file transfer

Hi Gang;

 

What is the "best" method for transfer images from the camera to my computer?

Cable or removing the CF card? I can plug the cable into a USB 1 port on the

computer or remove the card and plug it into an Epson RX 620 printer with card

reader slot (also USB 1 to the computer).

 

Thanks in advance,

jeremy

It will be faster just to take the CF card out of the camera and use a dedicated card reader to do it (cost: $10 or so). It saves your camera battery life too.

I don't like taking the CF card in and out. I just connect the USB cable and kickoff the download. May take a couple minutes but I have plenty to do while its transfering the files. Like browsing PN! If I fill up a CF card and swap it out during a session, then it goes in the card reader.

If you have USB-1, I'm not sure using a card reader would be much faster than uploading directly from the camera. Try them both, and see. If you're careful about removing/inserting the card, using a reader should be no problem....

Card readers are cheap and fast. I use a firewire model.

 

William Kahn has a good point - USB 1.0 isn't that fast. It may be a _bit_ faster via the

card, but perhaps not all that much.

 

Since I shoot a 5D in RAW mode, my transfers often are measured in GB rather than MB.

The firewire reader is quite fast (as would be a USB 2.0 reader) but I still tend to start the

transfer and then go doing something else for a few minutes.

 

Dan

Using a card reader is faster and it prevents the possibility of you or someone else accidentally getting tangled with the cord coming from the camera causing your camera to meet the floor.

 

Joe

If you're only running USB v1 then consider purchasing a V2 PCI card (if you have a spare slot) - the difference in speed is "night and day".

<p>Indeed, unless you have all day to wait (or only a couple of images to download), you need better than USB 1. Add a USB 2 card to your computer, and get a card reader. Card readers generally offer less hassle and better performance than plugging in the camera; they free you from having to use special drivers or programs to access the images; and they don't consume power from the camera's battery.</p>

 

<p>I only have experience at using the card reader in one printer (a model from a different manufacturer than yours) so I can't say in general that card readers in printers suck as a way of transferring images ... but the card reader in my printer absolutely sucks as a way of transferring images. It might be OK for printing directly from the card (which I never do; I edit all my images) but it's glacially slow at file transfers.</p>

 

<p>Firewire is an alternative. It's fast. It's common in the Mac world but not in the PC world; USB 2 is far more common in PCs and PC-oriented peripherals, and so you'll generally get more bang for your buck from USB 2 on a PC (since you'll likely use it for a number of other peripherals as well). Plus, you'll have more selection of card readers etc. to buy; for instance, I looked at one major online vendor of computer parts, and of their 45 flash card readers, I found exactly two which mentioned Firewire.</p>

Card reader all the way. I remember haveing my first DSLR and trying to download from camera. After a long wait I bought a reader and never connected a camera to the computer since. My two cents worth. ;0)

 

Jason