Travelling in the Digital Era

Once upon a time, you packed your trusty SLR camera (or two if you’re an enthusiast), a collection of prime and zoom lenses, a point and shoot camera, a disposable panoramic and/or underwater camera, a selection of must-have filters (the likes of Cokin and Hoya), a sizeable collection of film for print, slide, black and white, all in various ISOs, a larger than life x-ray safe film bag, a dedicated flash, spare batteries, a collapsible but sturdy tripod (which you cursed while lugging around) and other photographic paraphernalia.

And once you packed all your gear, you stood in wonderment, a perplexed sneer on one side of your face. You scratched your head and pondered if there was a simpler way to get the travel photographs you want without lugging all that equipment.

Then came the digital era.

You welcomed it with the same exhilaration as when you stood on top of the Jungfraujoch mountain after interminable train rides in Switzerland. With digital cameras the size (and cost) of your credit card, you caved in, bought one, then invested in a digital SLR. Suddenly life seemed much simpler.

But is it?

We are just a couple of weeks away from packing our bags and heading on a long-awaited trip. As an avid photographer, I pack my equipment before I pack my clothes. So as a dress rehearsal, I laid them out before me and and pondered about the true convenience afforded by the digital era.

I started with my constant companion, the one who after a few years together may be showing his age every time I think of his megapixels. And I began counting.

1. Digital SLR Camera body – the Canon EOS 350D
2. A choice of SLR lenses – wide angle prime lens, mid-range zoom lens, long zoom lens and the 50mm prime lens
3. Charger – for the EOS camera
4. Spare battery – although rare, I have run out of juice in one day.
5. 3 memory cards – 1GB, 2GB and 8GB
6. A camera bag

There are occasions where the big gun is not appropriate and a smaller camera that fits in an evening bag is essential. With the convenience of shooting short videos and photographing restaurant food, I have recently invested in a new compact camera.

1. Digital compact camera – Canon IXUS 120 IS
2. Charger – for the IXUS 120
3. Spare memory card – 4GB
4. Camera case

As an enthusiast photographer who downloads their photographs daily, a laptop has become a quintessential tool in the travel digital era.

1. Laptop – ultraportable Sony Vaio, lightweight, small enough to fit in a handbag if necessary
2. Charger – for the laptop
3. USB cable – for camera downloads (best make that 2, just in case)
4. LAN cable – in case wifi is not available
5. A USB thumb drive – Since Vista makes the laptop run like a dog, I use it as ReadyBoost
6. Laptop case

A laptop’s hard drive can malfunction or worse, there is a risk of it being stolen. Therefore it is worth investing in a back up mechanism and backing up those precious photographs daily.

1. USB external hard drive – like the WD Passport Elite. At least I save on carrying a charger.
2. USB cable – to connect it to the laptop
3. Hard drive pouch – for protection

In this digital age, mobile phones have become as essential as a body part; some would even argue it is an extension of it. With the ease of global roaming, contacting friends and family you’re visiting abroad is much more convenient.

1. Mobile phone – still dreaming of an iPhone…
2. Charger – for the mobile phone
3. USB cable – to sync Outlook Calendar with the laptop

And there you have it.

Life is much simpler in the digital era, innit?

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What photographic and digital paraphernalia do you carry on your travels? Share your thoughts in the comments.