Canon EXPO 2010 New York September 2 – 3, 2010

Today (1 September)  was a preview day for media and VIPS.

Here is a registration code to come and join me:

Register at:  https://expo.usa.canon.com/expo

Your Passcode is: EXPO5
Your Invitation Code is: T5FCUGE 

If you receive a message that online registration has closed, you will still be able to register in-person at the Canon Expo.  Be sure to bring both the Passcode and Invitation Code

I love my iPhone’s ability to quickly send photos to friends and family wherever I travel. 

I wanted similar transfer ability with my other cameras so I purchased an Eye-Fi Pro X2 to use with my Panasonic GF1. For my “real shooting” I have a Canon WFT-E2 II A Wireless File Transmitter for my Canon 1D Mark IV.  Due to the ease of use and quick setup of the Eye-Fi card, I started using the Eye-Fi in the SD slot on my 1D.  I use the Eye-Fi card as the “backup card” in addition to the Compact Flash card using the 1D's "save picture to two cards " function.   This mirrors each photo to a CF card and the Eye-Fi card.  The Eye-Fi card will then send photos to my computer automatically.  This is very useful to review shots during timelapse and gigapan shots and is easier to setup than my  WFT-E2.  The quick WiFi transfer also allows your assistant or client to review an image during a live photo shoot. 

What is a Eye-Fi card?

I was on the roof shooting a gigapan and took a few Tilt Shift photos of a cool low flying helicopter with someone taking photos of the New York skyline.  Hmmm Vincent Laforet was that you in town a few days early for the Canon Expo?.

For Sale: Profoto Pro7B flash head for Pro-7b / B2

I’m selling a Profoto Pro 7B head for the Profoto Pro-B2 and the Pro-7B on eBay. 

Check out the listing on Ebay

Many of my photographic trips have taken me far from civilization. The longer and more remote the trip, I have realized my great dependency for electricity. It has been a great experience to step into lands that have little to no electricity to make me appreciate what I take for granted. I had written an article years agon on my power plan for traveling up to Mt Everest so I wanted to write an update on how to use a MacBook Pro, 1D Mark IV and 5D Mark II in the field on solar power. I travel with a 15” Macbook Pro laptop that has amazing battery life but sucks down the watts. A Macbook air is more power efficient, but I like the power of a MacBook Pro and do not see myself switching just to increase battery life.

The good thing is it becomes easer to communication via voice and data throughout the world. 3G service and WiFi are becoming prevalent in most locations but some of us still seem to find the end of the technology tether. One of the questions my remote traveling buddies ask me is what tech gear tobring with them to talk home. This can range from an Internet café in Nepal, a prepaid GSM phone, Thuraya or an Inmarsat Explorer or VSAT at your base camp.

1. My number one recommendation is to use public infrastructure in the cities you transit instead of packing your own communication kit. Kabul, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, etc all have Internet usage in the major hotels. Buy a calling card or use Skype. I highly recommend Skype; if you are not using it, get it now. You can get a foreign phone number in addition to U.S. phone numbers for your friends to get in touch with you. Google voice is very nice if you want a U.S. number that friends can use to send you voicemail. Google will even make an attempt to automatically convert your voicemail to text and email or SMS it to you.

   Note: Skype is illegal in some countries like Ethiopia and may be blocked (but often it is not). 

2. Bring an unlocked 3G GSM phone. Most European and African countries have SIM card sales as soon as you land at the airport. This may require a passport to register in Europe and some other countries. Many countries it cost you less than 5 dollars to purchase a SIM card to drop into your phone. Buy 10 dollars in local minutes, load up and you now have a phone number in the local country which is very handy for reservations, help, etc. It also is way cheaper than using your roaming AT&T or US or European carrier.
    
3. Check if CDMA, EVDO, wireless local loop, etc is available in the country you are traveling to. Many 3rd world countries have more modern wireless Internet plans than the U.S. because they have new equipment and don’t have to worry about backwards compatibility.

Use of satellite phones and satellite Internet:

Using the Canon TS 24mm Tilt-shift lens spent last weekend playing with the Canon 24mm Tilt shift lens, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The lens is typically used by photographers who shoot architecture and want to correct the perspective on straight lights shot with a regular lens. I do not shoot much if any architecture and found that I like the skewed perspective from many of my wide-angle shots. So instead of correcting the lines, I used the tile shift lens to exaggerate the change in perspective.

