African Digital Safari- Power and Storage Questions

This is somewhat of a follow-up to an earlier post that I made on

Safari telephoto lens choice. Based on feedback and my own research,

I have decided to purchase a Canon 20D as my primary and my 300D will

serve as my backup. Since I've going completely digital, I now have

two problems that I need to deal with, storage and power. In the past

I have traveled with an Image Tank 20GB wallet that I used to store my

images. I brought no other devices with me. First the storage issue.

I plan to take two 1 GB cards and 1 512MB card with me. The Image

Tank will get an upgrade from 20GB to 40GB. Assuming a 80/20 ratio of

20D to 300D (will use both cameras at the same time. Hopefully will

be able to reduce sensor dust by not changing lenses often) I believe

I will be able to fit around 115 images (RAW+jpg) on each card

shooting RAW. That is about 127 rolls of 36exp film. My question is,

assuring this type of data load, how do you deal with storage in the

field for a prolonged (17 day trip)? I feel I have two options, carry

a laptop, the one I have is a 14" model that weighs 5lbs, or purchase

one of the newer wallet/DVD burner combos. The laptop is certainly

more versatile but could be more prone to theft in Kenya or Rwanda. I

can not leave it in the lodges or the hotel room. The laptop weight

will also contribute heavily towards my carry on limit. Either way I

need to carry more than one device in case of failure. Ideally I wish

that someone would come out with a model like the Archos 400 that

included a DVD burner and the ability to view RAW. I could lose my

IPOD, Portable DVD player and Digital Wallet and replace them with one

device.

 

The other issue is power. While in Rwanda, I will not have access to

electricity for about 2-3 days. I am considering purchasing the

Digital Camera Battery as an option. They have accessory cables that

will allow me to power a number of devices. Does anyone have any

direct experience using one of them in the field? In Kenya this will

be less of an issue as a DC /AC inverter will allow charging during

game drives. Some of the camps I'm staying at may not have

electricity in the tents.

 

Looking for feedback on how others have dealt with these issues in the

past. I realize that this might not be a nature photography question

per se, but I think it's applicable with digital the standard now.

 

Thank you in advance for your responses.

How about a solar charger? Seen lightweight affordable ones that should do the trick.

 

I am planning a 10-14 day hike in Lapland this year. For the digital I am using a 40Gb Vosonic. This has a 3 hour battery life and as far as I have found testing it I should be able to do at least 30 downloads over 10+ days without it losing power. Beyond that some way of charging it would become necessary.

No problem I suggest the new Velvia 100.

 

127 rolls of 36exp = 4572 frames your math doesn't add up you would need 39 cards capable of holding your block of 115 digital images to equal 127 rolls of film.

 

With one of my T90's I could shot 127 rolls of film using 3 sets of Lithium AA batteries (the third set being in reserve)vtotal battery cost of about $28.00. No problems with sensor dust. I could carry a back up body requiring another set of batteries so add $9.00 to the total for about $37.00 for batteries.

 

No lap top, no charging cords, no storeage device, no inverter hooked to the rigs battery, no solar charger, no sitting in my tent for hours downloading files to dual storage devices. I could be sitting by the fire dreaming of lions and tigers and bears getting drunk and enjoyng myself.

 

Just the crap I could leave at home by shooting film I could carry a girl friend along and still be under weight! (don't tell my wife)

 

Some things Film does WAY better then digital and the bush is one of them. A nice soft side lunch cooler. approx. 4" X 8" X 10" can hold 100 rolls of film in cans and about 125 if you peel off the cans. I wouldn't.

 

Total cost of 127 rolls of Professional Quality Slide film approx $635.00 developing at $5.00 per roll another $635.00 for a total of $1270.00 All archival needs included free. They even come in little boxes!

1) The new Velvia 100 is not available in the US yet. Should be out in the summer. If you live in japan then it doesn't matter.<p> 2) The crop factor and digital's excellent high ISO performance comes in handy for telephoto shots of animals. You can use a cheaper, slower, and smaller f4.5-5.6 zoom on the digital body. For film you will probably need a larger, expensive f2.8 zoom possibly with image stabilization or vibration reduction.<p> 3) You've got tradeoffs. It may be worth carrying around the bigger lens for film instead of a laptop. Or it may be the other way. It all depends on you.

Whether you like it or not, as digital photography becomes more and more popular, film and processing becomes a specalty item and the cost will continue to go up. For several years A&I slide mailers were $5.5 at B&H. Now they are $6.79.

