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Traveling to Europe with your Digital
Camera?
by: Doug Rogers
The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will be taking
your digital camera along for the journey. After all your vacations
are far and few between and it is nice to look back on those memories
as you slave away at your job. However, when you travel with a digital
camera, it is a completely different experience from that of traveling
with a film camera. This is a lesson that far too many travelers seem
to be learning the hard way, especially if you’re traveling to
Europe. After a couples years of relying solely on digital for taking
photos when I travel, there are things you should consider before you
head off on your next trip.
Charging Batteries is one of the biggest stumbling blocks you'll face
when you travel. Outlets can be scarce in hotels. On a recent trip to
Europe, only one of the five modern hotels I stayed in had more than
one outlet available for use when charging up electronics. Charging
your battery can be more of a hassle if you're traveling by train: If
you take an overnight train in Europe, they don't have power adapters
at the seats (certain trains do, but it's not something you can count
on). I suggest bringing at least two rechargeable batteries, three if
you plan to travel with overnight trains, or don't think you'll be able
to charge every night. If your camera uses regular AA batteries, consider
yourself lucky-you'll find those everywhere. Scope out the situation
in your room when you check in: You should get at least one usable outlet,
but don't count on more than that.
Bring your plugs. Some digital cameras typically come with a power
brick that can handle international voltages, so you won't need a voltage
adapter. However, you will need a power plug adapter to convert a US
outlet plug to the local plug. Most of Europe is on the same outlet
now-but not all countries accept the general "Europe" plug.
Be sure to research what you'll need to jack in, and try to buy it before
you leave (try CompUSA, Radio Shack, Rand McNally, or your local luggage
store). If you don't have a chance to get what you need Stateside, don't
fret: You should have no trouble finding an outlet converter overseas.
How do I offload my images? For fellow travelers using digicams, this
was the number one problem I have heard repeatedly. Many comments from
folks traveling for a week or more are: "I'm taking more pictures
than I expected to." "I'm not shooting at the best resolution,
because I need the room on my memory card." "I'm only halfway
through my trip, and I have only 50 shots left." When you travel,
odds are you'll take more pictures than you expect to also. A 1 GB card
is very useful, and should suffice for low-usage shooters. But for those
of us, who can go through a gigabyte or more in a day, not a week? Whether
it's because your a high-volume shooter, shooting in RAW format, or
a combination of the two. What I discovered is many who had digital
SLRs, that had 5 megapixel or more reported they were traveling with
a laptop to off load their images. None of these folks were traveling
on business, so they didn't need to bring a laptop along. The sad fact
is, for now, a laptop remains the most efficient and usable means of
off loading images. Epson and Nikon have dedicated handheld units with
a hard drive, card reader, and LCD display for copying over and viewing
your images. But neither has a full-blown keyboard. If you're first
buying a laptop, and intend to travel with it, I suggest going for the
smallest one you can. Fujitsu, Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony all have models
under four pounds. A laptop provides several additional advantages.
For one thing, you can see your pictures on a big screen-to view how
you're doing, and if you see any problems you want to correct with your
exposure, for example, or if your pictures are being affected by dirt.
For another thing, you can properly label your folders, so you know
which pictures were taken where. Most newer laptops have integrated
memory card readers, but otherwise, you can buy a small external card
reader. For the wire-free approach, use a PC Card slot adapter for your
memory card; and invest in a 32-bit Cardbus adapter (Delkin and Lexar
Media offer these), for speedier transfers. Nothing's worse than coming
back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, and needing to stay
awake another 40 minutes just to off -load two 1 GB cards, at about
20 minutes a pop. If you bring a laptop, I also suggest investing in
a portable hard drive. A portable hard drive can serve multiple purposes:
It can be a means of backing up your photos on the go; a means of giving
you a way to take your photos with you if you have to leave your laptop
unattended; and a means of expansion, if you somehow manage to fill
up your laptop's built-in hard disk. If you don't want to bring a laptop,
and already have an Apple iPod, Belkin sells an attachment for using
your iPod with memory cards; or, consider the pricey units from Nikon
and Epson. And if you're in a bind, remember you can always buy memory
overseas. I was surprised that when I went to Europe, the prices were
high, but not so outrageously so that I wouldn't buy another card if
I were in a bind. Cards were more readily available, too, than they
were when I last traveled through Europe three years ago. Look at it
this way: Even if you overpay on the card, you can still reuse it-which
beats overpaying for a single use 35mm film cartridge when you were
in a bind in years' past.
Be prepared for problems. Things happen when you travel and I've had
more things go awry carrying my digital SLR than I have had with my
35mm over the years. Lens paper is always useful to have on hand, but
if you have a digital SLR, another supply is absolutely critical: An
air blower bulb, to blast out the dust and dirt that will inevitably
get trapped inside your camera. I never had problems with my 35mm SLR,
but with my digital SLR, I constantly find dirt gets trapped inside,
when I change lenses. And there's nothing worse than having a splotch
marring your otherwise awesome shots. Finally, remember the philosophy
of redundancy. Whether your battery dies and you have no way to charge
it, or you run out of space on your memory card(s), and don't want to
buy another at a higher-than-usual price, I suggest packing a second
camera if you can. A digital point and shoot is a good option but I
usually carry a point and shoot 35mm to use if I run into any problems
just so I won’t lose any precious pictures.
About The Author: Doug Rogers has worked as a freelance
photographer for the past 25 years in various fields of photography.
In the past two years he has become an avid and devoted fan of digital
and video photography and a life long lover of new technology. For tips
on better digital photography and the latest reviews on the newest digital
equipment that hits the market, Subscribe to his monthly Newsletter
“The ViewFinder” at http://www.best-digital-cameras-review.com.
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