As most of you know, I’m going to England for two weeks this summer. I plan to bring along my digital camera, which means I’ll have to recharge it at least a couple of times during my stay. I know that power converters can be purchased for operating American electronic equipment in European countries, but at least one of the travel books I have advises not to use them because “even the high-end ones can damage your equipment.” I hate the idea of traveling without my trusty camera, but I don’t want to fry it either! It’s an older model (Toshiba PDR-M70), but still a fine camera, and I can’t afford to replace it. I really dislike using disposable cameras, and no longer own a a regular 35 mm film camera.
Have any of you Americans who have traveled overseas brought your digital cameras with you? Have you had trouble using commercial power converters? I can’t get much info from Toshiba, because this model is no longer made.
That’s a thought. I’ve never had this camera out of the country, so I just think in terms of recharging the battery I have. Do you know if the batteries are likely to be model or brand specific?
My daughter also has a DVD player that she wants to bring for the flight, and If I can get a spare battery for that too, I’ll be in good shape.
I hope it’s possible to get more batteries for this camera, though. It doesn’t use standard batteries, but a rechargeable lithium ion cell. Normally, when I’m taking plenty of pics, I have to recharge the battery every couple of days…that could get a bit pricey with those cells costing around $20 each.
I’d hate to not take any pictures on this trip, but film cameras are a real pain…you can’t even tell if you’ve got a decent pic until you pay out the money to get the film developed!
Too bad on the propietary battery format. Looks like it would cost $15 to $30 for an extra battery, making bringing several batteries an expensive option.
Which AC adapter do you recommend for USA camera when traveling in central
Europe where they have 2 circular prongs. Just a plain adapter or an
adapter
with transformer for recharging camera batteries?
Most chargers are rated at 120/240v 50/60Hz. These can be used in Europe
and Asia without a transformer. You can get a set of plug adapters at
travel stores, CompUSA and Radio Shack, to name a few, or simply wait 'til
you get to Europe – they’re ubiquitous in the major cities.
Which AC adapter do you recommend for USA camera when traveling in central
Europe where they have 2 circular prongs. Just a plain adapter or an adapter
with transformer for recharging camera batteries?
Go to Radio Shack or any decent travel store. Radio Shack has a
transformer that comes with a variety of different electrical socket
adaptors for different countries for around $20. Similar products are sold
at any decent travel store.
The problem is, my camera isn’t made anymore. Toshiba doesn’t even list it on their site…they have the M71 but not the M70.
What I wonder too is if I can buy a battery charging unit. That way if the adapter fries something, it will be the charging unit and not the camera itself. Normally I just plug the camera in to recharge the battery…it has an adapter for that.
I found batteries and chargers compatible with the Toshiba PDR-M70 on ebay. Depends on your comfort level with ebay if you want to give that a go. You might be able to get similar items at a local camera shop or when you get to the UK, but I would wager the ebay items are 30% less money and just as good.
I’ve used these guys and they are pretty good - reliable and good prices. But there are plenty of other sources on the web. Finding an aftermarket battery and dual voltage charger shouldn’t be too difficult. Besides,you should have a second battery on hand - if you are having a long day of touring you don’t want to run out of juice.
I took my Kodak digital camera to Ireland. I used a 220 to 120 transformer and a connector adapter. I had no problems at all. There is no reason why this should damage your equipment. My son in law travels to Ireland freguently with his digital camera and laptop. He uses the same setup for his camera and laptop.
Could you borrow someone else’s digital camera–one that uses regular batteries? My Canon uses 4 AA batteries. With digital cameras becoming more and more popular, surely you have a friend or neighbor who has one and would be willing to swap cameras for a couple of weeks.
One other thought: if you turn off the display (the LCD screen on the back of your camera) and use the viewfinder to frame your shots, you should get much longer battery life. The only time you need to use the LCD to frame shots is for close-ups, since the viewfinder won’t frame those correctly.
A few years ago I spent two weeks in Brittany and brought two fully charged batteries with me for my digital camera. I ended up using only one battery (which lasted for nearly 200 photos) because I used the LCD screen only for reviewing my shots, not for framing them. Last year I spent another two weeks in Brittany and ended up using both batteries (even though I took fewer photos) because I had the LCD screen on all the time. This shows you really can prolong battery life by not leaving the display on.