As evidenced by the content of this here blog, I’m not partial to blogging about photography equipment. There are a million people out there who do it, and I don’t really have anything to add. However, I feel like there is a bit of a vacuum of knowledge and resources that photographers can access with questions about preparing for photography/video expeditions.
The reality is, film cameras were significantly superior to digital with regards to both power and memory. The batteries lasted forever, and film was relatively compact. Of course we’re now firmly in the digital era – batteries do not last forever, and memory cards need dumping. Indeed, power and memory are the two critical problems to overcome for an expedition (or any trip where you can’t plug things into the wall).
Power
I have used both Brunton solar systems, and more recently, Goal Zero solar systems. To Baffin Island I brought both a Brunton system and a Goal Zero system (upon Tim Kemple and Jimmy Chin’s recommendation). Both systems rely on a battery unit that is charged by the solar panel, and then your camera batteries etc are charged from this battery unit via an inverter. The Brunton panel is far superior to that of the Goal Zero in terms of form. It is very light weight, and rolls into a tube which works very well. The Goal Zero panel is much heavier, bulkier, and doesn’t seem to handle wet as well. However. The Brunton battery system seems to be less than reliable. The power indicator lights are fickle at best, and the battery quit working on the second half of the trip, leaving me to use just the Goal Zero system. Had I not purchased the Goal Zero prior to the trip, I wouldn’t have been able to shoot the second half of the trip. The Goal Zero worked reliably and the battery indicators were always spot on, and despite the fact it was twice as bulky and heavy as the Brunton system, the Goal Zero worked.
There was more than enough power each day (keep in mind I was in the Arctic with almost 24hrs of light) to charge both a Nikon D3s battery and two D700 batteries, and the odd iPod charge.
A side note, tents are a great (and obvious) place to strap the solar panels on, while running the power cord into the solar battery unit inside the tent so it is protected from the elements.
Memory
I brought a 15″ MacBook Pro on the trip, along with a lightweight external travel HD to back up my photo and video files. The computer is definitely a heavy option, but at least you know you have your content transfered securely, and backed up to an HD as well, forming a layer of redundancy. Having a computer also extends the value of your digital files – you can review your images and make sure you’re capturing on the trip, and that your camera is functioning properly. I also brought about 8 x 16GB memory cards in case things went weird with the computer – but for the record, this wouldn’t be enough space if I was shooting both photos and video every day for 3 weeks – but it would give me a chance to sparingly get by without dumping.
Bring two of everything that can fail. Seriously.
Tim Kemple told me this before I left for my trip, and it is damned good advice. As evidenced by the Brunton system failing, it paid off big time to have two complete solar systems to keep the show on the road. One of my D3s batteries also failed – having two was critical. Next time I will bring 3. Bring two cameras – I have never had a Nikon camera fail on me in all my time shooting, fortunately, but of course is possible.
Notes on the {cold} Arctic.
I should start by saying that I have been very impressed with the batteries that the Nikon D3s uses over all the time I’ve spent shooting with them in cold temperatures – they last a long time shooting both photos and video, even in the cold. Thus, heading to Baffin Island, I didn’t think I would have to baby the batteries too much. I was wrong. I guess it was just that cold there. Typical days were between -15c and -25c. Batteries simply weren’t lasting as long. Especially after my second D3s battery quit working, I made sure when I wasn’t using the camera I would take the battery out and keep it zipped in my long johns pocket, next to my body. I found that leaving the battery in the camera overnight would result in battery drain. Thus, I slept with my batteries in my long john pockets. Extra batteries with full charge would live in my long john pockets too (along with any food I wanted to eat unfrozen). I found that I also had to run the camera battery charger/battery in my sleeping bag at night (connected to the inverter and solar battery unit, outside the bag). Otherwise, the battery would potentially not charge all night but still drain the solar battery unit.
Before using my computer, I would tuck it into my jacket around camp, or in between my legs (!) if I was in my sleeping bag. I found below -15c the computer’s fan would make a weird noise. Even though I warmed the computer up prior to use, if it was below -15c it would quickly get cold again with use. And my finger on the track pad would begin to become at risk of frost bite.
