How to transfer images from camera/card reader directly to external HDD?

<p>I want to transfer images from camera directly to external HDD. But it seems they have to go to the computer internal drive first and I need to transfer a 2nd time from internal drive to external drive which is very tedious especially when the overall size of the images is large. I have tried using card reader but the result is the same.</p>

<p>Can anyone tell is there any direct way to do it? BTW, I am using Canon sofwares - EOS Utility/ZoomBrowser for the images transfer.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>If you want to transfer images directly to an external drive, you can either</p>

<ol>

<li>Drag & drop from files from card reader directly to the external drive or</li>

<li>Set the preferences in ZoomBrowser to upload to a folder in the external drive.</li>

</ol>

<p>I use ImageBrowser to upload directly to an external RAID on my Mac. One click of the mouse in preferences is all it takes to change file location.</p>

<p>Kenneth, you want to keep using the card reader - the data transfer rate is a lot faster.<br>

Adding to Puppy Face's suggestion, you can do this without using any additional software. Assuming you're using a PC:</p>

<p>Start your HDD and make sure it's recognized in My Computer (or Computer, for Vista). <br>

In (My) Computer, look for a drive labeled EOS Digital, or similar, and open it.<br>

You should see two folders, one labeled DCIM. Open that.<br>

Again, you'll see two folders, one labeled either 100CANON or something similar with your camera model indicated.<br>

Right click on the 100CANON folder and click on Copy (not Cut!), then mouse up to Send To.<br>

In the Send To dropdown menu, you should see your HDD. Right click on it, and click on Paste. The transfer should start.<br>

The reason you Copy instead of Cut is insurance. If the data somehow gets corrupted in the transfer process, you still have the images on the card. I usually format my card in the camera after I'm sure the images are in the computer and are OK.</p>

<p>This is a lot easier to do than to describe - give it a try! If you're using a Mac (poor guy!), I'm sure there's a similar procedure there.</p>

 

<p>Kenneth,</p>

<p>If you are transferring from the camera, this is simple. Just make sure your external drive is on before you plug the camera in. When the EOS utility comes up, choose select photos to download, and after you select them, select the external drive as the destination. That's all there is to it.</p>

<p>My standard routine is to download directly from the camera to an external drive. I leave the photos on the camera until I have had a chance to copy them from the first external drive to a second one that I use as a backup. Then I delete them all via the camera's menu. I don't use Zoom Browser to move the photos. There is no need to.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>I use an external hard drive specifically designed for this, a Wolverine. It has a cardreader slot built in to the drive, and it is free standing so you don't need to be hooked up to a computer to do it. Just plug the CF card into the slot, turn the wolverine on (rechargable battery operated so no need for AC connection), and your files are backed up with a few clicks. Then when you get home attach the wolverine to the computer and transfer files over as needed.<br>

For most nondedicated external hard drives you need a computer attached to make it all happen.</p>

Dave beat me to it, I use Wolverline myself. Nikon just put out one thats a lot faster than the wolverine.

<p>Surely extra SD cards are cheaper than a Wolverine? Wolverine would give you a backup but if you just transfer then reformat the SD card then what's the point?</p>

<p>Thank you guys for your valuable suggestions. I have tried the methods suggested by Puppy Face, William & Dan and they all work well.</p>

<p>Using the method of William's, the images will be stored in a folder named 1xxCanon and I may need to change the folder name subsequently. The method suggested by Puppy Face is relatively simple and familiar as in the way when we use ZoomBrowser to transfer images to our PC. We can also have the option to delete the images after loading is completed or not and we can also choose YearMonthDate or others for the folder name from the start. Of course, for transfer directly from camera to external HDD, Dan has given a good advice.</p>

<p>Really honoured to have your valuable advice in our common hobby!</p>