I'm heading to Asia at the end of summer and wanted to be prepared for traveling:
1a) I was interested in a hand strap... particularly the
Camdapter one. Any chance I can use the Manfrotto adapter from Camdapter with the R-strap?
2) the 190XB I own is way too heavy to travel on foot with for long periods of time. the
682B seems to be the obvious choice but i've read more than once that it's not very stable. Plus it doesn't seem all that light. Recently I came across the
Horusbennu MP-4500ST which CheesyCam has claimed to be quite sturdy from a glance at the trade show. This seems to be a good weight for traveling. I plan to use the 498RC2 on either one. Any suggestions?
3) the KATA bag I have is great for slinging around 1 body+ lens, maybe an extra lens and a flash, but anything over that is quite demanding on the shoulders because of the straps. I need a weather-proof one with a laptop compartment and a tripod holder but light and comfortable. I won't be carrying the laptop with me except for on the plane/train. I'm looking at the:
a)
Kata DR-466I-BB
- concerned about tripod on the side; (the Kata's Bumblebee-222UL was just too $$)
b)
Tenba Shootout Medium
- not too keen on the looks
c)
Tamrac Aero 80 +
S-113 Cam-Lock Cinch Straps
- concerned about the cinch strap tripod holder system; love the weight
d)
Tamrac Evolution 8
- easy access from both side; double the weight of the Aero 80
4) What are some good portable card reader+hard-drive transfer devices? They seem kind of expensive for what they are housing... I guess I am looking for an enclosure that can offload pictures from an SDHC (or CF if possible) card but pick the 2.5" hdd myself? At least I will have 3+ warranty on the 2.5" drive.
Also looking to add a grip, two more batteries (have two), and 1-2 extreme 16gb SDHC. Your input is greatly appreciated. TIA