The ability to create a neat shallow focus effect on a strong angle can make a city street look like a miniature set up buildings on a model railroad. I also used the lens for some street portraits in full shift, which gave similar results to a remarkably high quality Lensbaby.

Dubrovnik Croatia HD Low Fly Glide Pan Shot from F9photo on Vimeo.

Dubrovnik Croatia HD Low Fly Glide Pan is shot by F9 photo, with a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II Lens

Venice Italy Low Fly HD from F9photo on Vimeo.

Full video is hand held (hence a few shakes).

Low Fly HD glide pan shoot of Venice Italy shot with a Canon 5D Mark II hand held along the Giudecca Canal past the Piazza San Marco and St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco in Italian).

New York 4th of July Fireworks - Timelapse of boats on the Hudson from F9photo on Vimeo.

Timelaps video of the boats on the Hudson River for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks in New York.

Shot on 5D Mark II

As you know I love the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. It is the ultimate small travel camera for the serious photographer and use the 7-14mm ASPH as my primary lens for street photos.  Even with my satisfaction with the GF1, I would like to point out a bug in the GF1 Auto ISO setting. In twilight hours, I like having my camera set on AUTO ISO so I can guarantee a shot, even if its has a little more ISO grain.

To my dismay the ISO AUTO setting on the GF-1 does not change the ISO to a higher setting until the camera's shutter speed goes below 1/30 of a second. This makes the AUTO ISO give a blurry photo and thus makes the function worthless. Panasonic could easily fix the firmware to auto raise the ISO to not let the shutter speed go below 1/60.

I had hoped that Panasonic would see all the complaints on blogs and reviews across the web and fix this in the latest firmware update. They did not. In order to highlight the need for this simple fix to the firmware please contact Panasonic at:

• Panasonic Support Page: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/support/Contact-Us.2

and tell them they need to change the AUTO ISO setting to change itself to guarantee the shutter speed does not fall below 1/60 of a second.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the Vincent Laforet HDDSLR live seminar by CreativeLive. I was lucky enough to be one of the 8 students selected to be in the studio for the seminar. The class was streamed live to tens of thousands of viewers on the Internet.  I included the stop to Seattle on my month long driving trek across the western United States after returning from 14 years living and traveling abroad.  If you missed the live streaming of the Vincent Laforet training, I recommend you buy the edited download from CreativeLive.  The final edit should be completed in a few weeks.

Over the last three days I attended the Vincent Laforet HDDSLR live seminar by CreativeLive. The event was streamed live to tens of thousands of viewers on the Internet and had 8 photographers on the local Seattle set (you can buy the edited download from CreativeLive).  The class was focused for professional photographers who wanted to use the new HD video function on their Canon and Nikon SLR cameras.   Vincent, whose work I have been following for a few years, was instrumental in making the HD DSLR craze take off.  Almost two years ago he used a prototype Canon 5D Mark II to shoot an amazing video called Reverie with several close friends in just 48 hours (before having to return the camera to Canon).  This video showed the power of the new HDDSLR technology.

Like many photographers I wanted to use this great technology in my camera to start producing videos.  Like many others I found the videos I took amazing, but were just a collection of scenic views with no story.   I decided I was more important learn how a good film is made instead of just having a camera with a HD film mode.  This class was the perfect answer for what I needed.

After being back in the United States for a few weeks, I found myself not reaching for my camera. I realized without the exotic photo subjects of the Far East, the subcontinent and Africa I did not find anything around me polarizing enough to catch my attention. Why was this? Being surrounded by what I love, I started to snap away photos of my best subject, my 2 year-old daughter. My daughter was ooohing and giggling after seeing snow for the first time. It was then that I understood I just needed to look at things again with fresh eyes. I had been fascinated by all my foreign travel locations because they were new to my senses. I realized America has the same striking and exotic views and I had just become desensitized by my surroundings.

Traveling overseas for the last 14 years, I had not travelled in the U.S. since the nineties. It was time to see what was in front of me. My family and I decided to travel the western United States to remember why the U.S. is so great. I also hope to capture a few photographs to record our journey. Our route is not firm but I have planned to travel through the Gallatin Valley in Montana, Sundance, Utah and on to Las Vegas. After Las Vegas, we will continue to travel to Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. I hope to find some excellent wine and food at the Culinary Institute of America restaurant in Greystone. From Napa, we will follow Highway 101 all the way up the California and Oregon coast to our final destination, Seattle, Washington.

