places to download pics from a digital camera on the AT

[cabalot]

does anyone know of places along the AT that offer a service so we can download the pics from our digital cameras and burn to a cd that we could ship home. i love to shoot lots of pics, my olympus stylus 400 with a 256meg card can take 90 pics at the highest resolution and it would be a real hastle if i had to buy a second card and alternately ship one home and pick up the other because i can snap an average of atleast 30 pics a day on the trail.
there was a post on backpacker.com forum from a guy that was taking a survey to find out what people would think about the possibility of placing pic downloading stations along the trail, mabe near the shelters, so you could download from your camera and upload to an email address or a website where they could be stored for you to retrieve after your hike for a fee.

[gravityman]

Where have people done this on trail?

The only place that I know does this is the walmart in Pearisburg. That was in 2001. Now most walgreen/drug stores have this option.

There must be people hiking that have used this service. Please speak up!

Thanks!

Gravity Man

[tlbj6142]

My brother ("Father Ounce '04") has 2 memory cards. Sends one home to me once it gets full. I "empty" it and send it to his next mail drop.

For those of you who don't have someone at home to help, you can probably make similar arrangements with your local photo shop.

I also think there is a device (no idea what they are called) with a small harddrive in it that can read various memory cards and copy the files to disk. Keep that thing in your bounce box to empty your card every couple of weeks.

[Jaybird]

does anyone know of places along the AT that offer a service so we can download the pics from our digital cameras and burn to a cd that we could ship home. of atleast 30 pics a day on the trail..................




Cabalot


So, i think you've answered your own question here....you can go thru the hassle of finding the nearest WAL-MART close to the trail (or Walgreens, or CVS or whatever place that deals with digital media) or you can simply buy another media card & swap out....I'd choose the latter....

("GrassPicker" did this w/ her dad...aka: "Rain Man")

why burn the CD & ship it...let the folks @ home do that.

i took my Argus 5-megapixel digital camera with me & have a 256 card...but i set mine for lower resolution...(i wuz only out a week) & got about 210 shots (that i kept). i take loads of pics too....my suggestion:.................buy another media card....or two! :D

[gravityman]

Some of us don't have anyone at home that knows how to do this, or has the hardware to do it. That's why we are asking about this...

We have multiple cards, but when we are on trail it would be nice to have a list of towns with the service.

Also, as far as i am concerned, it's a lot less hassle to find a store that can do this (especially if you know where it is) than trying to coordinate the mailing of cards and avoiding closed POs on the weekend.

So, anyone know of towns that have this service?

Gravity man

[tlbj6142]

I found an example of one of those devices that reads memory cards and copies the data to a hard drive. There a couple listed on Newegg.com (great store, great prices, great service).

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=20-163-501&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=20-163-502&depa=0

Couple one of those with a cheap 2.5" drive like this one...

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=22-153-009&depa=0

Total cost around $90 (reader) + $71 (HD) = $161.

Probably cheaper than what it would cost you dump several hundred pictures along the trail at Wal-Mart/Wal-Greens/Wal-CVS/Wal-RiteAid/Wal-Ritz.

Edit: I just noticed that the first reader linked above is also a MP3 player. So all of you folks that don't like to listen to the silence when you hike could use it for music as well as pic backups.

Quick Math:

$0.25 x 500 = $125
$0.30 x 500 = $150
$0.40 x 500 = $200
$0.45 x 500 = $225

[poison_ivy]

I also think there is a device (no idea what they are called) with a small harddrive in it that can read various memory cards and copy the files to disk. Keep that thing in your bounce box to empty your card every couple of weeks.

I have one of these -- it's a Sima Image Bank (though I'm not sure if the company makes it any more because I got it cheap at a close-out sale.) I bought it for a trip to New Zealand, knowing that I would not have enough memory on two cards for all the pictures I planned to take. It is about the size of a small walkman and uses four AA batteries... I carried it with me on both of our backpacking trips. It worked great. I'd just take about 50 pictures then copy my card onto the harddrive & start over. There may be smaller & cheaper ones out on the market now, but it's something to look into.

- Ivy

[hungryhowie]

Other options besides something like an image bank, would be a portable CD-RW drive that you can use to copy your card to. They are about the size of a large discman, and you can bounce them in your bounce box and use them when you get to town. The apacer Disc Steno CP200 is either $200 or $300 (I forget) and fits this criteria.

