Categories: Communications Computers Software

I do a great deal of my photography, writing and geekery on the hoof, and am often to be found staggering around assorted strange parts of the planet, swaying like an overloaded Christmas tree under the combined weight of camera, computer and communications gear, and all those bits and pieces that I've slung in, "just in case". So, Welcome to the review area – this is where I'll be reviewing technology and tools that really work (or, for that matter, which don't) for those of us who spend rather too much – often too much – of our lives on the road, in planes and, on occasional, up to our individual or collective armpits in mangrove swamps. In particular, it's aimed particularly (but certainly not solely) at the needs of the digitally-driven travelling and expedition photographer – from the casual traveller through to the semi-pro and onward to the full-on hairy professional.

I concentrate on reviewing stuff that has at least a nodding acquaintance with the notion of portable⁽¹⁾, and which is actually useful once away from the beaten track of broadband-enabled hotels and the Starbucks monoculture. Included are computers, phones, PDAs, communications services, cameras, accessories to any of the the foregoing, luggage, books, useful web sites and, of course, the power sources that help keep everything going.

And a word about the word – review. What we're not trying to do here is a full review of the basic capabilities of a camera, computer, hamster wheel or whatever – there are there are some wonderful resources available online, often going into wonderfully and scarily anal depth on any given topic, and we'll happily link to those where appropriate. What you'll find here complements those with a combination of first thoughts, opinion in varying degree and word from the field on just how kit performs out there. And the further out, the better.

So there are three levels at which I and those of like mind review stuff here: The random comment (possibly sight unseen) on new equipment and services that look promising, but which we haven't had a chance to test yet; the more detailed hands-on look, where we've had the chance to use and compare a piece of kit in useful detail and, finally, long-term feedback on equipment and services that have been used (and probably abused) extensively over a decent period of time. For all the informality, we do use a simple methodology, which consists of a breakdown of the main areas of capability of an item, each chosen for it's relevance to a traveller's needs. Read more about that here. We construct a review model on that basis, but will cheerfully ignore it to give direct personal opinions on the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Finally, we've put together a few common scenarios for how and where equipment gets used, individually and as a system, and you'll find comments in the reviews about their suitability for each – in most cases they'll be blindingly obvious:

• Casual: Stuff you're likely to have with you at all times: leisure/lightweight traveling.
• Studio: Workflow and creative manipulation/purposing products, whether in the field or back at the ranch.
• Specialist: Occasional use in harsh environments (birding, astrophotography & the like).
• Extreme: Extended travel and use in harsh environments, removed from power supplies and service backup.

Ultimately, it's all about the ability of a product to fulfil the needs of the travelling user, particularly the travelling photographer. We also welcome feedback through the site's comment mechanism or by emailing us directly.

⁽¹⁾ Your definition may vary.
⁽²⁾ You know the ones - where you read the intro, go directly to the conclusions, maybe sneak back in for looks at the other bits if you're having a really slow day, then sit back in awed/horrified amazement that anyone should have spent so much time taking that many screenshots of camera menus.

Cartoons by Gill.