through
a set of batteries.

One note for vacation- I feel that the wide angle lens in critical. It
really opens things up for outdoor shots, letting capture much more
impressive landscapes. The only pain is becoming quick at getting it on
and off the camera.

Going digital for vacation is great- no more developing, and no more
feeling constrained by cost as to what pictures you can take. I found
that my camera became more of a visual diary- you can take a picture of
the place you stayed, or the Denny's you ate breakfast at, or even random
road shots to fill in the narrative blanks. With a good thumbnail and
slideshow setup it becomes a great way to remember a trip. My film-bound
friends were a bit envious.

Just don't expect to make any poster-size blowups later!

----Bkperry

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Michael said:

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to
Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf
card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a
Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Click to expand...

Yes I do have a laptop!! And yes the ZIP is cheaper than the Clik

But neither of them are as small and portable. The Clik drive with the card reader fits in your hand.
Also a hellava lot faster than waiting for a laptop to bootup!!!

Randy K said:

Michael said:

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to
Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf
card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a
Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Click to expand...

Yes I do have a laptop!! And yes the ZIP is cheaper than the Clik
But neither of them are as small and portable. The Clik drive with the
card reader fits in your hand.
Also a hellava lot faster than waiting for a laptop to bootup!!!

Click to expand...

One more thing, try transferring pictures to a laptop while walking. Now that's on the move!

Randy K said:

Randy K said:

Michael said:

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to
Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf
card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a
Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Click to expand...

Yes I do have a laptop!! And yes the ZIP is cheaper than the Clik
But neither of them are as small and portable. The Clik drive with the
card reader fits in your hand.
Also a hellava lot faster than waiting for a laptop to bootup!!!

Click to expand...

One more thing, try transferring pictures to a laptop while walking. Now
that's on the move!

Click to expand...

I just bought Clik Drive for a three-week vacation to Polynesia. I find though that the NiMH battery can only be charged at its docking port when the port is connected to the PC. How do other Click users handle this? How many Clik Disks can I fill over a three week period with the battery only having an initial full charge??

Bob T said:

Randy K said:

Randy K said:

Michael said:

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to
Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf
card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a
Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Click to expand...

Yes I do have a laptop!! And yes the ZIP is cheaper than the Clik
But neither of them are as small and portable. The Clik drive with the
card reader fits in your hand.
Also a hellava lot faster than waiting for a laptop to bootup!!!

Click to expand...

One more thing, try transferring pictures to a laptop while walking. Now
that's on the move!

Click to expand...

I just bought Clik Drive for a three-week vacation to Polynesia. I find
though that the NiMH battery can only be charged at its docking port when
the port is connected to the PC. How do other Click users handle this?
How many Clik Disks can I fill over a three week period with the battery
only having an initial full charge??

Click to expand...

The Drive base does not need to be plugged into a PC to charge the battery.
But you will have to take the AC adapter and the parallel port Dongle with you.
The dongle will plug into the bottom of the drive just as is does on the base.

NOT one of Iomegas better ideas. Should have made the AC adapter plug into the base. And into the drive itself.
That should give you the ability to charge it if the need arises.

Click drive is a good solution for trips less than a week. A fully charged click battery should last for a week. It works particularly well with smartmedia at this time because they are still less than 40 mb. However, if your vacation is more than a week and you use compactflash more than 40 mb then it becomes a problem!

Laptop is not as convenient but neither is a click drive when you have to deal with more than one batteries.

Well, we just have to wait for the 1 gig smartmedia or compactflash to come along but still, at that time, the image size will probably increase to the point that eat up the gig fast.
Amy Lee

Randy K said:

Bob T said:

Randy K said:

Randy K said:

Michael said:

I have just got my 950 from Outpost.com who delivered in 4 days - to
Ireland. My suggestion for those on the move is to bring a high cap. cf
card laptop and usb zip drive which is almost certainly cheaper than a
Clik drive - trusting you have a lap top to begin with.

Click to expand...

Yes I do have a laptop!! And yes the ZIP is cheaper than the Clik
But neither of them are as small and portable. The Clik drive with the
card reader fits in your hand.
Also a hellava lot faster than waiting for a laptop to bootup!!!

Click to expand...

One more thing, try transferring pictures to a laptop while walking. Now
that's on the move!

Click to expand...

I just bought Clik Drive for a three-week vacation to Polynesia. I find
though that the NiMH battery can only be charged at its docking port when
the port is connected to the PC. How do other Click users handle this?
How many Clik Disks can I fill over a three week period with the battery
only having an initial full charge??

