Getting pictures from camera to the 'net w/o a computer

[capnTelescope]

On a recent roadtrip, I realized that I don't have a way to get pictures from my trusty Nikon Koolpix to the internet without the use of a computer. Why don't I just use my phone's camera? Because I consider myself to be a half-asterisk good photographer, the Nikon's better and I don't want to use the phone cam. Mo megapixels, mo betta.

The ultimate goal here is to post travelogues , with photos , from the road , to post here or Facebook, or even email.

Oh, yeah, one more thing. I hate typing, but a real keyboard is better than any touchscreen. Voice recognition?

Short of buying a laptop, Anyone got any good ideas?

[mustangcats]

Most public libraries have computers to use. Not sure what their policies would be for uploading pictures (for one, the computer would need to have the correct software or at least a way to upload from a flash drive, card, etc.) and also if non residents would have access to the computers. Worth checking out though. Another place to try is an internet cafe. I'm sure any city would have one. I think they are usually an upscale coffee shop. When I travel I take my laptop with me and then access wifi at places like McDonald's.

[2bits]

Yeah, It's an issue with one image being 7mb! I guess you can upload to a hosting site that will give you an option to have a smaller version, but I've never used them. I host my own stuff. You might consider a 1st generation iPad or some other tablet that can keep up (I suggest 1st generation because it is cheaper and just because it isn't the latest and greatest doesn't mean it can't do what you want it to). you can play movies in your teardrop when it is 110 outside or raining and also interface with your phone and convert images and allow you to upload to forums.

Oh yeah.. if you have a signal

[pete49]

If the Nikon uses a mini sd card you could use a IPad or android tablet to get it to the internet and use a small wireless keyboard with it.. As for laptops if this is all you want it for a cheap small laptop would work for you and all you would need is a WiFi usb or mini modem. That's what I use here in the land of kangaroos and meat pies when I'm travelling.
Cheers
Pete

[deleted]

I haven't purchased one but have thought about it. The Eye-Fi wifi memory card sends the pics on your camera to your phone so you can upload them from there.

After a simple 10 second set-up the Eye-Fi Mobi sends your photos right to your iOS or Android device. Post your best shots to Instagram right after take them! View your photos on an iPad mid-shoot without having to stop for a full-on upload sesh to your desktop.

Both cards can send your photos directly to your laptop or desktop computer too(!) for when you need to do more heavy duty editing.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/eye-fi-wifi-memory/

There are also cameras with wifi capabilities: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news ... /index.htm

I have this one (they are discontinuing the model) but have never used the wifi capabilities. http://store.sony.com/alpha-nex-5r-camera-body-zid27-NEX5R/B/cat-27-catid-EOL-Alpha-NEX-Cameras

[daveesl77]

Many camera models have a USB port. You can pick up the appropriate cable for your phone from Amazon or where ever. Then just link the camera to the phone, using the camera as a mass storage device. I do it all the time. I use Android phones.

dave

[Dale M.]

From camera alone it s going to be tough.... If you have c-phone and you have pic on c-phone its possible, pic up loading is pretty much a browser/website function and most cameras have the capability... I got so into a Android tablet I have perfectly good DSLR just sitting here I have not touched in about a year because uploading pics from tablet directly to i-net is so easy....

I am not familiar with most cameras but I don't think the hardware and software have really progressed beyond actually taking the picture or movie (Cannon DSLR) and using a support device (computer/tablet/phone) for editing and transfer (see daves comment above)

Now that I have stuck my neck out on my statement some is going to come along and provbve me wrong, but its to yours and my benefit...

And for others out there, usually a picture in GIF, JPG or PNG formats around 640x480 pixels in more then sufficient in size and detail for most websites.... IF you have larger pictures it may be best to host them on sites like Imgur or Flickr or Photobucket and just link to them (use IMG or URL linking capabilities of website editor)... Of course uploading to website and using its storage and display capabilities the easiest buy you may have problems of picture size and formats being different or not compatible with website parameters

Dale

[jstrubberg]

We have a Samsung point and shoot that will tether to a phone and let you move pictures that way. If you do that very often with pictures the size you are talking, you are going to need a very hefty data plan.

You can get adapters that will let you connect the sd card from your camera to a phone or tablet and upload that way. I have a feeling that the ultimate answer is going to be use the phone for ad hoc, on the road stuff and the better camera for things you want to preserve. Upload the better photos when you are back home.

I'm gonna bring this up, and the photographers are going to nail me for it, but there is better and then there is good enough. A 7mb picture is obviously better than a 500k picture, but is it 14 times as good? Think about it.

[Fred Trout]

Short of buying a laptop, Anyone got any good ideas?

Just buy a cheap laptop and get on with it; for all you want to do, a 13" screen laptop should be the best solution and open a world of other opportunities. No compromises required.

Should run from 225 - 700 depending on how much bling you want in the laptop. CAM pix solution - covered. Pix Storage ? covered. GPS (Garmin replacement)? covered. Maps ? covered. Campground info ? covered. So on. Should be no trouble getting one that will run on battery long enough and recharge from your 12V auto system or a portable solar panel. You can add more storage to any device that has USB ports, but a flash memory slot is gravy.

Some examples:

adequate ----> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCSSN5E/ref ... B00SIJH3TG

great ----> http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX305FA-A ... rds=laptop

[capnTelescope]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and ideas. And the winner is... Stacie!

I used an older wi-fi only version of the Eye-fi on my old camera, and occasional slow upload response was irritating, but the Mobi version is worth a try.