I purchased the Chimera Super PRO Shallow Plus Banks with the internal baffle to further spread the light from the softbox.  I also purchased the Chimera quick release Speedring for Profoto that allows me to quickly collapse the softbox in seconds without tearing down.  I found the new Chimera softbox no longer used the hook and ring method to secure the inner baffle.  They have replaced the functional and secure method with a small Velcro tab.   This Velcro tab is on the corner of each side of the baffle and a small Velcro one-inch wrap on the internal four rib corners of the softbox. This small amount of Velcro does not function well and I could not get more than three sides to connect at one time.  I thought I might have been missing a Velcro piece that would better secure the baffle so I contacted Chimera. To my disappointment the first response from Chimera was a generic help email that was of no help. I am unsure of why Chimera would change the design so I contacted a friend who is a Chimera hard core fan.  He stated that he does not use the internal baffles on the new boxes because he cannot get them to stay fastened.

For the record, I love the quick release Chimera speed ring and the quick collapse design.  I can set up a softbox in under 30 seconds and pack the sofbox in seconds.  I would love this for my Profoto Octabox!

I plan to contact Chimera again to see if I can get a better and more helpful solution on the poor inner baffle attachment

UPDATE 15 April : After contacting Phil at Chimera and showing him photos of the problem they are shipping me a new baffle FedEx to try.  I hope this works and will post updates.

UPDATE 19 April : Chimera sent me a new modified baffle via FedEx.  As requested they added two pieces of velcro to clip on both sides of the softbox velcro.  It works and I hope it becomes a standard design for Chimera's baffles.

SOLD Hello I am selling a used Profoto ProRing flash on Ebay. This ring flash is great and works with Profoto Pro generators. I am selling the flash with the Profoto camera mounting bracket with tripod mounting bracket.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200460324942#ht_644wt_1167

The flash is working great and has been tested. It has a few scratches and a ding on the top from normal studio use. I have included a photo of the flash firing and multiple of the ring flash.

Why am I selling this? I currently have two Profoto ring flashes: 1 ProRing and an Acute D4 Ring. I am a documentary photographer and use the AcuteB pack as my mobile rig and have the 7B for onsite studio setups. I don't need two rings so I am picking up another Pro 7 head after selling the ProRing.

I will ship the ring flash via 3 day UPS to anywhere in the U.S. for $20 shipping. I will overpack the flash and will ship the item insured but "as is" after it departs my location.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Profoto website description:

Pro-7 Ring Flash for the Pro-7, Pro-6 and Pro-5 Generators
Cat# 701-103, Int'l# (90 05 15)

Includes: Special Mounting Bracket, Lamp Cable 12 ft. (3.5m) Max = 2400Ws.

This post will be such for a narrow group of documentary and adventure photographers that I hesitated even writing it.  I wanted to test if I could use my PocketWizard TT1 with my Lumix GF1 and my mobile Profoto AcuteB and 7B strobe sets.  I have not tested all options but it should fire any strobe with a PocketWizard receiver, including the Canon Speedlites.).   I think the people at strobist would be proud of rigging the two together for a portable remote studio. 

Now you ask, why would I ever need to fire a studio strobe set with my Lumix GF1?  Picture yourself in the Montana back country with 60 pounds of lighting kit to shoot an ice climbing assignment.  Not only has all your 1D batteries died, your 5D Mark II has taken a 50 foot fall off the ice cliff (did not happen for real, but as a photographer who breaks gear on a regular occasion, things like this have happened to me).   So after you finish weeping at your loss, all while being suspended on rope and harness you pull it together to push on with the shoot using your GF1.

Profoto has rolled out two new battery powered flash packs, both of which utilize Lithium Ion Iron Phosphate (LiFe) battery chemistry to reduce pack weight and provide more pops. Now the cool thing is the new LiFe batteries work with the old Profoto 7b and the AcuteB in addition to the new AcuteB2 and B3 packs. The new battery drops the weight from the 11.4 pound battery to 4.9 pounds per battery on the 7b making your old 7B only one pound heavier than the brand new B3. Now you don’t get the new extra speed but it is a great way to lighten the load for those of you who want a fully mobile field studio. Even dropping the AcuteB weight with the LiFe to 8.9 pounds is a great deal for 600 mobile Ws. People are dumping their old 7Bs on ebay and you can get a full 7b with two heads, a ringflash and the new battery for the same price as the new B3. Another advantage to picking up a new LiFe battery (or two) is the better battery life in extreme heat and cold. This is a HUGE deal if you have just humped your 80 pounds of strobe gear deep into the back glaciers to get the shot you want or are sitting baking in a Saudi desert.

