Traveling to Norway

[kathy1]

I am traveling to Norway this summer, and am not sure if I am in the correct forum for this question...maybe someone can re-direct me, if not. I can't get a laptop computer at this time. Should I get more memory cards, or is there a device that will download the memory cards and make cd's...without hooking up a computer, or what other advice can you give me? I don't think I will have the time to sit at a hotel computer in the evenings, to download pictures to home. Has anyone had problems with pictures on digital memory cards being damaged when going through airport security? Any advice welcome.
Thanks.
Kathy

[shutterghost]

yup there certainly are devices that will draw information directly from the compactflash (or other media) direclty into an external harddisk.

For example: (this is obviously NOT the cheapest way to go, just as an example)

Sony sells a 40 gig external drive for 300 dollars or something which would cost something around $2,000 in compactflash.

Infact check out http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=159530
a thread on portable drives. Good luck!

edit: Oh and no, I've never had any problems with compact flash or secure disk running through x-rays. Shouldn't have to worry about that.

[nomorebs]

Hi there Kathy,

Let me know if you need some travel tips in Norway, and I'll try my best to help you out ;)
I really don't know whether you will need a portable hard drive or more memory cards on your trip. Do you intend to shoot lots of pictures?

[lakiluno]

something like this (http://www.card-media.co.uk/digi+magic+dvd.htm) would archive to CD or DVD from your CF card.

Theres also a lot of external hard drives that will back up CF cards.

CD's or DVD's are probably the safest option, as they don't get wiped if dropped or magnetised.

Leo

[kathy1]

>Let me know if you need some travel tips in Norway, and I'll try my best to help you out

Yes, I would love any tips I can get. One thing I can think of right now is: do I need to get two converters/adapters? I will be taking a hair dryer, and a digital camera battery charger. I went to Best Buy yesterday, and they had two kinds. I bought the one the sales person recommended, and when I opened the directions, it said it was only for appliances that heat (such as hair dryers)...and not for battery chargers.
Thanks.
Kathy

[Jon]

Check your battery charger. The ones for most Canons are dual-voltage - they'll run on either 110 or 240 V. For those, all you'd need would be an adapter plug (just changes one connector to another). But electronics and high-load devices take different kinds of converters (which actually change the voltage and the frequency of the current). The electronic devices are more sensitive to proper everything, so need a different converter.

[Angel_LCD]

>I will be taking a hair dryer
It would be cheaper to buy a hair dryer here in Norway for the trip ;) but most hotels has loaner hair dryers or installed hair dryers in the bathroom :) The charger you probably only need the cord for norwegian socket since most of them are as mentioned 100-240v :)

[nomorebs]

You don't say where you're from, but I take it you are from the US. The voltage here is 220V, so your Canon charger should be just fine, as it can handle both 220V and 110V. Instead of getting those expensive voltage converters/adapters, just get the standard power cable that plugs straight into your charger. The cable will cost you $7 or so.
http://www.komplett.no/mlf/produkt/bilder/processed/250/117112.jpg

Apart from that, I'd leave the hair dryer at home, and get a cheapie one when you get here. You can get them for about $15-20 in an 'Expert' or 'Elkjøp' store. Here's one at 1300W for 98 kroner (http://www.elkjop.no/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/store-elkjop-Site/no_NO/-/NOK/El_DisplayProductInformation-Start;pgid=bVZsy0IMnt0000E4VzBJQEe_00002z1EqGQ8?Pr oductID=ppDD4QFWeGEAAAEDt7etBDp6&CatalogCategoryID=C_LD4QFWdzoAAAEDIeCtBDZr&filename=productpage_text%2cproducttype_text%2cpro dtypes_vartypes_text&windowtitle=BABYLISS%20BA5081E).

Just ask if there's more you need to know. Where in Norway are you going to?

[kathy1]

Thank you to all of you who are helping me :-)
I just checked, and my Canon G6 battery charger (CG-580) does say "Input 100V-220V, AC 50/60 Hz, 22VA (100V)" and "Output 8.4V DC 1.2A"...so, just to be sure...does that mean I do not need a converter for my battery charger...just the adapter? This charger I have, does not have a cord, it plugs directly into the outlet...so all I would still need an adapter plug, right?
I am going in a group tour, from Olso to Stavenger, and in between. I expect to take many, many pictures, so want to be sure I am doing the right things with my camera and charger. I have two rechageable batteries, each about 1 year old. I have not had any problems with them. Any advice as to whether I should take new ones? Thanks again, everyone.
Kathy

[Jon]

Right, an adapter plug is all you need.

How many shots are you getting from your batteries now? Do they outlast your cards? If your battery life is greater than your card capacity, you should be OK for batteries.

[primoz]

I went to 3 weeks trip to USA last year and except for few nights we were in camps with tent all the time. This means no hair dryer and no electricity to charge batteries. But it's not really problem, since there's bunch of whatever those devices are called (sorry English is not my native language)... you plug it into cigarete lighter plug in car and you get out 110V of electricity. It's of course not enough to power your private air condition, but more then enough to charge gps, battery charger for 1d and for 8 AA bateries and laptop all at same time. And if your "group tour" means you will be traveling with bus and not with private car, I'm sure you can arrange with bus driver to borrow you that cigarete lighter plug in bus. In worse case you will need to buy him/her beer :)
And yes "Input 100V-220V, AC 50/60 Hz" means you will do just fine in Europe with it. But as one Nomorebs wrote, get Euro cable for charger. Or in worse case pop to duty-free shop on airport and buy one of those Samsonite plug converters. They are few $ only, and you will be good for traveling anywhere on world. But watch out it's not power converter (those are much more expensive), but only converters which you put on end of cable and it makes it possible to push US cable into Euro plug.
As far as hair dryer goes... really short haircut helps :p

[kathy1]

Thanks. There are so many things to learn! I will not worry about my charger, then, and will purchase an adapter plug for it.
Yes, I get several hundred pictures at highest resolution, before changing my battery. I just looked at my camera user guide, and it says I should get about 300 charge cycles out of a battery, and I know I am not anywhere near that number of re-charges, so the two batteries I have now should be ok.

[nomorebs]

Sounds like you're going on a bus trip ;) If you are, you can be sure that the bus is very comfortable, nice and clean with all facilities onboard. You'll probably have a lot of stops en route to Stavanger from Oslo. Do you know which route you will take? Makes it easier to name a few some locations that you shouldn't miss ;)

[kathy1]

Some of the cities our bus will be going through are Lillehammer, Oyer, Geiranger, Voss, Flom, Bergen. While in Norway, I am really looking forward to taking pictures, so any tips on special locations for pictures are welcome.

[René Damkot]

The Flåm railway (http://www.visitflam.com/default.asp) would be interesting...

[Angel_LCD]

Geiranger is very nice ;) save some space on your memorycards for it ;)

[kathy1]

My question now is: I would love to take some pictures of the fjords, mountains, etc in Norway but I would like to get a wider photo...so would it be worthwhile to get the Raynox 6600 wide angle lens attachment @99.95 at Lensmate, for my Canon G6? I have the 52 mm adapter...or would it be better just to take several pictures and stitch them together? I do not plan on taking a tripod...maybe just a small mini pod. Has anyone used any of those minipods sold at Lensmate? and how useful would the Velcro strap be on it? Thanks.
Kathy