Hi. Does anyone use a tablet in conjunction with their photography? I'm thinking of picking up a new laptop and am wondering if a tablet is the way to go? I like the idea of the lighter weight and good battery life. I do a bit of travelling and my main photography uses would be to download files from the camera or memory cards (CF & SD), to view the photos, upload some onto the internet and act as another backup storage facility. I can do any serious processing when I get home on a computer with more grunt. Just wondering if anyone else does this? Do you find that the processors are fast enough? Do Canon cameras mix well with Android and iPads? Are there any that you would recomend? Or would you stay clear of tablets for the time being and stay with a laptop? Thanks.
Yes. I use one on occasion. The processors are fast enough to do everything you've asked for, and can do some minor photo editing. Dual core tablets are hitting the market for a little more grunt as well.
I typically use mine in conjunction with a laptop. I download and store photos on my laptop then let friends, family, customers etc view the photos from the tablet. They can then select what they want without me having to give them my laptop so I can continue to work, them having to be in the same room as my laptop or them having access to every photo on my hard disk. When I use my Android tablet to view photos directly, I find I get the same functionality out of my 4" phone, and am better off viewing it on my phone due to battery life. I can plug in an external mini-usb card reader, battery powered so I don't use my phone's batteries, to my phone and away I go, no tablet and no laptop needed.
Value wise, you're far better off with a small portable laptop. Weight wise and portability wise, of course a tablet will win. However, if you choose a tablet with a portable reader/docking station/etc, why
wouldn't you consider a laptop? Ultra light laptops will run 2.2 lbs or under a kilo and add a bit for a cord and power adaptor. Standard laptops with a card read inbuilt can weight 3-4 lbs.
Storage wise, cost tends to be prohibitive on many of the tablets, or the selection of hard drive sizes (pretty much everything but Ipad) and choice to expand slots just isn't there (Ipad). Sure you have the ability to add additional space, but how much would you actually require? If you're filling up 16g+ of space, you really should be looking at a laptop. Don't forget that once you transmit the photos from cards to your tablet, you then transmit the tablet photos to your desktop, unless you're keeping the SD/CF cards and backing up your backup. With a laptop, you will have faster exchanges through USB3 or Thunderbolt, as most tablets are still USB2.0.
Tablets that are viewing significant amounts of pictures are not going to have good battery life - though, neither are some laptops. The problem comes with a sacrifice - if you want to view the pictures in beautiful living and vivid colour on a stunning bright screen you will usually have crappy battery life. If you're able to suffice with a mediocre screen, duller colours and generally a less shiny screen, you'll generally have better battery life.
