Card Reader or USB cable

bigtummy · 29th January 2005

Dear fellow photographers,

Which would you prefer to transfer your photos to your pc.

1. Connect it via the usb cable through your D70?
or
2. Take out your cf card and use a card reader to transfer?

As you can see, if you need to use your USB cable to transfer data every day from your camera, the tendency that the usb connector on your camera will become loose as time goes by. This happens to my IXUS 400. Nowadays when I connect my usb cable, a slight movement will cause my camera to d/c from my pc.

However, if we take in and out our CF card oftenly.. (which means everyday), will our CF card spoil? From what i know, when you insert your CF card into your camera, there will be a catch which will hold the card to the camera and thats why when we remove the card, we have to push the button. correct me if wrong. So it will not be an issue whether the card will become loose as time goes by right?

Thanks for your advices

itisnottheend · 29th January 2005

this is actually an interesting discussion, let me share my experiences and views:

1. Direct Usb Connection - it may be a blindspot, but not many people realised that usb connection is actually powered via small electrical surges, thru the socket then the PCB board (whatever else control electronics) of the camera, finally across the memory pins, into the card, then out again. it is reasonable to say this exchange occurs repeatedly and rapidly more than just 'several loops' in one single exchange. note that too usb connection require a certain level of electric current to take place, else detection and data transfer will be intermittent - note this why some better (pricier too) usb hubs/connectors are actually socket-powered and not just usb port-powered. Point aside too that this connection approach be likely slower and battery consuming (assuming theres no active power adapter available), imagine the amount of wastage on the no. of sensitive AND wearable electronic components each exchange, worst still if your set is reaching/exceeding warranty expiry..

2. Card Removal method ?

...A hassle each time - Yes, BUT you do get closer genuine usb2.0 speeds off usb2.0 readers and no camera battery consumption right?

...A risk of possibly bending some pins due to imprecise alignment or pure neglect/haste - Yes, BUT this your prob ok, not the camera's right?

...A broken/crippled lever - Yes. (personally encountered this, but it costs pennies to repair in compared to a princely whole PCB board overhaul - fyi encountered this too but becos entirely other reasons)

...A Reassurance that your Camera may last longer, that its internal components are not wearing themselves out from daily subject to possibly pleasurable, but nonetheless cumulatively AND potentially damaging, prolonged electrical jocks?...PRICELESS.

One more thingy..its has been tested and reported that flash memory cards can last a multi-storey drop, a dip in a cup of cappucino, a drive-over by a tractor...literally everything, short of 'oops, sorry boss, dropped it in a volcano during this morning helicopter ride ' or 'heck, the nature guide's shotgun misfired into our camera case when hes aiming for the prouncing tigers"...EVEN then, the [better made] memory cards are designed in such way they would bypass defective cells automatically, though then you may get 968mb disk space instead of a full 1024 off your new 1gb card.

well, thats life isnt it..[sign]

*professional technicians, if you are around, kind correct me if i am wrong. thks

KNIGHT ONG · 29th January 2005

Whether you use USB direct to camera or using a card reader to transfer, either ways the pins will get wear and tear .... sooner or later ...

For me .. now I prefers to take the CF card out from cam to tansfer the images. Save the trouble of power up the digital camera and you wont know along the way something nasty could happens ...

Just to play it safe and better to avoid damage to your DSLR. Everything and whatever we do, we got to find a system that suit yourself in digital work flow ..

Yes, I have accidently dropped my 1G CF card before. And I do not want it to happen again especially you got important images inside ... what the heck the drop test is as it is not important to me, just to make you feels less guilty that your CF card wont spoil ... who knows if something happens and claiming warrantry may be too late ??

Better to take care our CF cards than to be sorry ..

itisnottheend · 29th January 2005

yeo knight!...think i caught you at the Safra talk last eve right..remember i was the one who greeted you before the talk began?..btw great insights gained therein, 3 cheers to Mr Yip H K for his generous sharing and ecnouragement!

KNIGHT ONG · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by itisnottheend.org

yeo knight!...think i caught you at the Safra talk last eve right..remember i was the one who greeted you before the talk began?..btw great insights gained therein, 3 cheers to Mr Yip H K for his generous sharing and ecnouragement!

Sorry for not recongised you at first instant .... my memory failing

Hope to see you again at the circle of light ...

Must be too much stress from work .... nowadays easily getting weak and tired ...

tOGGY · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by bigtummy

Dear fellow photographers,

Which would you prefer to transfer your photos to your pc.

1. Connect it via the usb cable through your D70?
or
2. Take out your cf card and use a card reader to transfer?

Use a fast reader. If USB, then Hi Speed USB 2 is recommended.
I prefer this:
a. Fast transfer.
b. No messy multi-wires for different cameras & card based equipment
c. It is not expensive.
d. Footprint is very small and wires do not get lost at the wire jungle behind the computer
e. Multiple card readers have other uses for me.