In order to use the Redrock Micro Captain Stubling DSLR rig with the 5D Mark II with battery pack or with the 1D Mark IV you need to purchase the Redrock microRiser ($175) and the 4” 15mm carbon fiber rod set ($64).  This will raise your follow focus system high enough off the base rods of the Captain Stubling to work with the battery pack or 1D mark IV.  I leave the DLSR Tripod Platform attached to the tripod and use the Stubling mobile by hitting the fiber rod quick release.  Now if Redrock would only make a lighter version of their DSLR Tripod Platform so I could leave it on the rig vs the super heavy version.   One good thing about the existing heavy DSLR Tripod Platform is you can attach the balance head bolt for the FLYCAM-6000 steadycam to it.  This makes balancing the FLYCAM super easy and quick to balance.

The challenge I have found is developing a workflow that’s supports the photographer that travels and uses multiple computers to edit and process data.  I had a simple workflow revolving around my laptop but once I added video into my workflow I quickly needed to use more storage space and a faster desktop computer to handle the HD Video.  I use a MacPro desktop as my “home base” and developed a workflow that would allow me to quickly transition between my laptop traveling and back to the home base.  I shoot on the Canon EOS 1D and the 5D Canon camera systems.  I also use a Lumix GF1 for my portable rangefinder.  I use Adobe Lightroom 3 to manage my photos.  Most of the time my initial import processing is on a laptop because I am in the field.  I then transfer it to a desktop machine (MacPro) for backups. 

I have been on the search for a small portable camera that I can have when I am not carrying a full size Canon EOS 1D or 5D body.  I like point and shoot camera and believe the most important thing is to have a camera with you.  Any camera.  The problem I have had with point and shoot cameras, were the slow focus acquisition along with slow shutter speeds.  Bottom line is I found a great, compact, fast camera that takes great photos.

I picked up a Lumix GF1 with the 20mm 1.7 pancake lens.  This camera has been great and has been the perfect blend between my 1D and a small portable system.  The camera has a very solid build and looks like it will take a beating. I added a GGS glass screen protector and a 46mm UV filter to make sure it could handle bouncing around my backpack, truck, etc.

Focus Speed:  Living and traveling to remote areas often has me taking quick shots from a car.  So far no point and shoot could focus and fire the shutter in time for my style of quick from the hip shooting.  The GF1 is the exception.  The focus and shutter lag has been great.  It is not as great as the 1D system, but I did not expect it to be.  The GF1 is a great addition to make sure you have a camera with you at all times.

Workflow:  The GF1 integrated perfectly into my OSX Lightroom workflow. The only odd thing so far is the orientation sensor does not appear to register in Adobe Lightroom 2. I import the HD Video in iMovie 09 without problem.  Will be working on test using 1D, 5D and GF1 video in the same shoot with Premier CS4.

Video:  The video is nice addition to the small rangefinder form factor.  It has a relatively fast autofocus, but as expected it is no comparison to the Mark IV or the 5D MII video quality.  The microphone is satisfactory but not for use in any pro audio requirements.  No external microphone can be added.

So far I have been very pleased with the GF1 quality and form factor.  I also like the fact I can add Leica M lenses with a 35 dollar adaptor if I want to expand the system without having to purchase a overpriced Leica M9. 

Due to popular request. I am writing another way to get high(er) speed internet in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.  Ethiopian ETC has introduced EVDO high-speed wireless Internet to Ethiopia. The service is not high speed compared to the U.S. or Europe but it is the best in Ethiopia and is available in 14 cities in Ethiopia.  There appears to be confusion between the CDMA wireless Internet introduced last year and the new EVDO service.  Both services use a USB fob in Ethiopia.  The CDMA uses a SIM card that connects via a USB device at a max actual rate of <128k.  With the new EVDO I am getting up to 750k.  The big mistake people are doing is buying a CDMA only device or a EVDO device and then purchasing a CDMA SIM card that downgrades your device to the old CDMA service and speed.   EVDO USB devices can do both CDMA and EVDO.

