I need a light compact system for travel

[esotericvision]

Hello Everyone,

I'm starting to shoot and travel again. This time I'm on Lightroom CC and want to set up a for lightweight travel. I'm hoping to use a tablet, CF card reader, powered USB hub, and external drive to go leaner while out in the field. I don't plan on doing a lot of post while out. I just want to easily and without hassle upload the files to the external HD and do a little post when needed. I need advice!

1.  Tablet - What specs do I need to concern myself with for Lightroom Mobile? Need advice in processor speed, RAM, Memory (amount of Gb), and type of ports. Currently my desktop and laptops are Windows OS. I prefer a more compact tablet as opposed to one that is larger for post. What are the minimum specs for this? What is recommended? I can't seem to find anything. Is there a tablet with TWO USB ports (3.0+) AND a separate POWER SUPPY port that I can buy? Once again I prefer Windows or Android for this one.

2.  Powered USB Hub - I figure I need a powered hub that passes through power since the external HDs runs off the port. I am considering both USB3.1 and USB - Type C. I need to connect an external HD and the card reader at the same time. Any suggestions on the USB choices and hub models to consider?

3.  Card Reader - No big deal. I'll pick one. Probably the Lexar Dual Card Reader (SD/CF) will be the choice since that's worked great for me in the last few years.

Best,

Ben

[mikebrodt · Accepted solution]

Hi Ben,

Here is my two-cents:

• 12.9 iPad Pro with an Apple Keyboard, Apple Pencil, and cellular service
• An external hard drive, such as ones by LaCie or Western Digital that are made for mobile photography. They have built-in SD card readers, import directly to the drive, and because you can access the files via the Files app in iOS 11, they can be directly imported into Lightroom. This option also solves for the missing “backup on import” feature. https://www.lacie.com/products/dji-copilot/
• A long charging cable so you have extended reach (at least 2 meters)
• and international adapter kit if you are going overseas
• an external battery pack that you can use to recharge your devices if you are going to be away from power for a while.

With that setup, you don’t need an CF reader (unless your camera is CF only), or a USB hub. It is a thin and light setup.

That being said, if you are looking for a full Windows OS setup, my recommendation is to go for a Surface Pro 4. You can get a lot of horsepower out of those, and they are thin and light enough to work for travelling. They also make nice housings for them, so depending on where you are going, you can get rugged, or even marine cases for them. my one word of caution is that when you travel with them, it is running a full OS, and will be treated like a laptop in Airports and such. It also means you’ll have to deal with a full OS on the road, so patches, Startup and shutdown speed, etc. These are not negatives! Just something to take into account. I know plenty of people who use them and they work well!

My last thought: and Android tablet is probably not worth it. They are either cheap or not worth the price. Stick with a Surface or iPad. And btw, in the setup I listed above, you can easily swap out the iPad for the Surface and keep the rest. Hope that helps!