Burn two CDs. Send one home and keep the other with you (for backup).

-Howie

[MisterSweetie]

I know someone who has one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=20-163-502&depa=0

(from the list above)

and he loves it. You can get different capacities, from 20 to maybe 60 or 80GB. 60GB worth of pictures is a lot of pictures. And if you've got money to burn, you can by the drive case, then put whatever size notebook hard drive in it that you want.

The product is battery powered, and has auto shutdown and all that. Transfer rates, from the reviews I read, are not all that fast... but still, I think this product is very much worth considering. If I was not going to be able to dump my cards to my computer, this is definately the way I would go. It might not be for the ultralights, at 0.66lbs, though.

[theodusius]

I had a 256MB card, so I didn't need to clear pictures off my card very often, I did it more for the sake of backing up the pictures. I remember Gatlinburg had a photo shop. At that point I didn't need it, but it was there. In Pearisburg, VA I went to the Walmart but there was a drug store in town that may burn CDs as well. The next place was a photo shop in Kent, CT.

- Theo

[Pencil Pusher]

Or this for a whopping $16 with shipping. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-163-402&depa=0
It's pretty easy, especially if you have Windows XP. Plug it in to a USB port and XP recognizes the reader. It automatically asks which photos you'd like to save when you insert a card. Pretty darn simple, so long as your friend at home knows how to turn on the computer;)

[Flash Hand]

Or this for a whopping $16 with shipping. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-163-402&depa=0
It's pretty easy, especially if you have Windows XP. Plug it in to a USB port and XP recognizes the reader. It automatically asks which photos you'd like to save when you insert a card. Pretty darn simple, so long as your friend at home knows how to turn on the computer;)

pardon me for obviously computer illiterate, Can you just explain me how it works? Does it have the same memory function as our today's modern computer, i.e. 40, 60 or 80 GB? You just buy this 16 bucks device, and its all ready to use. Take all pictures with digital camera's MB card and then when it is full, and remove MB card and install in the device you just mentioned, then press the transfer button and that it? I hope that device you are talking about, can hold 5,000 pictures?

If so, then why can't they created a digital camera with that device attached to it??

Flash Hand :jump

[tlbj6142]

You are correct PP isn't really talking about a device you can use along the trail. Just your standard USB card reader.

[Frosty]

i love to shoot lots of pics, my olympus stylus 400 with a 256meg card can take 90 pics at the highest resolution and it would be a real hastle if i had to buy a second card and alternately ship one home and pick up the other because i can snap an average of atleast 30 pics a day on the trail.Did you do the math on this? 30 pics a day will give you over 5000 photos for a thruhike. One of the benefits of a digital is the ability to delete unwanted photos right off the camera card. A pair of 256 MEG cards to swap out via mail might be adequate if you do housekeeping. Hard to imagine 5000 keepable photos. It'd take teh next two years just to caption them.

A bigger problem will be that your battery will need frequent replacement. I hve an Olympus Stylus 300, and while I love the light weight, simplicity, and waterproof lens cover, it takes a proprietarty battery rather than AA's.

I bought a second battery. One battery will do me for enough to take about 150 pictures if I don't leave it on for long periods of time. Turn on, shoot, turn off. I have a 128 MEG card and generally use next to highest quality, which give 160 pictures. Higher than that and the camera is capable of taking a better picture than I can hold the camera still enough for, especially in low light.

But even with second battery, I will either need to carry charger (annoying) or bounce it ahead (expensive). If you mail the charger to yourself to a place four-five days up the trail for five months, you are looking at serious $$$.

[lilmountaingirl]

K - this thread is almost 2 years old, but I have the same question. I see a lot of folks updating journals w/photos from the trail - is this more common now? Are there more places to upload photos?

I have a 512mb that I am bringing. I haven't bought another one, but could.
My camera can be plugged into most pc's with USB but can I do this from, say, an internet cafe, and just upload right to webshots or DL them onto a CD from there?

