Tablet for sending photos from the field?

Hello,

Is this a viable option? I would like input from anyone who has or knows anyone who has had experience using a tablet for editing and sending photos in the field. By 'in the field' I mean anyone who has been employed or freelanced as a photojournalist (newspapers, news agency, doesn't matter) and sent photos from events (conferences, rallies, etc.).

I own a 15.4 inch HP 250 G4, but it's slow and cumbersome, and I am looking for a replacement on a budget. Yes I would get a smaller Dell XPS or a Macbook Pro, but they are just too expensive for me now. I've been doing some research, but I would like specific input for what I am asking here. I might have missed a thread here, if so, please direct me, and I will promptly remove this thread.

Generally speaking, I am looking into a 9.7 inch or a 10.1 inch, or even something larger with a decent resolution screen, so I can get a basic feel of the photo before sending it in. The adjustments will mostly be made to contrast, highlights, nothing really that demanding (for any demanding work I have a decent desktop).

The thing that bothers me is that I haven't seen many (if any) credible posts made by professionals who used a tablet in the field to do news reporting.

Thank you in advance, I am looking for input on disadvantages and advantages of using a tablet versus a laptop.

Cheers!

Canon?

I've used my phone and a tablet with my 6D, works great. I'm not a journalist, but in discussions with a publisher, the need to edit is almost non-existent.

Anything with a wifi and cellular connection will likely be fine.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I own a 1Ds Mark II, so I would have to transfer the photos through a card slot. Generally, editing is not the most important thing. Most of the photos are good out of camera, but I would like to have that option as well.

iOS SD card reader: https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …1vWgwoEAQYAiABE​gLJxvD_BwE

There are plenty of options for iOS or Android.

I'd say figure out what platform you want, what size device you want, make sure it is able to get on your cell carrier, and then start looking at hardware and software for data transfer.

I have an iPhone SE, but I'd rather have something a bit bigger, so I can look at the photos without squinting. I would be comfortable with an Android tablet with a minimum screen size od 9.7 inches. What I'm actually looking is if anyone has had experience with this type of thing.

Thanks for the link!

Any android or Apple tablet should be able to do this with JPEG as long as they support external drives (to my knowledge all Android tablets do).

If you want to get into RAW or light tweaks then you may narrow the list a bit.

You could use a Surface Pro which is just a Windows laptop in tablet form, it'll do everything your laptop can do in a smaller and lighter profile.

I was going to let this go a little while before I posted again, maybe a day was long enough?

I wonder if why you haven't been able to find evidence of this being accepted practice is that is is so common these days? If that's the case, it might not warrant much discussion.

I've used the process quite a bit and find it not just super simple, but a great convenience with great results for my needs.

For the cost of the iOS card reader you can try it out on your phone. FWIW, I have the iPhone SE too. Yes it is small, but you can easily zoom in and check focus and other details. Use of the Canon's Picture Styles will help getting straight out of camera jpgs that are preprocessed. If you think it suits your needs, and your editors like it, then make the investment in another device.

Strahinja wrote in post #18607862
The thing that bothers me is that I haven't seen many (if any) credible posts made by professionals who used a tablet in the field to do news reporting.

Most of the pros I know who need to process images immediately use a laptop as it is less hassle/easier to work with.

I don't need to do immediate processing but I have fooled around a couple of times with my phone and LR mobile. It works and provided you aren't editing a lot of shots or doing complex edits it is OK. Just need to make sure you have the correct cable or wireless capability to transfer the images.

I thought that the MS Surface was supposed to be the way to go for this sort of thing. Given that it is effectively a full laptop specification, running #win 10 with full programs, not the pared down mobile apps.

Alan

In the meantime I found that the Photoshop Express app is perfectly fine for basic editing and correction, works beautifully. The reason why I asked for the tablet is pure convenience and display size. I guess the phone is enough, but then again... I still haven't found concrete examples of top agencies pj's using tablets in the field. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but from my perspective, a tablet is a very viable option. Which is exactly why I wondered if any pros are using it.

Nevertheless, I'm thinking about definitely going down the tablet path, since I have room for trial and error - meaning I can try it out without severe consequences if I don't manage with it.

Thank you for your response, and I apologize for the lack of mine, just got back from Amsterdam

Al, I believe you are completely right, that is as of now, my first choice. Thank you for your insight, hopefully the Surface will serve me good when I obtain it

Here is an example of one type of mobile workflow.

Thanks Bcaps, that's exactly the kind of article I've been eager to read.

Based on newspaper tech and admin experience I suggest first talking with the people who will receive your files. Most would rather you do nothing except make sure you have provided full and accurate information on names, locations, context, etc. They would much rather do post their way. If your present equipment allows you to make sure focus and exposure are okay you may not need to invest in something better.

BigAl007 wrote in post #18610953
I thought that the MS Surface was supposed to be the way to go for this sort of thing. Given that it is effectively a full laptop specification, running #win 10 with full programs, not the pared down mobile apps.

Alan

A windows 10 based tablet is I think the way to go if you want something that is portable a lot of them have proper USB3 ports so will work with card readers and portable drives. You can get ones that also have decent external keyboards etc on the whole its a far less compromised work flow as long as you get one up to the task specs wise.