Use Belkin product in this case. It carries a Lifetime warranty and is very reliable. Have to pay double the cost though. ie @ $49 instead of $30 for similar quality or $20 for an average one.

tOGGY · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by KNIGHT ONG

Yes, I have accidently dropped my 1G CF card before. And I do not want it to happen again especially you got important images inside ... what the heck the drop test is as it is not important to me, just to make you feels less guilty that your CF card wont spoil ... who knows if something happens and claiming warrantry may be too late ?? Better to take care our CF cards than to be sorry ..

For type one card, it can survive quite extreme condition. One CSers got it washed and tumbled in his washing machine. No problem.
In a dpreview, some one finally managed to damage one with some effort with a sledge hammer.
I will not be surprised at all if it works after a 30-foot drop test. Not too sure about type II microdrive type though.

Big Kahuna · 29th January 2005

That's why I hope digicam manufacturer should build in wireless transfer protocol e.g. bluetooth or 802.11G just like handphone for the convenient of file transfer

Normally if I just want to transfer a few file I will use USB cable as it's more convenient...but normally I will use CF reader becoz it's faster

KNIGHT ONG · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by tOGGY

For type one card, it can survive quite extreme condition. One CSers got it washed and tumbled in his washing machine. No problem.
In a dpreview, some one finally managed to damage one with some effort with a sledge hammer.
I will not be surprised at all if it works after a 30-foot drop test. Not too sure about type II microdrive type though.

I am using type I, not in favour of using microdrive.

bigtummy · 29th January 2005

Woahh.. with that can i conclude that using USB reader will be a much better way to transfer our data with compare to using direct USB cable?

Thanks guys for all your efforts in replying.

itisnottheend · 29th January 2005

ohoh ...just share with everyone here...dropping a CF card is small matter....BUT be careful not to drop in such way that a corner gets dented in/out/ajeer...cos then you will have much difficulty slotting in/out and closing up the camera port then you have getting to use it at all (it will be fine i assure you, if the drop is full body length+-)

espn · 29th January 2005

You know what? You worry too much. Where's the fun in photography then? Even if you don't do what you do now, Murphy's Laws always kick in after a while.

gadget · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by bigtummy

Dear fellow photographers,

Which would you prefer to transfer your photos to your pc.

1. Connect it via the usb cable through your D70?
or
2. Take out your cf card and use a card reader to transfer?

...

My usage depends on the situation:
1. When I'm not at home offsite/travelling with my notebook - Occaisonally.
2. When I'm at home - most of the time.

It doesn't matter which way you use, both will wear out one way or another however I prefer the Card Reader option due to faster upload speeds & less chance of (costly) damage to the camera.

David Lee · 29th January 2005

I own a few different cameras, i fix up a multi card reader on my pc and thats it, save the trouble of different cables hanging around.

There are pro and cons to each way of doing, just do it the way you find it more comfortable with.

andy9110 · 29th January 2005

i transfer my pics from the card to the portable storage drive. then from there i will transfer to my cam. but thats only when i had lots of pics. if only a few pics i would just transfer through cable

Puffish · 29th January 2005

I transfer to the card reader cos I dont want to waste the battery on transferring files.

Donno about others, but my D70 munched away a bar of battery after transferring about 400MB of file.....

nad · 29th January 2005

for those with firewire in your PC, check out the Lexar Firewire CF card reader... fastest CF card reader/writer bar none and no lag compare with USB2.0.

roygoh · 29th January 2005

To minimize wear on your camera and SF card, just alternate between using direct USB connection and card reader loh...that way the CF socket and the USB connector on the camera both share the wear so they all last longer mah...

When the next camera with 802.11 wireless link to transfer image from CF to PC wirelessly, there will be no more mecahnical wear.

espn · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by roygoh

When the next camera with 801.11 wireless link to transfer image from CF to PC wirelessly, there will be no more mecahnical wear.

*ahem* D2H, D2X?

David Lee · 29th January 2005

Originally Posted by roygoh

To minimize wear on your camera and SF card, just alternate between using direct USB connection and card reader loh...that way the CF socket and the USB connector on the camera both share the wear so they all last longer mah...

When the next camera with 801.11 wireless link to transfer image from CF to PC wirelessly, there will be no more mecahnical wear.

Think it is better to wear off the card than the cam,,,,Isn't it???

29th January 2005	#1
bigtummy Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 69	Card Reader or USB cable Dear fellow photographers, Which would you prefer to transfer your photos to your pc. 1. Connect it via the usb cable through your D70? or 2. Take out your cf card and use a card reader to transfer? As you can see, if you need to use your USB cable to transfer data every day from your camera, the tendency that the usb connector on your camera will become loose as time goes by. This happens to my IXUS 400. Nowadays when I connect my usb cable, a slight movement will cause my camera to d/c from my pc. However, if we take in and out our CF card oftenly.. (which means everyday), will our CF card spoil? From what i know, when you insert your CF card into your camera, there will be a catch which will hold the card to the camera and thats why when we remove the card, we have to push the button. correct me if wrong. So it will not be an issue whether the card will become loose as time goes by right? Thanks for your advices