There's already a long list of electronics I carry on a road trip that contribute to burglar bait and distracted driving. The Mobi will help keep the number of things to forget to bring more manageable.

Jstrubberg makes some good points about data and picture size. The current data plan seems to be enough. I don't do any streaming that devours data. I'll need to watch this carefully. I do already use Photobucket, DaleM. That's where all this "wonderful" photography is going to go.

The wireless keyboard is a likely addition. Something new to shop for!

MustangCats, I can just see myself trying to find a place to park truck and trailer at the local library. Still cheaper than upgrading the data plan.

Fred, you make an excellent case for the laptop. Still thinking. It doesn't need to be top shelf.

Thanks again, everyone. I really appreciate your responses.

[Fred Trout]

Wireless keyboards come in two general flavors: bluetooth & integrated USB dongle. For Bluetooth, you have to get your device to negotiate with the keyboard once (button push), it should work auto after that. Which you buy depends on what input type your phone takes. If you change your phone every coupla - few years, what keyboard you buy now will limit your choices if you want to keep using your current solution. There are tons of choices for both types but you end up with more burglar bait no matter what you do Same is true for Flash memory cards which have been undergoing massive hardware dev, with slow 128 GB memory on a microSD for $20 ! (you want fast tho)

After 35 years of tech, my personal take is that I end up getting annoyed at these make-do solutions that rarely work as they should and wish I had just gone ahead and bought a mainstream general purpose product like a lappy. If you don't want much, you can get a crippled Chromebook. Some of them cost under 200 but have more compromises. Low end laptops available these days (~ 225 - 400) are pretty capable and you almost always get what you pay for. Outfits that make bad machines are already bankrupt.

Nothing like popping in your SD card or USB3 cable into the laptop and transferring the files & deleting the trash in Win Explorer, running the free resizer program to make them fit the KB limit, watermark, etc with the automatic app you know and love. The hardware is only the first step; you still need integrate it. That's why I would use a cheap laptop. They sell car insurance you know

[capnTelescope]

OK Fred, you've convinced me.

I haven't had the best of luck with laptops in the past, but the price difference from 16gB eye-fi Mobi is only a coupla hunnert bucks. I expect even a cheapo laptop will be more capable than the last one I owned, which was adequate except it died young. So did the one before that. "Died young" can be understood as quitting before I thought I'd gotten my money's worth.

So, something to shop for before the next trip.

[Fred Trout]

I just could not imagine you being happy squinting at a 4" phone screen trying to closely examine & pick photos. Even a 13" screen is a compromise compared to a desktop 25" monitor I like to use for photo manipulation with my 8mp high end point'n'shoot pictures.

Amazon has those extended protection plans but I never buy em. Always a crap-shoot how long electronics last but Amazon reviews tell a story about reliability that can be relied on better than a brand name once you get more than a dozen or two reviews. newegg.com has some decent decision support too.

That toshiba is a nice choice for a standard size lappy. I had my wife buy the Zen because it only weighs a tad over 2 pounds and she wanted something to carry around at work, but you do pay for that zippy low weight super-duper screen. Asus and Acer had nice low end machines but I did not see them ... wait one....

Found it - bought this low-end one for my Mom when her desktop died but she did not need a lot of zip; the newer model looks OK too :

http://www.amazon.com/15-6-Inch-Dual-Co ... pd_cp_pc_3

This is the free software I use to auto mass rename, alter, add sig, watermark, etc photos:
http://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm

Free photo software of all types here:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-fr ... m/page/0/6

Get and use a free temp file cleaner program like "privacy eraser" or "ccleaner"; Win8 generates massive size log files that can safely be deleted and those programs know which are safe to erase. I assume you know that you should also clean off all the crapware they put on new computers. Snorkle techsupportalert for free software of any type to replace stuff like McAffee antivirus pay-for-crap. Uninstall is your friend and a quick lookup on google will tell you if you should get rid of a package. With windows 8.1, any "tile" app that "changes" like the weather one is leeching storage and CPU and should be removed if you don't need it. When you clean off all the junk, a low end machine suddenly has pretty decent performance, but be cautious not to remove hardware drivers. Wireless mice (buy a cheap one, is ok, they are like popcorn) and laptops go together pretty well if you hate the touchpad like I do

Enjoy whatever you end up with. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

[capnTelescope]

Thanks, Fred.

Amazon has those extended protection plans but I never buy em.

I never buy the extended warranty. If the item makes it through the warranty period, it's likely to go on for a while. By then, if it dies, there's something more wonderful for less $$$.

Thanks for the tip on FS Resizer. I've been using Easy Thumbnails but it looks like FS Resizer has a few more features.

Snorkle techsupportalert...

I Googled Snorkel but found nothing relevant to this discussion. (Urban Dictionary was waaaay off the subject. I hope.)

Thanks again.

[tony.latham]

Bro:

I just have to say it.

For most of my career I was issued Windows computers. The last ten or so, I was issued a laptop. We'd upgrade about every three years. One of the best decisions of my post-retirement life was to get a Mac. Even though I was very fluent with Windows.

Next time you're near an Apple store, look around. Put a ball cap on. Maybe a pair of sun glasses. Lean your back against the brick, bend a knee, and plant your shoe on the wall. Watch the parking lot for a bit. Let your lungs slow down. When you're sure no one's watching, step inside and ask to look at a Mac Air.

Now, I don't want to start a sh@t-storm here (so let's don't). (Yeah they're expensive.) But no more Windows for this old key stabber.

Life is smooth.

Tony