Memory cards on holiday

Southdowns

Southdowns

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I discussed this with a few people on the recent Northumberland meet, and didn't really get a definitive answer, so I'm hoping others can help.

I'm off on holiday very soon, and am flying Ryanair. As you may know, their baggage allowances are very very strict.

I'll be taking about 96 GB worth of empty memory cards with me, which is no problem on the way out, but I'm worried that once I've filled them, they'll take me over the weight limit for the return journey.

Does anyone know how much a MB weighs, and whether or not it's heavier or lighter overall if I shoot in raw? Each jpeg will weigh less than each raw of course, but there'd be fewer raws, and I don't know whether there's any packaging or anything around a jpeg that would add up? I've heard about "compression artefacts"; are they very weighty things?

Similarly, does my subject matter matter? I'm thinking that maybe a heavy sky might weigh more than some candy floss would, for example?

Obviously I'm not completely thick; I do know for example that I'll have to keep my lenses separate from my camera, because the camera weighs less that way, that I need to empty my batteries (they are after all high capacity ones), and that I should squeeze my dust blower flat to eliminate extra weight from the air it contains, but this card issue has me stumped :(

If it helps with the answer, I've noticed that my arms get more and more painful as a day of shooting at arms length through garden hedges progresses, which can only be because my memory cards are getting heavier as they fill up. It's just that I don't know by how much?

Also, customs. Because I'll have obtained the pictures while out of the country, as opposed to taking them with me from home, will I have to declare them and possibly pay duty, like I might with camera equipment? If so, is there a standard value that Customs apply to each picture, because I wouldn't know what to value them at, especially as some might be more compromising better than others?

I'm sure plenty of people on here must have wrestled with these problems before, so I'm hoping some of you can offer the advice I need.

Thank you.
 
:)
 
just stick to photographing flowers and fluffy clouds and you will be fine, but stay away from photographing heavy objects likes large rocks and deep water
If you are going to India or Africa avoid photographing Elephants, them things will surely weigh heavy on your memory cards.

Have a nice holiday:)
 
slinkery said:
What I would probably do is transfer your images back via IP over Avian Carriers (IPoAC). This relatively new technology would solve all your weight issues. Link for more info below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers
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Hmm, it's a good idea, but I use Windows and I've heard IPoAC has issues with that; the pigeons tend to crash into the Windows don't they?




(PS, I don't really use Windows; got to go and wash my mouth out with soap and water now!)
 
If you stick to photographing birds in flight, I guess the pictures would weight practically nothing. After all, air don't weigh that much and if the bird is in flight and not sat on anything it's weightless.

Oh, and take the label off the memory card, you'll be able to take a few rock photos then.
 
Lol:-)
 
Thanks for your help everyone! I've found a solution though on TalkOCD.com; I'm going to use flash on all my shots..............that's very light!
 
towershot said:
Hope it's not a ghost hunting holiday.
Shots of spirits have a heavy duty at customs.:p
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Interesting; I'd assumed they'd be a dead weight?
 
Great idea about the flash. Also if you expose every shot heavily TTR they will be lighter still.

Why not upload all your picture files to cloud storage before you come home. As backup, take a photo of the cloud so you only have one photo to transport (though you might want to consider bracketing for later HDR so you don't lose any shots). Obviously shoot the cloud in RAW so you can recover every picture file.

Oh, and don't forget to leave your hotshoe cover at home.
 
Remember that portrait shots weigh less because they don't use that black strip on either side of the screen.
 
weybourne said:
Remember that portrait shots weigh less because they don't use that black strip on either side of the screen.
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Yes, but aren't vertical stripes meant to be slimming?
 
simonblue said:
Try shooting the smallest j-peg size you can :D
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Using Jpeg may lull you into a false sense of security. The compression is going to make the big airy clouds into small dense objects so the extra size may make you think you have more space on your memory card but not take into account the density and weight of the card.

Of course, the jpeg is not going to need to store all the air in the clouds in the compressed version because that can be pumped back in when the image gets inflated.

Good luck with your flight :D
 
I had never thought about this till now, but it explains why my camera always appears to weigh more at the end of the day.
 
AlfyB said:
Using Jpeg may lull you into a false sense of security. The compression is going to make the big airy clouds into small dense objects so the extra size may make you think you have more space on your memory card but not take into account the density and weight of the card.

Of course, the jpeg is not going to need to store all the air in the clouds in the compressed version because that can be pumped back in when the image gets inflated.

Good luck with your flight :D
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I think compressors weigh quite a bit anyway don't they? Perhaps I could take mine out of the camera before I go, or at least swap it for a gas powered one. Gas has to weigh less than diesel, no?

I think I'll contact Sony about it; they must offer an accessory surely?
 
I imagine Sony can offer a virtual alternative so you will not need to carry any "camera" gear at all.
 
AlfyB said:
Using Jpeg may lull you into a false sense of security. The compression is going to make the big airy clouds into small dense objects so the extra size may make you think you have more space on your memory card but not take into account the density and weight of the card.

