Need a travel laptop.
My wife and I are heading to Costa Rica in April and would like to be able to review our photos nightly. I'd like something cheap to just use to see what we took. I would also like to be able to use it for a backup storage device, as we are using fresh cards as needed. I will not reformat on a trip.
Check out the Acer Chromebook 15 #CB5-571, I travel with mine all the time.
johneccles wrote:
I have an Asus X205TA netbook, it has a bright 11... (
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That was my first idea - netbook. I have a very small Acer with a 350GB drive.
Look on EBay, or some other site for a used Surface Pro. They are very light, slim, and versatile, and for all intents and purpose, function as a computer as well as a tablet. It will also give you an opportunity to download via blue tooth. J
jerryc41 wrote:
That was my first idea - netbook. I have a very small Acer with a 350GB drive.
Jerry, I agree that a netbook would seem a good solution - small and light and with enough storage to handle all but the most prolific of shooters. However, the issue I ran into was that the processor struggled to handle the raw file sizes from my 24mp camera. It took too long to copy my files each evening and to go from one image to the next when reviewing them. I would recommend a small laptop with at least an i3 processor and 8G of ram - more if any image processing is anticipated. Manufacturers (Dell for example) often sell old inventory that does not have the latest technology for really attractive prices through their websites.
runakid wrote:
My wife and I are heading to Costa Rica in April and would like to be able to review our photos nightly. I'd like something cheap to just use to see what we took. I would also like to be able to use it for a backup storage device, as we are using fresh cards as needed. I will not reformat on a trip.
Unless you need a backup device, to simply review what you captured, just plug your camera into the TV in your room.
I bought an ASUS netbook with an i5 processor. Probably an i3 processor would be good enough for what you want to do.
You need to be aware that there are stories of increased restrictions on carrying laptops on aircraft.
Jim
Be a little careful with netbooks and tablets... they may have too small hard drive and limited connectivity. But, if they have what you need, could be more compact and lighter to travel with than a laptop.
I have an older HP laptop w/17" screen and two hard drives... a 500GB for the OS and programs, and a 1TB drive just for images. However, it's pretty large and heavy. Okay, but not ideal for travel. It also basically needs to be plugged in to operate for longer than about 45 min. or so. Two HDs draw a lot of power (but it was only good for about 1.5 to 2 hours before, when it only had one). SSDs would be better, but are pricey. The bigger screen is better for reviewing images, though I only have Lightroom on it and don't use it for finishing images (prefer to use my desktop w/calibrated, graphics quality 24" monitor and with both LR and Photoshop for image finishing)... just for quick sorting and viewing on location. I also have a second, smaller HP (15" screen). In the past I used it for location work, mostly as a viewing laptop for customers or for use by assistants or 2nd shooters. I haven't been using it at all recently, so am probably going to give it to my sister and brother-in-law. If I need an additional device on location again, I'll probably get and use a netbook or tablet instead, and network that with my larger laptop.
If your looking for something cheap look at a second hand Lenovo ThinkPad X230.
Edia
Loc: Central New Jersey
Unless you are planning to edit your photos, a laptop is not really necessary. An Ipad with a card reader will do the job. However, If you shoot raw and want to see the photos, do minor editing and store them for backup, then a laptop will do the trick. When I travel, I use my Dell Insperon 13 with a built in card reader. All my PP software is available on the SSD. I import the raw data to a 256G flash drive attached to a USB 3.0 port. I do not want to fill up my internal SSD with photos. When I finally get home, I just plug the flash drive into my Desktop with the 24" monitor for final processing. The Laptop with 13.3" touch screen,an i7 chip, 8G of memory and a 256G SSD costs about $700. It only weighs 3.5 lbs and easily fits in my Manfroto backpack.
I use a Asus Transfomer T100. It is 10" hybrid laptop with a detachable touch screen tablet which gives me a full keyboard, albeit a bit cramped, with the ease of a tablet for just reviewing my photos. I bought the 64GB version which is plenty big for my needs. I back up my work to a 128 GB micro SD card which I can pop out store in a separate location so if I should loose my laptop I won't loose all. At about 2 & 1/2 pounds it is easy to carry. Another plus is that it has a good battery life & is rechargeable via a USB connection.
I use an AU Zen 350 along with 2 external 1TB HD for traveling have PS/LR Classic installed
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