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bmpress
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Hi Bob,
For years, I have been removing the compact flash card from the camera and then using a card reader to get them into the pc. I heard that people are now using the cable connection from the camera to usb on the pc.
I originally thought that using the cable could result in lost images in case the camera's battery were to go dead.
What do you recommend?
Thanks,
Barry P
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klindup
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I have only ever used a cable connection to take images of the camera and have never had a problem. i assume that if the battery fails the image is still on the card.
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Bob Atkins
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I always use an external card reader. They are (or can be) faster and I suspect they are also more reliable.
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Johnf
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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I always use the camera and cable. the 10D only had USB 1 but the newer cameras have USB 2 so they are much faster. I will say that even with the faster connection, they are not nearly as fast as an external card reader. The card reader integrated in my PC is nearly instantaneous.
I use the camera because I like the option of renaming them as they are downloaded. It saves the extra step of renameing them in Bridge or lightroom. I like to name them with the camera, date taken followed by a unique sequential number. With the EOS Utility I just plug in the camera, EOS utility pops up, click select new and click download. It automatically renames and puts them in a folder named with the date shot. In terms of reliability I have never had a problem.
Does anyone know if you can you use EOS Utility with a card reader?
John
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jodaco
Junior Member
Posts: 22
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...It saves the extra step of renameing them in Bridge or lightroom. I like to name them with the camera, date taken followed by a unique sequential number.
John
You can have Lightroom do exactly what you describe: import from the card, rename the files and put them where you want in one step. In addition to speed I'd rather have just a small card reader on my desk which is always connected rather than finding room for my camera and fumbling with cables. |
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klindup
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I am curious, is the speed of downloading using a card reader a material factor? How much quicker is it for say a full 4 gig card? It never occurred to me to buy a card reader, I just hooked yp my 40D to the computer with the cable supplied and used DPP to select and download the images. Am I missing out, not sure?
Ken
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jodaco
Junior Member
Posts: 22
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Depending on the interface (USB, firewire, etc) and the make (Lexar, Sandisk, etc) speed can vary a lot. I've seen claims of 10x faster than the camera but you pay a lot for a reader that fast even if the claim is true. I use a Lexar USB2.0 reader it is roughly three times faster than the camera. But does all this matter. If it takes three minutes to download direct from the camera it would take me one minute. What can I really do with that time? I probably waste it surfing the net not noticing the transfer is done. But if I was doing it many times a day it might matter more. And as I mentioned in the previous post speed is not the only issue. I find it more convenient to use a card reader, especially if you deal with multiple cameras and media types. It could be the same speed at the camera and I'd probably use one.
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klindup
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Thanks for that. I wondered if I was missing something. I will continue to use the cable connection.
Ken
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Johnf
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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I just tested the transfer speed. Here were the conditions and the results:
8GB Exterme (45 MB/s read write) CF Card with 394 images 6.62 MB
Transfer Via:
Built in "15 in 1" card reader drag and drop into new folder
4:41 (23.5MB/s)
EOS 5d Mark II USB Via Eos Utility
8:08 (13.6 MB/s)
Import in light room 3.2 with renaming
5:06 (21.6 MB/s)
Looks like the camera and cable is nearly twice as long! I dont know what the connection is from the built in card reader to the computer. If I was transferring thousands of images per day this could be a real time saver as would a faster reading card.
John f
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bmpress
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Thanks to all who responded. Looks like I will continue to take the card out of the camera and use the reader.
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Bob Atkins
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The fastest card readers will hit over 40MB/s when coupled with a fast card. Even the relatively inexpensive SanDisk ImageMate® All-in-One USB 2.0 Reader can reach transfer speeds of 34 MB/s, plus it will read just about any type of card you're likely to want to read. |
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