Of course, the jpeg is not going to need to store all the air in the clouds in the compressed version because that can be pumped back in when the image gets inflated.

Good luck with your flight :D
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Didnt think of that :eek:,maybe a slight weight diff beteew lexar & sandisk ;)
 
One solution may be to see if you can find some helium-filled balloons before you fly back. Suspend each card from one of these, and allow them to float free in the aircraft cabin. This will negate any excess weight added to your cards, and offer amusement and diversion to other passengers.*

Along these lines, pumping helium into your suitcase (it'll need to be helium-sealed, of course!), can help you avoid paying excess baggage weight charges.

One more tip: There is still a ban on carrying more than small amounts of liquid onto aircraft. This can be easily circumvented by carrying ice. Ice is a solid, not a liquid. There is nothing in airline regulations preventing the conversion of solids into liquids once aboard, subject to safety concerns. You will have no problem with security once you have pointed this out to them.

* There are restrictions on the number of items you can carry onto an aircraft. You will not be carrying a helium-filled balloon (or a number of them); if anything they are helping to carry you. Point out that this will help make the aircraft lighter, thus saving fuel.
 
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MJWC1 said:
I imagine Sony can offer a virtual alternative so you will not need to carry any "camera" gear at all.
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Brilliant! I called Sony, and although I couldn't hear the guy too well (his colleague must have told him a joke or something because he was laughing between words; very rude), he did say that while Sony prefer to develop physical cameras, he was aware of a virtual alternative here; http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/.

I'll be taking my laptop anyway (though with the screen removed, again to save weight), so can connect to that site while I'm out there and get my photo's that way. I particularly wanted shots of windmills, so this apparatus seems to be ideal!

The only thing is, I'll need a very long ethernet cable to connect my laptop to my router at home, so I can get onto the interweb. I'll check out the weight per mile of that, but the one my mate used to connect two yoghurt pots with was pretty light I think.
 
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Another question, not related to photography, but you people seem to know what you're talking about:

They don't speak English where I'm going, and I don't speak their language. If my elderly Mum needs to call me while I'm away, how will I know what she's saying?
 
Southdowns said:
Another question, not related to photography, but you people seem to know what you're talking about:

They don't speak English where I'm going, and I don't speak their language. If my elderly Mum needs to call me while I'm away, how will I know what she's saying?
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You need something small, yellow and leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe to stick in your ear. But I don't know the price of fish.
 
I'm now thinking that on the basis of this memory card thing and it being heavier once full, that my weight problems are not linked to the pies I've eaten, but are more associated with how many memories I have stored in my head.

Therefore, my new weight loss program is to walk around with my eyes closed and to use ear plugs so I observe nothing and thus take in no more pointless heavy memories. Sleeping is the new weight loss winner, as is staring into space, no wonder I was lighter when I went to school!!
 
Southdowns said:
Another question, not related to photography, but you people seem to know what you're talking about:

They don't speak English where I'm going, and I don't speak their language. If my elderly Mum needs to call me while I'm away, how will I know what she's saying?
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If you have a smart phone there is probably a app to help with any translations. It should be OK if your Mum didn't have a mobile as your phone would be handling translations, but I'd check anything like that before you go. ;)
 
Southdowns said:
Another question, not related to photography, but you people seem to know what you're talking about:

They don't speak English where I'm going, and I don't speak their language. If my elderly Mum needs to call me while I'm away, how will I know what she's saying?
Click to expand...

I find shouting very loud in English,help in these foriegn places :D
 
simonblue said:
I find shouting very loud in English,help in these foriegn places :D
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That, and pointing at things of course.

I find that for some reason they sometimes don't understand English in a loud voice, but pointing as well is the universal translator it seems. :shrug:

It's why we should have video phones when phoning abroad. ;) :lol:
 
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Make sure you pack cans of diet coke if you want to keep the weight down. The 330ml can of diet coke is actually 13g less than a 330ml can of normal cherry coke. Wonder how many MB it would take to fill the difference.
 
The only thing that puzzles me about this thread,
it titled "memory cards on holiday"
If they are on holiday, surely they shouldn't be working or indeed
being encumbered by images?

Ergo there is no problem :thumbs:
 
Yeah, but if they're anything like me they'll put weight on just sitting about :(
 
Just don't let them get wet,or feed them after midnight

And they'll be fine, honestly don't worry :thumbs:
 
Southdowns said:
I'll be taking my laptop anyway (though with the screen removed, again to save weight)
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It might be a good idea to leave the keyboard and mouse touchpad at home too. There's some very good voice recognition software available now that means those things just add unnecessary extra weight.

I don't know how much voice recognition software weighs, but I reckon that it must be less than the keyboard and touchpad . . . when my laptop is open the touchpad and keyboard take over all of the bottom half and that part seems to be a lot heavier than the top half with the screen on it :thinking:
 
Good idea Sarah. I'm also going to delete most of my music collection; heavy metal mainly.
 
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