Advice - Toughbook for Archaeological Fieldwork

Greetings. I am an archaeologist and I will be doing new fieldwork this winter in Italy. I need a laptop and I need something rugged like a used Toughbook. I will use it primarily for importing and mapping DSLR photographs to an existing plan and some light editing - think Picasa. I have checked Ebay but the array of choices is a bit bewildering. I will be paying for this out of pocket (no money in archaeology) and can spend $200-$400. I was hoping that someone with more experience with Toughbooks could give me some advice on what to buy. Many thanks!

 

Welcome to the Panasonic Toughbook Forum

I have moved you thread to the main part of the Panasonic forum. It will get move exposure here.

 

Well since it will be fieldwork then I would look into a CF-19MK2 or a CF-30MK2 . The only thing is you are looking at the top end of your $400.00 budget. Now if it was not fieldwork then you would have no problem finding a CF-52 in that range.

 

I had posted a reply, but it looks like it didn't send this message when I ran off to the morning safety meeting. I had recommended the 19/30/74/52 depending on your needs. What are you looking for in Daylight readable? Battery life? Spare media bay battery? No optical drive or want a internal Optical drive? Want GPS or WWAN? Full size keyboard or can use a smaller one? Do you need a dock? What type screen size would you like? The 19/30/74 use the older 1024 x 768 screen, the 52 has a widescreen.

 

In your case the only thing that you should consider is the dust-proofness. Better look for a passive cooled solution. Why not a tablet?

 

I would go with a CF 30.
It's fully rugged. The CF74 is semi rugged and so is the CF52.
The CF30 has a bigger screen than a CF19. Makes it much easier to work with photos.
If you get the media bay 2nd battery for the CF30, you can get 6hrs or more run time.
You can hot swap in an optical drive when/if you need it.
Either way look for a SSD as a future upgrade. Much more rugged and much better battery life.

 

Did you really notice serious increase in the battery life with SSD over HDD? In my case the effect was minimalistic.

But the speed difference - OMG! And the vibration resistance too SSD RULEZ

 

It really depends on the power settings you use with a spinning drive. If you set it to never power down for performance reasons, then the SSD is quite an improvement. If you use aggressive power saving settings, then there is not much of a noticable difference.

 

^^^^^^^^^^What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

I have used the CF-28, 29 and the 30, out in the field (construction work) and they all worked very well.
The thing that makes the CF-30 shine is the 1000 nit screen.
Being able to see it easily in direct sunlight makes all the difference.
I think the CF-19 also has the bright screen. If so then it will be good too.
Does the CF-19 have the option of a second Battery? If not then the 30 would be better IMHO.

Bob

 

If you have time: Feel free to call me up and we can talk on the phone and I can give some advise too.

Thanks!

 

19's are great in the field if you need to take it with you on foot, if you can reach the site by car, a 30 is a bit nicer (larger screen, larger keys).

 

I'd go with a CF-30 touchscreen. (You need the touchscreen model to get the 1000nit screen) You can then, as you can afford it, buy stuff like an additional media bay battery, DVD, DC adapter for the field, etc.

This is the model Indiana Jones would carry...

 

Do you have a tent/gazebo on site? If so the brightness might be less important.
That being sad, in the open field my CF-19 mk5 gives 1000 nits light and reflects sunlight for a maximum of 6500 nits. If it would be less than 1000 nits, it would be a lot harder to watch to the screen. And I have often just text files that are black & white and therefore have maximum contrast and the best possible view. With pictures of dirt, grass and other subdued colors that might be a lot worse.

 

My vote! CF-19, atleast from MK3 and above.

ohlip