Lug laptop or just lots of memory cards?

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I really don't want to take the laptop just so I can upload pics. But I could take several memory cards. I am more concerned with losing photos than filling up memory cards.

 

What do others do?

[Viv0828]

I always take a laptop or tablet so I can label and edit each day's pics. Otherwise I wouldn't remember what is what and the though of editing a thousand or so pics when I get home is way too overwhelming. Besides, I usually delete maybe 80% of the pics I take.

 

 

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Edited May 7, 2014 by Viv0828

[TheMediaman]

32gb memory cards are cheap and a lot lighter than a laptop for me. I take 4-6 and shoot in raw mode. A highly scenic trip and I'll fire off 2500-3500 shots.

[pierces]

I started taking An EasyAcc all in one card reader: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSFCYFY/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I put a tiny 64GB flash drive in it's USB port and use my Kindle Fire or my phone to transfer the memory card contents to back them up.

 

Works great and I can review images using the tablet.

 

I also take way more memory than needed, use a different card every day or two and never re-format until after the contents are safely on the system at home.

 

Dave

[CGYCruisingFamily]

I am struggling with the same issue. I have carted my laptop to offload images but that was just to the Caribbean and through North America. It was a pain to have the extra weight but it was nice to have everything edited before we got in the plane home.

 

We are going to Europe and I want to go as light as possible. I am thinking I am just going to stock up on sd cards. Also if I take the 70d it has wifi and I can transfer some to my phone for emailing/viewing/rough editing.

 

 

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[peety3]

32gb memory cards are cheap and a lot lighter than a laptop for me. I take 4-6 and shoot in raw mode. A highly scenic trip and I'll fire off 2500-3500 shots.

They're cheap if you're OK with slow. I'm buying 160MB/sec cards for a fast camera, so a 16GB card is $75 on Amazon. Considering our last Alaska cruise was 145GB for 9400 shots, and that was within 10GB of the sum of the space we had on a laptop plus our memory cards, I'm hoping to avoid the squeeze next time.

 

My plan is to take a laptop, a 480GB SSD, and two 1TB HDDs. Each time we return to the room, I'll copy cards to the SSD, then sync the SSD to an HDD. Each time we see my parents, I'll take an HDD to their cabin and stash it, and retrieve the other HDD to begin the sync job.

 

IDEALLY, I'll take enough memory cards that I can set aside the day's cards until they've been copied to SSD and at least one HDD before reformatting them and reusing them. We'll see how well I do with that...

[Maligator]

Personally, all my photo editing software is on my desktop, which would be a royal pain to take on a cruise. :D Even so, were my programs on a laptop, I doubt I'd take it. Portable storage is the way to go. I flirt with disaster by shooting everything on one or two cards for the whole trip. I may look into the card reader for insurance, though.

 

As far as remembering what/where/when/etc, I carry a little notepad and pen to jog the memory when I get home to document my trip. I also use a simple technique used by crime scene photographers, which entails taking photos of signs and such so I can remember, "Oh yeah...the tour stopped by Just Juan More Cantina for rum punch." If there's no signage, I'll write down the essential info on the note pad and take a shot of it.

[tommui987]

I started taking An EasyAcc all in one card reader: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSFCYFY/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I put a tiny 64GB flash drive in it's USB port and use my Kindle Fire or my phone to transfer the memory card contents to back them up.

 

Dave

 

I used to take my laptop on trips (and thumb drives and extra memory cards) as insurance.

While I have Adobe PS/Lightroom on the laptop, I don't recall using it that much for corrections on the trip except as a method to delete.

 

Thanks for the tip - it makes life much more easy!

[bajanterry]

I started taking An EasyAcc all in one card reader: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSFCYFY/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I put a tiny 64GB flash drive in it's USB port and use my Kindle Fire or my phone to transfer the memory card contents to back them up.

 

Works great and I can review images using the tablet.

 

I also take way more memory than needed, use a different card every day or two and never re-format until after the contents are safely on the system at home.

 

Dave

 

 

Dave, first let me say thank you so much for your photography advice which you share so freely. It is really appreciated; I always look specifically for your commentary along with a few others.

 

My question relates to the card reader you mentioned above. Does it accept compact flash cards? The answer may already be in your write-up, but I just want to check using the terminology "compact flash". Thank you in advance for your response.

 

Regards,

 

Terry

[mskaufman]

I tend to take a number of memory cards. They are light and I change them every two days, or so, leaving the used ones in the cabin safe.