 

There is no doubt that power supply and data file storage will be a challenge for us nature photographers when we are in remote areas. For any equipment that includes a hard drive, such as laptops and those image tanks, hard drive failure will be a main concern. However, if you have opportunities to review your images on the road, you can delete the obvious non-keepers and your actual storage capacity needs should be considerably lower.

We always bring a laptop, but then haven't been to Rwanda. Sometimes I try to talk myself out of it, decide to bring it, and am glad I did for editing purposes (can really see how well the focus is, any movement, metering, etc)

 

I do have one real suggestion (since a laptop may not be do-able for you on this trip), which is to seriously think fo taking more CF memory than you listed. The plain vanilla Sandisk 512M cards are quite cheap these days, and it is really nice to have the extra memory for those days you end up taking a lot more shots than you may have imagined (or can't backup due to situation x). For Africa I would buy some extra CF cards. Have a great trip! -Greg-

I would buy two Epson P-2000 (much more convenient than a laptop) and rely on an inverter to charge from the car. With one spare battery for each camera and for each digital wallet, you can easily go for half a week without any access to electricitly. <a href = "http://www.terragalleria.com/">Terra Galleria photography</a>

Hi Joel.

 

I've been working with this exact situation. My first trip to Africa will be this fall, and I plan to be there for a month. So....

 

I've got both an ApacerDisc Steno and taking enough CD's to burn in the field. I've also got a FlashTrax 80gb smart disk to backup. The FlashTrax has a screen and deletion capabilities so it will serve the function of the laptop without the size/weight issue.

 

For power... well that's a pain, no?

 

First, I'm taking a 12 volt car converter to use in the vehicle and it seems everything needs it's own propritary charger (camera batteries, Apacer, Flashtrax, spotlight, personal music player.. all the cables have to get packed)

 

Second, a current converter for use every chance I can.. in my research, most safari tents do have generator power which they allow you to plug into. For use in the occasional hotel room as well.

 

Third, I'm picking up a solar powered charger from Brunton.

 

Fourth, I'm gonna schlep as many AA batteries as I think I may need and then add another 10% (for flash, meters, backup 20D power (when you buy the battery grip you get a handy AA cartridge))

 

And as for cards.... I've got 7. 512mb (3) 1Gb (2) 2 BG (2)

 

My big question is how to pack all the camera gear and ensure it won't be stolen!

 

Steph

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

 

Film is not an option as I mentioned in my opening. For this particular application digital makes sense. I agree that I need some more CF cards. As prices keep falling, this becomes even more of an option.

 

My primary concern here is one of backup. While I think Quang-Tuan's suggestion hints at this, I don't see how two Epson P-2000's will accomplish that. Perhaps one combined with an upgrade to my Image Tank will suffice.

 

Stephanie, I considered the ApacerDisc Steno but that's an awful lot of CD's to bring. A DVD drive will back up 40GB of data within 10 discs. That's equivalent to 60 CD's. I have considered the Jobo ImageMaestro Pro or a similar device which burns DVD's.

 

The laptop serves several purposes here:

 

1) Ability to play DVD Movies on plane and during down time

2) Ability to burn DVD backups

3) Storage of images on laptop

4) Ability to review and edit

5) Internet connectivity

 

I am beginning to feel that my current laptop in Africa is asking for trouble. I think with digital becoming more and more prevalent and with the proliferation of Digital SLR's I think a manufacturer would clean up if they offered a device with the screen of an Epson P-2000, 80GB drive, DVD Burner and the ability to play AVI, DIVX and MP3.

I'm considering going to Africa too (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) but I have more or less decided to go the film route for the above mentioned reasons. Not 100% sure yet. I guess it all depends on the places where you will be staying. For a more primitive trip (tents) I think electricity will pose a serious problem. If you're staying in middle class hotels you may have a possibility to charge your batteries often enough. Don't rely on electricity of cars + converter. In lots of cars in Africa (and other places as well) only the most basic parts work. The cigarette lighter and associated electricity is NOT one of them.

Smart Disk already makes the

<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000T71SA/ref=pd_wt_2/103-3350816-7232633?coliid=I2CB9CFCNLPF78">

Flash Trax FTX80</A> that has an LCD screen for image review and can hold 80G of data. It indeed plays MP3 also. The reviews are mixed, though. I don't have one myself but a friend has the 40G version and is generally happy with it.

<P>

Last time I was in Africa (year 2000), I talked to a driver and charging from safari vehicle's cigarette lighter is an option. It is possible that it wouldn't work on some cars. We also stayed in tents for a few nights, but they had a generator that ran for several hours per day. My wife shoots video such that "film" is not an option (at least not an easy option). Battery power has always been an issue for her. So far we have been to a lot of remote areas and there is always a solution.

