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Buying Guide: The Traveling Shutterbug
Traveling with digital camera gear can be as simple or complex as you make it. The first photo shows an assortment of the gear I bring with me on a "pro" photo shoot in the field: two digital SLRs with lenses, a laptop, a backup hard drive, flashes, cables, power supplies, a solar panel, and chargers. Not pictured are the radios, GPS units, and portable projector I also bring. If you're taking a lot of gear, you can simplify things by standardizing as many batteries as possible on rechargeable double-A cells. In a pinch, you can often find alkaline versions of those while you're traveling.
By contrast, the second photo shows all you need to have a great time taking, viewing, and showing off your photos. A simple point-and-shoot camera like this Nikon Coolpix 5200 and a portable storage unit like the pictured Epson P-2000 is a killer combination that can't be beat for size and weight. The Nikon and Epson chargers can even share the same power cord. For a more streamlined setup, purchase a point-and-shoot model such as the Fujifilm FinePix E550 (our Editors' Choice; see http://go.pcmag.com/fujie550 , the Nikon Coolpix 5600 or 7600, or the Canon PowerShot A510 orA520, all of which run on replaceable double-A cells.