[pct-l] Digital vs. "Regular" Cameras: a weight comparison(PlusHow to back up on the trail?)

[richard at hare22.demon.co.uk (Richard Hare)]

This seems like a good strategy, but I see  dude suggesting a device in your
bounce box which can backup storage cards without a laptop computer.  I
didn't even know of such a device, but I had a search of the internet last
night and found many portable hard drives which will read a storage card.
These devices seem to hold plenty (20gig or upward) but I may be tempted to
go for a CD writer like this http://www.splitimagephoto.com/Printers.htm Has
anyone tried using one of these  on the trail?

I see the advantages of this over a portable hard drive are that you don't
have all your eggs in one basket.  If you lost the hard drive that would be
it, but you could easily send home CD's at little cost as you go, infact the
media is cheap enough to write two copies and send in different packages if
you were at all worried about the postal service losing one.

Regards

Rik

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christopher Power [mailto:cjpower@runbox.com]
> Sent: 08 September 2003 18:51
> To: 'Richard Hare'; 'Karen Borski'; pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> Subject: RE: [pct-l] Digital vs. "Regular" Cameras: a weight comparison
> (PlusHow to back up on the trail?)
>
>
> I used a digital on the AT last summer and intend to use one on the PCT
> as well.  My strategy is to have at least 3 high capacity memory cards
> and rotate them as I fill them up.  For example I will send a full card
> home in the mail and have a friend download all the photos to his
> computer and burn them to a CD.  Then he will send the card back to me
> on the trail.  By then, I may have filled up another card so I will send
> that one home.  I like to have a backup card with me at all times in
> case of logistical/technical problems.  The only extra equipment you
> would need is a card reader for your friend, which isn't too expensive
> and is convenient to have even when you're home.  I'd bet the reader
> would end up being cheaper than paying someone else to download the
> pictures for you.
>
> As far as being limited in the number of photos you can take, it all
> depends on how many and what capacity memory cards you bring.  I used 3
> 128 Mb cards and I could fit about 100 high quality (4Megapixel) shots
> on each card.  The shots per card varies with the size of the card and
> inversely to the resolution and quality of the shots you intend to take.
> I ended up with about 850 pics for the whole trip.  On the PCT, I may
> upgrade to 256Mb cards.  I don't think I'd be comfortable going any
> larger than that - too many eggs in one basket for me.
>
> If you're far from the west coast, you may be able to find someone on
> this list that lives near the trail and would agree to download your
> pictures and burn them to CD for you.  This would cut down your postage
> cost and cycle time for getting your cards back.
>
> The key to long battery life is just as you stated - don't review
> pictures excessively and use the LCD sparingly, but part of the
> advantage of digital is that you CAN review pics and delete the bad
> ones.  So I typically leave the LCD on when taking pictures, but try not
> to review much once I've decided to keep a picture.
>
> I also ended up bringing the charger and a spare battery with me since
> they're pretty light and important enough to me.  I would just ask to
> use a spare outlet in a store/restaurant/library while I was there
> anyway.  Or if I was staying overnight in a town, then wherever I
> stayed.  I always tried to leave town with at least one fully charged
> battery.
>
> Again, this is what worked for me on the AT.  Pictures are very
> important to me so I didn't mind carrying the extra weight (cards,
> battery, charger) as insurance.  The PCT may have its own challenges
> that hopefully some others can point out.
>
> Chris
>
>
>