<P>

If you are with a group of photographers, bring an extension cord so that several people can charge at the same time when the number of outlets and perhaps electricity generator up time may be limited.

<P>

It is a very good suggestion to bring more memory (CF, SD, etc.) cards. They are a lot more affordable now.

Joel,

 

I've had to deal with this problem to a certain extent on backpacking trips, and I am also

making plans for an African Safari.

 

If you don't intend to take a laptop, then I'd suggest two portable storage devices, as QT

recommended. Add a P-2000 in addition to your Flashtrax, and you should have enough

redundant storage for your needs. It'd be better if it were two P-2000 because then you

wouldn't need two sets of cables and power adapters for your storage devices. You could

also share batteries between the two. Get some spare batteries, and you should be fine for

a few days away from electricity.

 

For powering the cameras, I would suggest you simply pick up some generic BP-511

batteries. They can be purchased for fairly cheap online at auction websites. I've got 3

generic BP-511 batteries in addition to two Canon batteries, and that's enough to power

my 10D for a week or more with my shooting style.

 

Definitely get an inverter for the vehicle and charge when you can. Bear in mind that you

may be travelling with others with the same idea, and may have to share the vehicle outlet.

Get an inverter with two plug outlets so that you can share.

 

Personally, I plan to take my iBook, iPod, and a portable storage device (currently a

Tripper). This will give me triple redundancy in storage. I also have 10 Gigs worth of

storage in compact flash cards (2x4Gb Microdrives, 2x1Gb flash cards) I'll also make sure

to add my laptop to my insurance policy.

 

I was recently at a John Shaw seminar, and his method was to take a laptop, a P-2000,

portable firewire/usb drives, and plenty of flash cards. In the field, he would download

pics from his flash cards to the P-2000, but not erase any of the cards. When he got back

to his hotel room, he would transfer from the P-2000 to the laptop. Once he had

confirmed that everything had transferred properly, only then would he erase the flash

cards. Lastly, he would then backup the images on the laptop to a portable firewire/usb

drive.

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have power at the hotel room, right??

 

Or will you be "out there" for 17 days, without any access to power

at all 24hrs/day for 17 days??

 

If it's the former, then power is not an issue, since you can plug in and re-charge every night. As for storage, just make sure you have sufficient storage, with redundancy. A laptop or another Image Tank or an X's Drive would do the job. I do think you'll need additional CF cards -- at least enough to capture ALL images for the day, then transfer to the Image Tank at night at the hotel room.

 

If it's the latter, then POWER would be the primary concern. I don't know how a laptop would help here, since a laptop would only give you approx 4-5 total hours of juice. Even if you conserve, it's a long time to 17 days. In this situation, you would need A LOT of batteries, or some kind of poratble power supply to recharge your camera batteries and your storage devices.

<I>Some things Film does WAY better then digital and the bush is one of them</i><P>

 

Not if getting to the bush includes going through airports. First, there's the bulk of 120 or

so rolls. Next, there's X-ray. If you pack this film in checked baggage it WILL get nuked

by the new scanning machines. The airlines tell you as much. Bulk aside (120 or so rolls

is not small in aggregation), carry-on film is <B><I>probably</i></b> OK in the US.

You can ask for hand inspection but there's no guarantee you'll get one. Since 9/11, my

film as ALWAYS gone through X-ray despite my requests for hand inspection. However,

US X-ray devices are usually within specs and a few scans won't harm low-speed films. I

have heard that overseas, the same isn't the case and you can easily accumulate a fatal (to

film) dose in one or two 'passes' through an out-of-spec machine. You won't know it until

your fim is processed post-trip.<P>

 

So, I definitely do not agree that film is a good idea for a trip like the one Joel is going to

take.<P>

 

I think I strongly recommended a laptop if possible, because of the versatility -- especially

if it's got a CD or DVD burner for backup when you have power. The bulk (and power

requirement) is an issue. It's kind of a pity than many digital photography gizmos don't

readily accept standard AA batteries.

well,i,m in africa,and do what i like best,shoot nature scenery.firstly,even in a first world country in africa,i,w never be without my film camera.traveling with films,easy,made in china x-ray protection bags take care of my film.i shoot up to 8x10 sheet film also.secondly,digitaly,i shoot with a 8 meg camera and shoot mostly raw files.so,carring a apacer200 with me,about 20 cd,s on a charge.i,ve got spare batteries,got a 12/220 v charger for my camera,s batteries,canon do make one.one word of warning,stay away from a solar panel,you just might even loose your life ,never mind just your gear for that little piece of equiptment.my b/w white film is done in a daytank,as in die summer,mostly the watertemp is around 20 to 25 degrees in buildings.chemicals is in powder form.and the last,on some trips i do leave all digital equiptment at home.its just drawing attention,as they know,where a digital camera is,there is more.they will even know more what you,ve got in your hotelroom or lodge room then you yourself in less time then it takes you to unpack.ok,that can happen all over the world,but poverty here is big.

