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Inca Trail and Battery Charging



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 29th 17, 07:28 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
SMS
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Posts: 2,312
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

My wife and daughter are going on an Inca Trail trip to Machu Pichu next
year.

What are some ways to manage the lack of any way to charge devices along
the way?

I can give them some USB power banks, though these are rather heavy to
carry and the losses to charge one battery from another battery are
significant.

From what I've seen of the hand-crank USB chargers, they are really not
practical, you'd have to stay up all night cranking just to charge a
small battery.

There are some small solar panels that hang on a backpack, that claim to
deliver 500mA of current, and that are about $100. These could probably
charge a 1200mAH battery in five or six hours.

There is a wood-powered USB charger, but I don't know if it's possible
to find fuel along the trail. This would be good to use at night, since
solar obviously won't work.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2

Or I can just buy them four or five spare camera batteries each. These
are for compact P&S cameras, not for SLRs, and after-market batteries
are $10 each.

Has anyone here come up with a good solution for trips of several days
where they will not have any access to electricity?

The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many old P&S
film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.
  #2  
Old October 29th 17, 07:39 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
Neil[_9_]
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Posts: 521
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

On 10/29/2017 2:28 PM, sms wrote:
My wife and daughter are going on an Inca Trail trip to Machu Pichu next
year.

What are some ways to manage the lack of any way to charge devices along
the way?

I can give them some USB power banks, though these are rather heavy to
carry and the losses to charge one battery from another battery are
significant.

From what I've seen of the hand-crank USB chargers, they are really not
practical, you'd have to stay up all night cranking just to charge a
small battery.

There are some small solar panels that hang on a backpack, that claim to
deliver 500mA of current, and that are about $100. These could probably
charge a 1200mAH battery in five or six hours.

There is a wood-powered USB charger, but I don't know if it's possible
to find fuel along the trail. This would be good to use at night, since
solar obviously won't work.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2

Or I can just buy them four or five spare camera batteries each. These
are for compact P&S cameras, not for SLRs, and after-market batteries
are $10 each.

Has anyone here come up with a good solution for trips of several days
where they will not have any access to electricity?

The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many old P&S
film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.


Of your choices, it sounds like the best option is to buy extra camera
batteries and a multi-battery charger when they have access to AC power.

--
best regards,

Neil
  #3  
Old October 29th 17, 09:07 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
newshound
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Posts: 458
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

On 29/10/2017 18:39, Neil wrote:
On 10/29/2017 2:28 PM, sms wrote:
My wife and daughter are going on an Inca Trail trip to Machu Pichu
next year.

What are some ways to manage the lack of any way to charge devices
along the way?

I can give them some USB power banks, though these are rather heavy to
carry and the losses to charge one battery from another battery are
significant.

Â*From what I've seen of the hand-crank USB chargers, they are really
not practical, you'd have to stay up all night cranking just to charge
a small battery.

There are some small solar panels that hang on a backpack, that claim
to deliver 500mA of current, and that are about $100. These could
probably charge a 1200mAH battery in five or six hours.

There is a wood-powered USB charger, but I don't know if it's possible
to find fuel along the trail. This would be good to use at night,
since solar obviously won't work.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2

Or I can just buy them four or five spare camera batteries each. These
are for compact P&S cameras, not for SLRs, and after-market batteries
are $10 each.

Has anyone here come up with a good solution for trips of several days
where they will not have any access to electricity?

The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many old
P&S film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.


Of your choices, it sounds like the best option is to buy extra camera
batteries and a multi-battery charger when they have access to AC power.

+1. Assuming they will be taking "tourist" numbers of images rather than
professional, and know how to switch off the screen (and wifi, for newer
cameras). My impression from my kids (who are pretty serious travellers)
phone charging is seldom a problem even somewhat off the mainstream routes.
  #4  
Old October 29th 17, 09:14 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
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Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article , sms
wrote:

The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many old P&S
film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.


then they'd have to carry a ****load of film and deal with it being
nuked at the airports.
  #5  
Old October 30th 17, 04:36 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
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Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article , MC
wrote:


The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many
old P&S film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.


then they'd have to carry a ****load of film and deal with it being
nuked at the airports.


Not with those lead lined (or whatever they were) anti-nuke film bags.
I used to have three or four of them.


https://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/S...rmation/Transp
ortation/Do_X_Rays_Harm_My_Film/default.htm
The once popular lead-lined carry bags aren't practical today because
if an inspector can't see through the bag, he will increase the
intensity of the x-ray until he can. Therefore, film may receive more
harmful radiation than it would otherwise if it were normally
inspected.

the tsa will normally require that the film be removed from such a bag
and put through the x-ray unprotected.

you can ask for a hand inspection, but they don't have to oblige and
can confiscate the film (or anything else) for any reason they want,
'out of an abundance of caution.'

meanwhile, memory cards can hold many thousands of photos and
unaffected by x-rays.
  #6  
Old October 31st 17, 03:18 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
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Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:

That would be one advantage that film has (and appropriate camera) is that
you can take pictures without any form of electrical power.


only if the camera has a mechanical shutter *and* the person guesses
the exposure correctly *and* the shutter is not out of adjustment.

perhaps they could stop at an antique store prior to the journey to
find such a camera.
  #7  
Old October 31st 17, 05:41 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:


That would be one advantage that film has (and appropriate camera) is that
you can take pictures without any form of electrical power.


only if the camera has a mechanical shutter *and* the person guesses
the exposure correctly *and* the shutter is not out of adjustment.