Well I forced myself to set down my 1D Mark II for two months to use only the 5D Mark II.  I like the 5D Mark II , the video and full size sensor, image quality is fantastic. I use wide-angle lenses most of the time, so the extra wide from the full sensor has made me even close down my wide-angle shots to 24mm (hmmm is it time for the 24mm 1.4L II).  I am not sure if I am just used to the 1D buttonology, but I have found myself grumbling at the 5D buttonology multiple times now.  Often I bump the settings dial knob on top of the camera and change my RAW to JPEG or other annoyances. This is a pain and I have missed several shots because of the camera being bumped into an odd mode.

Just because of my hate for the 5D button layout I will probably dump the 5D when the 1D Mark IV comes out in October 09.  Not sure I will get one until after the Olympics because the large photo houses will get first dibs.  I wish the new Mark V would come with a full sensor to make it all that I need.  Canon would not want to loose its 1Ds megapixal superstar for a faster shooting 1D that does not have the mega numbers that the camera magazines like to fight the megapixels game.

This is nothing against the 5D itself, I just like having the two button push to change most modes on my camera.  I picked up the new pocketwizard remote for my speedlights and I hold it off the camera shoe.  I love the fact I can control the EV value from the 5D menu, its just that the combination of having to plug in the info then bumping the dial into some odd mode with not the settings I want make we wish for the two button requirements of the 1D.

People often ask if I am nervous traveling to places like Afghanistan and Pakistan and other far places on the earth.  My regular response is that I have the same chance of being injured in the shower in my house or on the DC beltway as traveling.  Well it looks like the same type of "it's gonna happen wherever you are" happened to one of my more traveled Canon camera bodies.  As poor luck would have it, my workhorse 1D Mark II flash shoe had become loose and was not firing the speedlight.  So while I was back in the US, I sent it off to Canon for a tune up and repair of the flash shoe.  Now fully encased in bubble wrap, and a pristine box, it just came back from the CPS Canon repair center in NJ with a large crack on the magnesium frame.  The crack is on top of the camera where the camera shoe had been replaced.  I’m guessing during the repair that the technician put a little too much tension when he was replacing the flash shoe.  CPS was very professional and immediately sent me a FedEx return label, but I am tight for time to return from Montana to Ethiopia.  Luckily I have a 5D Mark II as my extra body so I’m not out of a camera while in Montana.

To my surprise, I found myself far more upset about the sentimental value of the camera.  It has traveled to the harshest sides of the world, is heavily worn, and has become the solid companion I trust.  Due to the large frame crack, I am guessing that Canon will have to replace the entire magnesium frame, leaving little of the nostalgic paint-free rub marks, and duress marks that proved it was not the camera of a fashion photographer or one that sat on a shelf. Like a good set of jeans, I am very upset to have to get a new one.  I also find it ironic that its final days were at the Canon repair center and carefully transported in a large box surrounded by bubble wrap and not on some mountain in Nepal being crushed by a run away yak.  Well, with a sad heart I placed it in the same box it arrived in to go back to Canon.  I will ask Canon if I can have the frame back for sentimental reasons.  Will hope they honor the request because the camera has become more than a tool, but a solid travel companion.

I try not to jump into the next camera each year and have been shooting my set of heavily worn 1D Mark II bodies for a few years and just sent one off to Canon repair to get a tune up. (Canon repair in New Jersey is super fast and Canon Professional Services (CPS) has been great!).  I make a habit to send in my lenses and bodies in every year to get the old camera doc to give them a physical.  I have started to carry only one camera body on most trips to be more minimalistic with the equipment I bring.  I would like something of high quality but small in the point and shoot arena.  I dream this magic “small” camera would always be in my pack, even when I don’t plan to go on a shoot.  I have found I use my iPhone as a family quick shoot and mail camera for plain fun shots (I started working on developing an iPhone tether for the 1D Mark IV when it comes out with integrated 802.11 to allow quick sending of select images via email).