" However, US X-ray devices are usually within specs and a few scans won't harm low-speed films. I have heard that overseas, the same isn't the case"

 

You'd be surprised to see that many countries outside the US have much newer and more sophisticated equipment.

As long as you are dealing with airport X-ray machines in developed countries, they should be pretty safe. I mentioned this before: I had some ISO 400 Provia slide film that went on two trips to Australia and then Norway in 2002 and 2003. They went through at least 15 airport scans in those countries and in the US, and there are no problems at all. I even removed a slide mount and checked the unexposed edge area, and there is no evidence of any X-ray damage.

 

However, carrying over 100 rolls around is indeed a pain, but so is carrying a laptop. Digital is a reality and you are better off finding a way to deal with it; it is evitable although better and better digital storage options will continue to become available.

You don't say (a) whether your laptop can burn DVDs and (b) how much

money is a factor.

 

Two Epsons weigh the better part of 2lbs. and can't burn DVDs. Instead, I

would think about a 3lb., 60mgHD, DVD-burning laptop with 5-7 hour battery

life (well, I'm thinking of the $2200 Sony T250), which would let you view

RAWs, burn DVDs, not fret about power, and would be light enough to take

with you in the field. The model is current enough that if you have no use for it

after the trip, you could resell it easily on Ebay and not lose much.

 

Nothing else to add that hasn't been said, although I would up CF storage big-

time; "digital" should mean NEVER having to ration your shooting for the day.

(When traveling I use a stack of $180 Sandisk 2GB Ultras and $180 Hitachi

4GB md's, in all kinds of rough conditions, without problems.)

 

Have a great trip!

<< First, there's the bulk of 120 or so rolls. >>

 

If you take the film out of the boxes and out of the canisters you can fit a ton in a single gallon-sized ziplock bag. What about the bulk of all the chargers and adapters and cords that come with the power hungry devices? You're not saving space you're trading space. I'm not saying one method is better over the other, I'm saying your comparison is flawed.

 

<< Next, there's X-ray. If you pack this film in checked baggage it WILL get nuked by the new scanning machines. The airlines tell you as much. >>

 

Which is why you don't do that.

 

<< Bulk aside (120 or so rolls is not small in aggregation), >>

 

See above. It is.

 

<< carry-on film is probably OK in the US. You can ask for hand inspection but there's no guarantee you'll get one. >>

 

Actually, there is.

 

<< Since 9/11, my film as ALWAYS gone through X-ray despite my requests for hand inspection >>

 

You should file a complaint with the TSA. I only fly 3 or 4 times a year and every time I've asked for a hand inspection they've done it. Of course, I always unpack my film and put it in zip lock bags as described above.

 

The amount of radition your film receives while in flight is many times more than what you receive with the carry-on x-ray devices. People have been flying with film for years spending many hours in the air with no ill effects on the film. This worry is needless.

 

Joel,

 

QT has good advice. The P-2000's are amazing devices and having a pair would reduce the cables and power supplies as well as allow for the sharing of backup batteries. I would also look at (as has been mentioned) solar powered chargers. You can find ones of quite reasonable size.

<I>The amount of radition your film receives while in flight is many times more than what

you receive with the carry-on x-ray devices. People have been flying with film for years

spending many hours in the air with no ill effects on the film. This worry is needless.

</I><P>

 

I've got my doubts about the assertion that much more radiation being received in flight

than in an X-ray device. Airport X-ray units deliver fairly powerful doses (otherwise

they would not be able to penetrate luggage and reveal its contents). It may be

that a properly maintained and used X-ray device delivers less energy <B><I>at

wavelengths that

damage film</b></i> than might be the case during flight, but I doubt it. And I beg to

differ about the statement that the worry is "needless". Within the last 4 years I've had ISO

400 film fogged by repeated (4) X-ray doses at airports (in the US and Australia, don't

know which unit did the damage). So please don't expect me to believe that it can't

happen.<P>

 

<I>If you take the film out of the boxes and out of the canisters you can fit a ton in a

single gallon-sized ziplock bag. What about the bulk of all the chargers and adapters and

cords that come with the power hungry devices? You're not saving space you're trading

space. I'm not saying one method is better over the other, I'm saying your comparison is

flawed</i><P>

 

Well, I could say your statements have their weak points also. Removing film from boxes

and cannisters does save volume, but then you need to start worrying about dust and

humidity affecting the rolls -- especially in field situations (and don't forget heat). Power

adapters and cords CAN safely be transported in checked luggage without risk from

baggage inspection X-rays. Film can't. You need to have it on your person, where it's

going to compete with all the other stuff you want to hand carry. And many non-US

airlines have absurdly low carry-on allowances (fortunately they don't necessarily enforce

them). <P>

 

Film and digital both have problems. I worry less traveling with digital stuff than with film

and have fewer airport hassles in the bargain. YMMV.