29th January 2005	#2
itisnottheend Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 225	this is actually an interesting discussion, let me share my experiences and views: 1. Direct Usb Connection - it may be a blindspot, but not many people realised that usb connection is actually powered via small electrical surges, thru the socket then the PCB board (whatever else control electronics) of the camera, finally across the memory pins, into the card, then out again. it is reasonable to say this exchange occurs repeatedly and rapidly more than just 'several loops' in one single exchange. note that too usb connection require a certain level of electric current to take place, else detection and data transfer will be intermittent - note this why some better (pricier too) usb hubs/connectors are actually socket-powered and not just usb port-powered. Point aside too that this connection approach be likely slower and battery consuming (assuming theres no active power adapter available), imagine the amount of wastage on the no. of sensitive AND wearable electronic components each exchange, worst still if your set is reaching/exceeding warranty expiry.. 2. Card Removal method ? ...A hassle each time - Yes, BUT you do get closer genuine usb2.0 speeds off usb2.0 readers and no camera battery consumption right? ...A risk of possibly bending some pins due to imprecise alignment or pure neglect/haste - Yes, BUT this your prob ok, not the camera's right? ...A broken/crippled lever - Yes. (personally encountered this, but it costs pennies to repair in compared to a princely whole PCB board overhaul - fyi encountered this too but becos entirely other reasons) ...A Reassurance that your Camera may last longer, that its internal components are not wearing themselves out from daily subject to possibly pleasurable, but nonetheless cumulatively AND potentially damaging, prolonged electrical jocks?...PRICELESS. One more thingy..its has been tested and reported that flash memory cards can last a multi-storey drop, a dip in a cup of cappucino, a drive-over by a tractor...literally everything, short of 'oops, sorry boss, dropped it in a volcano during this morning helicopter ride ' or 'heck, the nature guide's shotgun misfired into our camera case when hes aiming for the prouncing tigers"...EVEN then, the [better made] memory cards are designed in such way they would bypass defective cells automatically, though then you may get 968mb disk space instead of a full 1024 off your new 1gb card. well, thats life isnt it..[sign] professional technicians, if you are around, kind correct me if i am wrong. thks Last edited by itisnottheend; 29th January 2005 at 08:58 AM.*

29th January 2005	#3
KNIGHT ONG Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Snow Mountain Posts: 5,718	Whether you use USB direct to camera or using a card reader to transfer, either ways the pins will get wear and tear .... sooner or later ... For me .. now I prefers to take the CF card out from cam to tansfer the images. Save the trouble of power up the digital camera and you wont know along the way something nasty could happens ... Just to play it safe and better to avoid damage to your DSLR. Everything and whatever we do, we got to find a system that suit yourself in digital work flow .. Yes, I have accidently dropped my 1G CF card before. And I do not want it to happen again especially you got important images inside ... what the heck the drop test is as it is not important to me, just to make you feels less guilty that your CF card wont spoil ... who knows if something happens and claiming warrantry may be too late ?? Better to take care our CF cards than to be sorry .. __________________ AMPA * Studio * J team Last edited by KNIGHT ONG; 29th January 2005 at 09:14 AM.

29th January 2005	#8
Big Kahuna Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,678	That's why I hope digicam manufacturer should build in wireless transfer protocol e.g. bluetooth or 802.11G just like handphone for the convenient of file transfer Normally if I just want to transfer a few file I will use USB cable as it's more convenient...but normally I will use CF reader becoz it's faster __________________ Takuya Kimura has chosen Nikon. When will you?

29th January 2005	#18
roygoh Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Northwest Posts: 5,042	To minimize wear on your camera and SF card, just alternate between using direct USB connection and card reader loh...that way the CF socket and the USB connector on the camera both share the wear so they all last longer mah... When the next camera with 802.11 wireless link to transfer image from CF to PC wirelessly, there will be no more mecahnical wear. __________________ As complexity rises, precise statements lose meaning and meaningful statements lose precision. Last edited by roygoh; 30th January 2005 at 03:28 PM.

29th January 2005	#12
espn Deregistered Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Planet Nikon Posts: 22,045	You know what? You worry too much. Where's the fun in photography then? Even if you don't do what you do now, Murphy's Laws always kick in after a while.

29th January 2005	#14
David Lee Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North.. Posts: 109	I own a few different cameras, i fix up a multi card reader on my pc and thats it, save the trouble of different cables hanging around. There are pro and cons to each way of doing, just do it the way you find it more comfortable with.

29th January 2005	#15
andy9110 Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 317	i transfer my pics from the card to the portable storage drive. then from there i will transfer to my cam. but thats only when i had lots of pics. if only a few pics i would just transfer through cable

29th January 2005	#16
Puffish Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Punggol Posts: 155	I transfer to the card reader cos I dont want to waste the battery on transferring files. Donno about others, but my D70 munched away a bar of battery after transferring about 400MB of file.....

29th January 2005	#17
nad Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 443	for those with firewire in your PC, check out the Lexar Firewire CF card reader... fastest CF card reader/writer bar none and no lag compare with USB2.0.