Technical Forum

We are travelling through parts of England , Scotland, France and northern Italy for about 8 weeks from early October 08. I am taking a D-SLR and a couple of lenses. I am seeking advice on two particular issues.

1. What are peoples experiences of arranging to burn to disc/backup RAW images on the road? I will probably take four 2Gb SDHC cards with me giving me about 330 frames before I need to clear the cards. Option one seems to be to take a laptop with burner; simple solution. Another is to use local facilities. Any advice would be gratefully received.

2. I keep reading warnings about sharp knives, cut shoulder straps, and fleeing bag thieves on scooters in major european cities. Maybe we should all carry BIG side-arms? Kidding. I was planning to use my Lowepro slingshot bag. Just how dangerous is it to carry a dedicated camera bag like this? Should I perhaps offload gear into something less obvious? The Lowepro is the best bag I have ever used so I am reluctant to abandon it.

I'm 6 foot 2 inches tall and the tummy hasn't sagged too much for my age. Am I a less likely candidate for these morons?

thanks

Damian and Amanda

Have you thought about a portable storage device. I have an Archos GMini - 20GB and it's smaller than a pack of cards. No PC needed.

Thanks for the reply kiwi. I had thought of the portable storage units but they appear to be limited to standard formats, i.e. JPEG, PNG. I am not sure they would recognize Pentax RAW files (.PEF) and I want to preserve the original RAW files for later processing back in Oz.

Have you tried to store images in formats other than those standard types?

thanks again

Damian and Amanda

You'd have to check on that, from memory, I could store RAW files but not view them on the device. but I am not certain. Anyway there is a whole new generation of Archos devices out but I figured it would be worth checking.

Thanks Kiwi. I will do that. You would think it likely given the range of RAW file formats now being generated by the camera producers. I'd like to be able to do a "Delete" at least, after reviewing on a screen bigger than the camera LCD.

Loved your beautiful shot of Glenorchy by the way.

thanks again

Thanks for the compliment :-) Yeah I love that pic even if I say so myself!
Ah well my little Archos Gmini wouldn't suit you then. but they have great products often more useful than the glitzy general appeal devices out there.
by the way I also use a cute little laptop Asus S6, and actually use it more now than the ARchos when I go away. check it out: http://usa.asus.com/event/s6/product.html
Has a small 11" screen so makes it great for travelling. fits in my handbag! Easy for going thru customs and security at airports and great to use on the aircraft where there isn't much elbow room!!

If you carry a big camera bag which is mostlikely to be stuffed with expensive equipment then yes, you are marking yourself out as a pretty clear target anywhere in the world.

Petty criminals are everywhere (not just in Europe), so using common sense and keeping your eyes open is always necessary. A bag strap across your body will stop a 'grab and run', but not a 'cut the strap and run'.

Chances are you will be absolutely fine. I always have been, but then I don't make myself an obvious target. I'd use a less obvious bag, personally.

I have a small one of these bags that certainly prevent the "cut" crims:
http://www.pacsafe.com

And in the horrid case of a stolen laptop, I have been known to burn discs and mail home while travelling. Another good reason for the laptop. But I do understand that it's not always an option to carry one. There are many small laptops on the market now though.