I decided last fall to take my laptop to South Africa and Namibia (22 day trip). It worked well enough, but next time I think I will take something lighter and more convenient. Perhaps two Epson P2000's, as suggested earlier, if they are rugged (need to withstand bouncing, dropping, heat, dust, and humidity). I used the laptop's HD for storage and my backup was burning CD's (just in case the laptop got stolen). CD burners can be finicky devices and there is no way I'd rely on one for primary storage. In fact, I will no longer count on burning CD's as a means of backup during a safari. They are a pain in the rear to use at the end of a long day shooting and traveling. I ended up only backing up about half of my images. Take twice as many CD's as you think you'll need if you do decide on this technology as an option.

I do think a distinction should be drawn between "DVD burner" and "CD

burner," because it is not unusual to fit a day's shoot onto a 4.7mb DVD ("just

start it copying and go do something else"), while copying images onto

numerous 650mb CDs would be, as the previous poster suggests, a royal

pain.

 

I have never had any failures in writing CDs or DVDs on a laptop; perhaps

some laptops are less "finicky" than others.

Yesterday I visited the guys at Canon CPS and one of them showed me an amazingly small portable harddisk from LaCie. I was really surprised to see this harddisk. And even more when I saw the price, just 99 euros. So in the US it should even be less expensive.

 

Well, I bought one as backup for my laptop. It is amazingly small and weighs just 200 grams. It can be connected to any PC/Mac by USB 2.0 (a firewire version is also available) and takes it power from there to. So no power/adapter cables!

 

The version I bought is 40GB but it is also available as 60GB, 80Gb and 100GB. The nicest thing is that it needs no additional power and it operates just as easy as a USB stick.

 

So on trips I can save all my RAW files on my laptop. Edit and throw away the ones I don't like and make a backup on this portable HD. Much easier than working with CD's/DVD's as I had intended.

Hans, several companies are making those portable hard drives that power from the USB2 connection; 80G and 100G ones are fairly common. They use laptop drives so that they are quite small in size; you can easily put one in a shirt packet. There is a very large electronic store called Fry's here in California. I was there a week ago and saw quite a few choices. Even as recently as a month ago, I didn't see nearly as many of them. The cost is about $200 or so for the 80G and 100G ones.

 

The major down side is that they are not stand-alone units. You can store a second copy of your files from your laptop/PC. However, if your laptop itself fails in the field, you cannot write to those drives as they have to work with a PC. If you are traveling with a group and can use someone else's PC, it is ok. If you travel alone, you still have one single point of failure in your set up. (I assume carrying a second backup laptop is not a valid option.)

 

Eventually, I think I'll get one or two with at least 80G or 100G. I would imagine that units with even larger capacity will appear soon.

<< I've got my doubts about the assertion that much more radiation being received in flight than in an X-ray device. >>

 

There have been numereous studies on this. In fact, the TSA just released one if I recall correctly. I'll try and find it this afternoon.

 

<< And I beg to differ about the statement that the worry is "needless". Within the last 4 years I've had ISO 400 film fogged by repeated (4) X-ray doses at airports (in the US and Australia, don't know which unit did the damage). So please don't expect me to believe that it can't happen. >>

 

There is no way for you to prove what did the fogging (the travel or the carry-on x-ray devices) without developing a roll after each step. I agree that fogging can occure over time. However, given the number of people (professionals) that have traveled by air with film over these many years, I don't see a lot of evidence that x-rays always == ruined film.

 

<< Removing film from boxes and cannisters does save volume, but then you need to start worrying about dust and humidity affecting the rolls -- especially in field situations (and don't forget heat). >>

 

Silica packs in zip lock bags do wonders. Heat is, of course, an issue.

 

<< Power adapters and cords CAN safely be transported in checked luggage without risk from baggage inspection X-rays. Film can't. >>

 

I know of no one silly enough to pack something so essential as the power cords and adapters in their checked luggage when shooting digital, especially when traveling internationally. That's asking to have everything important lost.