I do a large amount of “drive by shootings” from a vehicle and available light shots; so this requires a fast shutter that no point and shoot has.  I was toying with the idea of a Leica M8 digital range finder. I was hoping the Leica M9 would come out this summer to make all the Leica junkies get the new shiny thing and sell their barely used M8s on eBay for a steal.  After much review of the quality of the sensor and the camera, I finally think I have myself convinced that even though it is a beautiful camera it just does not have the functionality and would soon become a toy and not a workhorse.  When I talked to my photojournalist friend Guy Calaf about my toying with getting a Leica, we both agreed we would love one, but for circa 6000 USD w/ a lens, it just is not worth the bang for the buck unless you are a trust fund baby.  I am leaning towards picking up a 5D Mark II with a 1.4 24mm lens (if canon will ever ship the damn 24mm 1.4L II to the market).  I think a 5D and 24mm L would not only be less expensive than a M8 but also be far more functional.  It would also be a kick ass documentary camera with the glass quality and video option.  And before you Leica fanatics get all up and arms about my questioning the M8’s functionality and its magic “glass”, please be aware my photo requirements may be different than yours..... (READ MORE)

OK if you are using ETC in Ethiopia on an unlocked iPhone you have to reset the SMSC to work in Ethiopia.  To set the SMSC on your iPhone enter on your keypad:

**5005*7672*+251911299708# Sets the SMSC to SMSCNUMBER (international format).

Then hit call.

 Thats it!  To check the SMSC type the following on the dial pad then hit call.

*#5005*7672#   

In the continuing quest to find some sort of Internet connection in Ethiopia, I have been looking for a good way to have internet.  Ethiopia only had dialup available and high speed internet (256k) which costs several thousand dollars a month. A friend of mine who is a photojournalist (www.guycalaf.com) in Addis Ababa bought a Huawei EC 325 portable USB2 CDMA modem, which comes with a driver for both OSX Mac, XP and Vista.  He reported it worked well and I went to purchase a CDMA modem, which works with the Ethiopian 

This is the trek route we took to the Mt Everest base camp.  Our trek went via the recently opened Nangpa Valley. Cross Renjo and Cho la. Climb both Gokyo Ri and Kala Pattar and camp overnight at Everest Base Camp. 

The trek travels to the remotest parts of the Khumbu Himal and visits all the main valleys of the region. We can explore fascinating Sherpa villages and visit the Buddhist monasteries at Tengboche and Pangboche, whilst the names of so many famous mountains including Thamserku, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Pumori will become part of our vocabulary. Not only does this trek include ascents of both Gokyo Ri and Kalapattar, we even camp overnight at Everest Base camp, allowing us to soak up the atmosphere of this hallowed place.
 
In common with most Everest treks we fly up to the mountain airstrip at Lukla and head north along the well-worn trail, which follows the mighty Dudh Kosi river to Namche Bazaar. This sizeable Sherpa village is situated at the heart of the Khumbu and all the principal valleys of the region converge here. Most parties continue to follow well-trodden paths, but we leave the crowds behind and head up the remote Nangpa valley to Marulung. Only recently opened to trekkers, this valley was off-limits for many years owing to its proximity to the sensitive Tibetan border. Its unspoilt authentic Sherpa villages offer a unique insight into how the area would have been when Hillary first walked these paths fifty years ago.

1. How do I power my laptop using solar power? Laptop computers consume between 15 and 30 watts of power (some as much as 60 watts). Much less power is required when in standby mode. Generally either one 30W and in some cases two are required. Some laptops work with only 20W of panel capacity. To decide, multiply the output voltage labeled on your laptop's wall adapter (usually a black plastic box in-line with wall plug) by the current (in amps) and this will be the number of watts your laptop uses. Most laptops use input voltages between 16 and 22 volts at usually 2 to 4 amps (doing the math above, this is between 32 and 88 watts). You will need something around that size in solar panels to power your laptop (sometimes a bit less, as this is often the peak power consumption; with conservative power settings you will often draw less). You will need an automobile power adapter for your laptop (one that has an automobile cigarette lighter receptacle male connector on one end). ImageThe solar module will have a cigarette lighter receptacle into which you will plug the converter. The laptop will view the solar panel as a battery and will charge and/or spare the battery when in full sun. Some adapters are intolerant of the solar panel voltage (17 to 20VDC full sun no load). If this is the case you will need either a DC-DC adapter or alternatively a Power Center which includes a 16AH battery and charge controller (available assembled from ConnecticutSolar with connectors). The PowerCenter moderates the solar panel voltage and provides the proper voltage for the adaptor. If you desire to power your laptop and other consumer devices, we recommend a 16AH power center. Weight is around 10 pounds but you will be able to power your laptop and other devices as desired.