[boeckli]

I started taking An EasyAcc all in one card reader: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSFCYFY/ref=wms_ohs_product_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I put a tiny 64GB flash drive in it's USB port and use my Kindle Fire or my phone to transfer the memory card contents to back them up.

 

Works great and I can review images using the tablet.

 

I also take way more memory than needed, use a different card every day or two and never re-format until after the contents are safely on the system at home.

 

Dave

 

Dave, do you have to have something 'external' like a smart phone or a Kindle to make it copy from the SD card to the flash drive or is there a way this gizmo can do it without?

 

Ursula

[Smilin'Wave]

I don't bother with taking a laptop. I have quite a few memory cards that I use. They're much lighter & easier to store than a laptop. I also don't want to have something else to lug around. I can't really see myself editing while on vacation either, I usually do that when we return.

 

As far as remembering what/where/when/etc, I carry a little notepad and pen to jog the memory when I get home to document my trip. I also use a simple technique used by crime scene photographers, which entails taking photos of signs and such so I can remember, "Oh yeah...the tour stopped by Just Juan More Cantina for rum punch." If there's no signage, I'll write down the essential info on the note pad and take a shot of it.

 

 

This is something that I do as well. But I also keep a trip diary/journal that I can always refer to if I happen to forget (although for some reason I tend to remember where my photos were taken). Something else that I do when I get home is organize my photos in such a way that will indicate where the photo was taken. For instance, I will place photos taken in a specific city all in one folder.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

I take a bunch of memory cards with me.

Until I had to start using a wheelchair to get through the airports, I use to take a laptop. But now I don't as it is just one less item to worry about when going through security.

[cambio]

I take my laptop, but I recall somebody saying that they had a memory card for each day. That way they were only at risk for that day's photos if anything happened.

[Tommy3putts]

I'm doing a bit of all of the above. An assortment of SD and MicroSD cards, ipad, external HDD and a Ravpower filehub.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower%C2%AE-FileHub-Wireless-3000mAh-Battery/dp/B00AQUMZRA

[pierces]

Dave, first let me say thank you so much for your photography advice which you share so freely. It is really appreciated; I always look specifically for your commentary along with a few others.

 

My question relates to the card reader you mentioned above. Does it accept compact flash cards? The answer may already be in your write-up, but I just want to check using the terminology "compact flash". Thank you in advance for your response.

 

Regards,

 

Terry

 

No it does not.

 

However, if you have a USB compact flash reader, you could make the SD card slot your storage media. It will accomodate SDXC cards.

 

I have not tried this personally but it should support any USB 2.0 reader that uses a standard plug and play interface.

 

Dave

[pierces]

Dave, do you have to have something 'external' like a smart phone or a Kindle to make it copy from the SD card to the flash drive or is there a way this gizmo can do it without?

 

Ursula

 

You need an interface. I have the ES File Explorer app set up on my Kindle Fire, Android phone and on my wife's Android tablet. The app is free, BTW.

 

Another BTW...the EasyAcc will support a 2½" external hard drive as long as it has a single USB connector. (Some older drives use a split wire with two plugs for additional power.)

 

Dave

[wantocruisemore]

I normally take my iPad and download in case camera gets ruined or lost. But I do not erase them off the memory card since it's easier to use it for other computers and the store to print out.

[TheMediaman]

They're cheap if you're OK with slow. I'm buying 160MB/sec cards for a fast camera, so a 16GB card is $75 on Amazon. Considering our last Alaska cruise was 145GB for 9400 shots, and that was within 10GB of the sum of the space we had on a laptop plus our memory cards...

 

 

I shoot on Patriot LX cards at $22 per 32Gb SDHC card. I've had great success with them through thousands of shots including 6-7 FPS burst mode. You certainly are loaded for gear. 10,000 shots in what I can only assume was a week to 10 day vacation leaves time for little else.

 

I like to travel a little less heavy. The only time I take laptops, TB hard drives do color correction on site is when I'm being paid to do so. Enjoy your photography.

[peety3]

I shoot on Patriot LX cards at $22 per 32Gb SDHC card. I've had great success with them through thousands of shots including 6-7 FPS burst mode. You certainly are loaded for gear. 10,000 shots in what I can only assume was a week to 10 day vacation leaves time for little else.

 

I like to travel a little less heavy. The only time I take laptops, TB hard drives do color correction on site is when I'm being paid to do so. Enjoy your photography.