[Local]

Yeah, this is an old thread, but seems to be an ongoing problem. We are going to try within the next two weeks to set up the Baja Cafe in Damascus, Virginia, with both a card-reader and a wireless connection. The card-reader would obviously be of more interest to hikers, unless some of you are carrying your laptop due to separation anxiety (I have this problem). The way we hope to make it work is that you walk in, create a temporary folder on the Baja computer, plug your SD/MMC/SM/MS/CF/yadayada into the reader, download your photos, burn a CD (we will have them available at cost), check your CD, then delete your folder. That's the ideal scenario. You could also send photos to friends and family. By the end of April this should be doable. In the meantime if you come through town and need to download, upload, whatever, ask Sheriff or Beckie at the Baja to contact me.

Those of you who need to upload your files to a website, please let me know what type of program you need for this. I will assume a standard FTP (Filezilla, for example).

The AT runs about 60 feet from the Baja, by the way.

[hikerjohnd]

K - this thread is almost 2 years old, but I have the same question. I see a lot of folks updating journals w/photos from the trail - is this more common now? Are there more places to upload photos?

I have a 512mb that I am bringing. I haven't bought another one, but could.
My camera can be plugged into most pc's with USB but can I do this from, say, an internet cafe, and just upload right to webshots or DL them onto a CD from there?

Glad you pointed out the age of the thread... I wondered about folks dealing with 256mb cards - anyway - yes, most internet stops allow you to upload photos to webshots - as to dl to a CD, that depends on hardware - I wouldn't count on it, but I wouldn't rule it out either. You may need to carry a media reader with you - some cameras require downloading software onto the PC, the media reader just adds a drive - no software needed (assuming most i-net cafes are on XP...)

Memory cards are often on sale - I just got a 2GB SD card for $60 - immagine the pics that can hold... Watch PCMall (http://www.pcmall.com/) for specials - great place to shop, but mail in rebates take FOREVER.

[hammock engineer]

Now memory cards are a lot cheaper. You can buy a 2 GB SD card for a $100 give or take. That should hold over a 1000 pics on med resolution.

That and a backup 256 KB card at home to be sent to me while I send home the other card is my plan.

[hammock engineer]

Glad you pointed out the age of the thread... I wondered about folks dealing with 256mb cards - anyway - yes, most internet stops allow you to upload photos to webshots - as to dl to a CD, that depends on hardware - I wouldn't count on it, but I wouldn't rule it out either. You may need to carry a media reader with you - some cameras require downloading software onto the PC, the media reader just adds a drive - no software needed (assuming most i-net cafes are on XP...)

Memory cards are often on sale - I just got a 2GB SD card for $60 - immagine the pics that can hold... Watch PCMall (http://www.pcmall.com/) for specials - great place to shop, but mail in rebates take FOREVER.

Beat me to it.

[The Solemates]

there was a post on backpacker.com forum from a guy that was taking a survey to find out what people would think about the possibility of placing pic downloading stations along the trail, mabe near the shelters, so you could download from your camera and upload to an email address or a website where they could be stored for you to retrieve after your hike for a fee.

oh brother. this has got to be the dumbest idea i have EVER heard. id like to shoot the guy who came up with it.

[RadioFreq]

I'm with you, Soulmate. Connectivity at shelters on the AT?!?!?! I'm planning my thruhike for 2010 and I shudder to think what that would lead to considering the advancement in technology expected in the next 3 years. Think about it.....people all e-mailing back and forth...video conferencing...watching TV and movies on the itsy, bitsy laptop they've lugged to the shelter. I think most thru hikers would shy away from doing this, but what about the day hikers, overnighters or weekenders? I, for one, would not want to be subjected to that over and over again. Save it for the zero days in town.

(Okay, after going over the previous semi-rant it just dawned on me that
my entire argument may be moot...think direct satellite connectivity. If
there's a buck to be made it will happen.)

P.S. I am not a Luddite.

[Cuffs]

I see this topic is up again... so here...

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13271

Even if you only need to upload your pics (no journal entries) I can handle that. You just need to have at least 2 (and maybe 3) memory cards.

[skeeterfeeder]

I carried a 512 card in my Easyshare and was able to usually find a Wal-Mart or CVS to burn cd's. (A gig or better would be best). I would make two copies of the cd's and send them to two different people for safe keeping. And then when I called home later and find they had received them, ONLY then would I erase the photos from the camera's memory.
I managed to take about 3,000 photos his way.
I would advise against the card switching method. One guy on the trail sent home his first memory card but when the letter arrived, it had been cut open by a mail sorting machine and was empty. He lost the first 300 pictures of the trail. Never to be replaced.