Not difficult for someone that knows what they are doing, it's been done for
years in the past. Someone that knows what they are doing could take a pretty
good guess.


most people don't.

perhaps they could stop at an antique store prior to the journey to
find such a camera.


Well anyone that doesn't take enough batteries or a way to charge those
batteries in a similar sitution might be better off with film at least
they'll get a result something they won't get with dead batteries.


batteries are widely available.
  #8  
Old October 31st 17, 07:42 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
occam
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Posts: 6
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

On 29/10/2017 19:28, sms wrote:
My wife and daughter are going on an Inca Trail trip to Machu Pichu next
year.

What are some ways to manage the lack of any way to charge devices along
the way?

I can give them some USB power banks, though these are rather heavy to
carry and the losses to charge one battery from another battery are
significant.

From what I've seen of the hand-crank USB chargers, they are really not
practical, you'd have to stay up all night cranking just to charge a
small battery.

There are some small solar panels that hang on a backpack, that claim to
deliver 500mA of current, and that are about $100. These could probably
charge a 1200mAH battery in five or six hours.

There is a wood-powered USB charger, but I don't know if it's possible
to find fuel along the trail. This would be good to use at night, since
solar obviously won't work.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2

Or I can just buy them four or five spare camera batteries each. These
are for compact P&S cameras, not for SLRs, and after-market batteries
are $10 each.

Has anyone here come up with a good solution for trips of several days
where they will not have any access to electricity?

The other suggestion I made is that we resurrect one of our many old P&S
film cameras and that they take a bunch of film.


Here is an idea. Think out of the box.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...hone-walk.html

What works for a phone will work for a camera, with some adjustments.
They will be doing a lot of walking right?
  #9  
Old November 1st 17, 02:09 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:

That would be one advantage that film has (and appropriate camera) is
that
you can take pictures without any form of electrical power.

only if the camera has a mechanical shutter *and* the person guesses
the exposure correctly *and* the shutter is not out of adjustment.

Not difficult for someone that knows what they are doing, it's been done
for
years in the past. Someone that knows what they are doing could take a
pretty
good guess.


most people don't.


Then that's what seperate photographers from picture takers.


photographer means picture taker.

perhaps they could stop at an antique store prior to the journey to
find such a camera.

Well anyone that doesn't take enough batteries or a way to charge those
batteries in a similar sitution might be better off with film at least
they'll get a result something they won't get with dead batteries.


batteries are widely available.


I wouldn't rely on getting a canon or nikon battery for a DLSR at the top of
machu picchu, have you been there ? I haven't but a friend has.


bring spare batteries before you go, along with hundreds of rolls of
film.

don't blame nikon/canon for being unprepared.

meanwhile, those with digital cameras can shoot several thousand photos
on a memory card the size of a postage stamp, and in some cases, on a
single battery charge.
  #10  
Old November 1st 17, 02:49 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24,165
Default Inca Trail and Battery Charging

In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:

That would be one advantage that film has (and appropriate
camera) is
that
you can take pictures without any form of electrical power.

only if the camera has a mechanical shutter *and* the person guesses
the exposure correctly *and* the shutter is not out of adjustment.

Not difficult for someone that knows what they are doing, it's been
done
for
years in the past. Someone that knows what they are doing could take a
pretty
good guess.

most people don't.

Then that's what seperate photographers from picture takers.


photographer means picture taker.


Not to those that know the difference.


there is no difference.

everyone who takes a photo, no matter how good or bad it may be, no
matter what the purpose of the photo is for, is a photographer, by
definition. obviously, some photographers are better than others, but
they are *all* photographers.

But if you consider all photos to be snaps and those that take selfies
portrait artists, then I'm an athelete .


that's not what i said.

perhaps they could stop at an antique store prior to the journey to
find such a camera.

Well anyone that doesn't take enough batteries or a way to charge
those
batteries in a similar sitution might be better off with film at least
they'll get a result something they won't get with dead batteries.

batteries are widely available.

I wouldn't rely on getting a canon or nikon battery for a DLSR at the top
of
machu picchu, have you been there ? I haven't but a friend has.


bring spare batteries before you go, along with hundreds of rolls of
film.


You should take what you need.


how do you know how much that is going to be? you don't.

it's better to have extra that goes unused than not enough and miss
opportunities.

don't blame nikon/canon for being unprepared.


I didn't, but don;t expect to buy the batteries you want at the top of machu
picchu because there isn't one, there isnlt a michelin restaurant either.


that's why you prepare ahead of time.

meanwhile, those with digital cameras can shoot several thousand photos
on a memory card the size of a postage stamp, and in some cases, on a
single battery charge.


If they have charge in theior batteries if they have they'll get nothing on their memoery cards.


that's why they charge the batteries ahead of time.

if they aren't prepared, then they have only themselves to blame.
 




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