 

To each their own. 18 megapixel RAW creates files roughly 25MB each. 12FPS means I can kill a GB in about four seconds. With 160MB/sec cards, the camera slows down to ~6FPS once the buffer is full; the buffer can empty in about 7 seconds. Your Patriot LX cards are listed on Amazon as 10MB/sec, so if I were to use them or an equivalent, my camera would slow down to 0.4FPS once the buffer was ful, and it'd take 1.6 minutes for the buffer to finish writing.

 

When we're out on a whale-watching excursion, I enjoy watching them through an image-stabilized, magnified monocular also known as a good camera with a super-telephoto lens. Plus, I get to take lots of pictures of them, and since I won't be back for another two years (or more), I'm going to take a lot of pictures.

[TheMediaman]

Peety3

 

I think we've lost sight of the original poster's question. Some readers have weight, data loss and/or budget concerns. What works for some may not work for others. It's a process of self-evaluating what personal goals are.

 

Your comments suggest the majority if what you shoot requires high, sustained burst modes such as breaching whales. This does require memory that is more expensive due to its fast write specs. That is fine for you and what you budget for. The majority of what I shoot are landscapes, architecture and portraits. Last time I looked a mountain doesn't move that fast. No volcano references please.

 

The cards I suggested have proven economical and reliable over a few years of use in my type of photography likes. Hardly the inferior level you intimate but I apologize if you found my comments personally offensive. They were not. We all can play gear wars but that's not passing on good advice nor is inferring what works for one person is universally incorrect.

 

From years of experience I like to suggest options that are a balance of cost, needs and real world use that are acceptable to the situation and the person. Money can solve most photography equipment situations but many of us aren't lucky enough to have that problem.

 

If any card in camera fails then no laptop or amount of hard drive space may help you at that specific moment.

 

If a person who is shooting landscapes, portraits or other relatively still subjects then, perhaps, the Ferrari of memory cards is overkill..for that type of photographer.

 

If the photographer is like you who appears to rapid fire to catch the action in the majority of situations then yes, high speed memory, a laptop and external drive space is par for the course.

 

I suggest a balance for anyone who reads this. The answer is "it depends". Take the best of the opinions within this thread and mash it all together into what works for your situation and enjoy. I have had the good fortune to visit many visually spectacular places and each time it was with 4-8 SDHC 32Gb memory cards. No laptop or drives. Sadly though the backpack held 15-18 lbs of body and lenses. My wife always rolls her eyes.

 

Enjoy. Photography is my golf; 1 good shot and 1000 bad practice shots.

[tokyo]

It's overkill, but I take a laptop and a small external hard drive. I also burn a copy onto a disc.

[cirpi]

They're cheap if you're OK with slow. I'm buying 160MB/sec cards for a fast camera, so a 16GB card is $75 on Amazon. Considering our last Alaska cruise was 145GB for 9400 shots, and that was within 10GB of the sum of the space we had on a laptop plus our memory cards, I'm hoping to avoid the squeeze next time.

 

My plan is to take a laptop, a 480GB SSD, and two 1TB HDDs. Each time we return to the room, I'll copy cards to the SSD, then sync the SSD to an HDD. Each time we see my parents, I'll take an HDD to their cabin and stash it, and retrieve the other HDD to begin the sync job.

 

IDEALLY, I'll take enough memory cards that I can set aside the day's cards until they've been copied to SSD and at least one HDD before reformatting them and reusing them. We'll see how well I do with that...

 

You got to love digital. As a film shooter for five decades, I find it amazing that many folks shoot several thousand digital pictures on a relatively short cruise. I just returned from a 16-day transatlantic with three days postcruise in Rome and my shutter count was less than 400 and I already have culled at least half of them.

[peety3]

You got to love digital. As a film shooter for five decades, I find it amazing that many folks shoot several thousand digital pictures on a relatively short cruise. I just returned from a 16-day transatlantic with three days postcruise in Rome and my shutter count was less than 400 and I already have culled at least half of them.

Yes, I do love digital. Different strokes for different folks.

[Steviewonder1]

On our Eastern Med Cruise (12 days) I had 10 memory cards with a total of 208 GB storage I shot 5 of them full. I decided not to shoot RAW and use only the highest resolution JPEG. Including movies I shot, I filled 6 of them up including both 32GB cards. Filling was not past 30GB or past 14GB. All worked out well. In the past I have taken a host of 8GB cards and a laptop and an external Hard drive that you plug your card into to download it. Things are much easier now. YMMV.