Traveling light and then facing challenges

I wonder if people write about visiting the USA, forgetting a charger, and how they managed to survive.

;)

Congrats on getting your paper published Raid.
 
So you went with 5 fully charged batteries, I mean, 5 ! And, still, you couldn't use anything else than an iPhone ? How many days did the trip last ?

Some years ago I went in Tuscany for 5 days with a D700 and two OEM Nikon batteries (and the charger). Battery #1 failed on day #4. Battery #2 came back home almost fully charged. I did not use the charger once there.

I came back with 450 shots in NEF (that was too much of course but it's another debate).

That's where DSLRs all still rock. Those charming mirrorless toys with their very poor battery life aren't for me. Anyway, that was the only trip on which I took a "serious" digital camera. All other trips, included some longer ones, were with meterless and 100% mechanical film gear, and plenty of film rolls in my pockets. The real freedom when you travel. No batteries, no chimping, no lightmeter. It works just super.


I used both cameras until the end. I had batteries that worked well.
 
So what did you do? Are you still traveling?

We got home this morning.
1. I slowed down with taking photos with my two cameras, and I became more selective.
2. I started to use my iphone more often.

I still had some battery charge left when we eventually left Italy.
 
Is there a camera store anywhere nearby where you can get a charger?

Do you have access to WiFi at night which will enable you to upload images to an online storage account like Dropbox? Your phone will be cleared each morning in this way.

How long are you away, and are you staying in one place? Could you order an Oly battery charger online and have it sent to where you are staying?

I could have placed an online order, but this never came to mind.
 
I had the pleasure to spend a few days with Raid and his beautiful family during this trip in Italy.

I do not think we could have found a charger in a store in the area, also keeping in mind that Raid's cameras are not the last model in the market and we were in small touristic villages without important photo shops. Maybe later in Rome. But for what I know shops in Italy tend not to keep spare parts.

Being in a crowded touristic area with primary goal to make your family happy and to relax makes photography a different experience...I'm glad Raid managed to enjoy the trip and collect important images for him and his family!

robert
 
Thanks, Robert. You know me, and you know how I feel about enjoying life.

All of us greatly enjoyed meeting you and Simo again.

Raid
 
I took many photos with the E-P2 and E-PL1 with the Zeiss 5cm/1.5 and Summilux 25mm/1.4, both being amazingly good lenses.
 
I had the pleasure to spend a few days with Raid and his beautiful family during this trip in Italy.

I do not think we could have found a charger in a store in the area, also keeping in mind that Raid's cameras are not the last model in the market and we were in small touristic villages without important photo shops. Maybe later in Rome. But for what I know shops in Italy tend not to keep spare parts.

Being in a crowded touristic area with primary goal to make your family happy and to relax makes photography a different experience...I'm glad Raid managed to enjoy the trip and collect important images for him and his family!

robert

This trip is done, of course, but for people who find themselves in similar situations, universal lithium ion battery chargers are pretty easy to come by -- camera stores, phone stores, and even drug stores often have them. It's hard for me to imagine anywhere in the world where one can't be come by cheaply. I bought and used one in a similar situation and later bought one for my daughter who had a couple of oddball batteries (graphics pad, phone) and they worked fine.
 
This post has reminded me to take my Sony rechargeable battery when I'm travelling in Italy in a couple of month's time. The battery (shown below with my latest travel camera) can be recharged using an iPhone charger, and then it will recharge the camera several times by reversing the same cable. It covers you if there is no access to mains power for some days, as can happen on my motorbike trips.
U51008I1497419909.SEQ.0.jpg
 
Raid, if I was shooting with a travel kit as light as yours, I'd take:

- Panasonic GM1 (even smaller than the E-P2)
- Panasonic 14/2.5
- Olympus 25/1.8
- Olympus 45/1.8
- four batteries

and maybe a second body like the Panasonic GM5 or GX850. Wide lens on one camera, normal or tele on the other.

And two chargers in separate bags! Glad the photographic end of your trip turned out okay.

@mcfingon - I love how that 50 Elmar looks on the A7s. Do you have any sample images in another thread?
 
This trip is done, of course, but for people who find themselves in similar situations, universal lithium ion battery chargers are pretty easy to come by -- camera stores, phone stores, and even drug stores often have them. It's hard for me to imagine anywhere in the world where one can't be come by cheaply. I bought and used one in a similar situation and later bought one for my daughter who had a couple of oddball batteries (graphics pad, phone) and they worked fine.

Thanks for the tip which could be useful in future, you never know what you'll forget!

Can these universal chargers be used with cameras batteries? Different shapes, sizes, contacts, etc. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I have much to learn about batteries.

robert
 
Can these universal chargers be used with cameras batteries? Different shapes, sizes, contacts, etc. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I have much to learn about batteries.

robert
Yes Robert. I have used an universal charger to successfully recharge my Olympus EPM-2 batteries. The concept is that you can move the pins on the charger to fit many different batteries.
 
Yes Robert. I have used an universal charger to successfully recharge my Olympus EPM-2 batteries. The concept is that you can move the pins on the charger to fit many different batteries.

Good to know, something learned! thanks
rob

PS: and it was a nice trip!

med_U3692I1497454653.SEQ.0.jpg
 
Raid, if I was shooting with a travel kit as light as yours, I'd take:

- Panasonic GM1 (even smaller than the E-P2)
- Panasonic 14/2.5
- Olympus 25/1.8
- Olympus 45/1.8
- four batteries

and maybe a second body like the Panasonic GM5 or GX850. Wide lens on one camera, normal or tele on the other.

And two chargers in separate bags! Glad the photographic end of your trip turned out okay.

@mcfingon - I love how that 50 Elmar looks on the A7s. Do you have any sample images in another thread?

Hi. I will post images soon from the trip and of the equipment. I used what I had in my posession, so I did not want to buy new cameras or lenses.
 
Thanks for the tip which could be useful in future, you never know what you'll forget!

Can these universal chargers be used with cameras batteries? Different shapes, sizes, contacts, etc. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I have much to learn about batteries.

robert

Very interesting! I agree.:D
 
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