Click to expand...

The Drive base does not need to be plugged into a PC to charge the battery.
But you will have to take the AC adapter and the parallel port Dongle
with you.
The dongle will plug into the bottom of the drive just as is does on the
base.
NOT one of Iomegas better ideas. Should have made the AC adapter plug
into the base. And into the drive itself.
That should give you the ability to charge it if the need arises.

Click to expand...

I heard the Clik! drive does not work with 32mg SmartMedia cards. Can anyone confirm that.

Thanks.

Ken

I remember it worked fine when I went on vacation last month.
Amy

Ken W said:

I heard the Clik! drive does not work with 32mg SmartMedia cards. Can
anyone confirm that.

Thanks.

Ken

Click to expand...

AMY,

Your passion for photography is fascinating. I must ask you two questions based upon your experience:

1. Have you seen limitations in quality of prints from the mx-2700 vs coolpix due to the jpeg only compression options of the fuji? (I bought the mx-2700 instead of coolpix 700 due to availabiliity, size and the extra resolution)

2. What resolution ratings on color printers do you feel are minimum requirements for photo quality prints? (I'm considering the Epson Stylus Color 640 with 1140x720 dpi)

Can't wait to read your advice.

Thank-you in advance.....Jeric

Amy Lee said:

bkperry said:

Hi There,

I took my CP950 on vacation last month to Utah. I brought a laptop and
two sets of NiMh batts w/ the Radio Shack 1 hr. charger. My 48 meg CF
card would definitely fill up by the end of the day, and I would
download the pictures through the PCMCIA slot. One day I did overflow
onto an 8mb card, and of course, "fine" or "normal" mode makes a big
difference. It took about a day and a half of normal usage to go through
a set of batteries.

One note for vacation- I feel that the wide angle lens in critical. It
really opens things up for outdoor shots, letting capture much more
impressive landscapes. The only pain is becoming quick at getting it on
and off the camera.

Going digital for vacation is great- no more developing, and no more
feeling constrained by cost as to what pictures you can take. I found
that my camera became more of a visual diary- you can take a picture of
the place you stayed, or the Denny's you ate breakfast at, or even random
road shots to fill in the narrative blanks. With a good thumbnail and
slideshow setup it becomes a great way to remember a trip. My film-bound
friends were a bit envious.

Just don't expect to make any poster-size blowups later!

----Bkperry

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

AMY,

Your passion for photography is fascinating. I must ask you two questions based upon your experience:

1. Have you seen limitations in quality of prints from the mx-2700 vs coolpix due to the jpeg only compression options of the fuji? (I bought the mx-2700 instead of coolpix 700 due to availabiliity, size and the extra resolution)

2. What resolution ratings on color printers do you feel are minimum requirements for photo quality prints? (I'm considering the Epson Stylus Color 750 with 1140x720 dpi)

Can't wait to read your advice.

Thank-you in advance.....Jeric

Peter iNova said:

New Topic: How do you cope with digital cameras on vacation?

The film is free, if you download it. What do you take along to be able
to download it?

Are there different strategies for CompactFlash cards and SmartCards?

What are the vital accessories? Batteries and multivoltage chargers,
sure, but which models?

Vacationing minds want to know.

-iNova

Click to expand...

i have heard of a portable hard drive ?540mb called "the wallet" which sounds great , much better price than a click drive (40mb=6 native images) but i cant seem to find any more definite info..someone must know the drill

I was just on a 6 day backpacking trip in Yosemite without access to
electricity or a laptop. I took my new Olympus C2000Z, (2) 16mb smart cards
and (2) 8 mb smart cards, 4 sets of charged NIMH batteries. I did take
pictures at lower resolution(still good enough for 4x6 prints),
took over 230 pictures, posted the best 50 on the web. The result?
All my trip companions loved the pictures and most were better(color,
focus, arrangement) than they took with their cheap 35 mm.

If I had access to electricity I would take a laptop and download them daily,
using either a floppy adapter or PCMCIA card, along with a battery charger.

Peter iNova said:

New Topic: How do you cope with digital cameras on vacation?

The film is free, if you download it. What do you take along to be able
to download it?

Are there different strategies for CompactFlash cards and SmartCards?

What are the vital accessories? Batteries and multivoltage chargers,
sure, but which models?

Vacationing minds want to know.

-iNova

Click to expand...