how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

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Archive 2008 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Tomagado
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p.3 #1 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

keithreeder wrote:
Tomagado wrote:
firewire reader.

+1. Because USB sucks.

High speed USB 2 can be faster than Firewire, and "normal" USB 2 is only a hair slower - and then the only real Firewire advantage is with sustained data transfer (which downloading images isn't),

It's a bit silly - and inaccurate - to say that "USB sucks".

USB 2 card reader for me, using Windows Explorer and Drag 'N' Drop.

I'd like to know where you got your numbers

In real world experience, FW800>FW400=USB2.0.

Perhaps they do not suck, but I'd liken USB2.0 to a cessna and FW800 to a jet.

Cheers,
Thomas

Oct 06, 2008 at 06:51 AM

stanj
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p.3 #2 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

The fundamental reason why USB2 is faster on paper than FW400 but isn't in real life is that FW is full duplex, while USB is not. So because the devices are constantly chatting, it kills the thruput in USB but not in FW.

Oct 06, 2008 at 06:53 AM

astrolucida
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p.3 #3 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Esquire08 wrote:
trumpet_guy wrote:
> Although careful with inserting CF cards into the camera, I don't want
to risk getting a bent pin on the card slot unless I'm getting enough speed
benefit to make it worth it. The thin pins are the weak point in CF card design.

+1.

If I dont have to remove something that could, even in the most rarest circumstances, damage my gear, I wont.

In my experience, changing a lot of CF cards in the field, even under time pressure, I have never bent a single pin in any of my cameras. However, I have managed to bend a pin several times in a card reader or a memory bank. That's because the guide rail inside the camera is very long, the size of the card, whereas in card readers most of the card remains visible and thus the guide rails are quite short. This makes it possible to insert the card in a slight angle, not matching the pins.

Even bending a pin is not a catastrophe - with a small screwdriver it is easy enough to straighten it in seconds.

I would consider the USB cable actually a bigger risk to the camera - if it gets caught somewhere when moving the camera, the small USB plug in the camera can be damaged. I've managed to break the USB plug in my Nikon Coolpix 990 and the remote control plug in my 400D, exactly under such circumstances (though in dark, doing astrophotography).

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:41 AM

Marc Kurth
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p.3 #4 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

dhphoto wrote:
............................ and change the ppi/dpi to 300 at the same time (which the client wants)...............
David

I’m curious what you mean. Are automatically re-sampling or re-scaling every single image automatically?

Oct 06, 2008 at 03:38 PM

jerrykur
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p.3 #5 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Tomagado wrote:

Perhaps they do not suck, but I'd liken USB2.0 to a cessna and FW800 to a jet.

Cessna makes the world's fastest private jet, the Citation X.

Oct 06, 2008 at 03:40 PM

cftofu2k
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p.3 #6 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

card reader on my printer. reads cf and sd from my slr/p&s

Oct 06, 2008 at 03:45 PM

Tomagado
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p.3 #7 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

jerrykur wrote:
Tomagado wrote:

Perhaps they do not suck, but I'd liken USB2.0 to a cessna and FW800 to a jet.

Cessna makes the world's fastest private jet, the Citation X.

Well curses,

.

USB - Bike
FW 800 - X-43 rocket.

Better?

Oct 06, 2008 at 05:52 PM

keithreeder
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p.3 #8 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Tomagado wrote:I'd like to know where you got your numbers

Aside from ample information about this being available courtesy of Google (example), I've done my own testing on the very (Firewire 800-capable) PC I'm typing this on, using a borrowed-from-the-office Sandisk Firewire reader.

Firewire 800 was slightly faster than high-speed USB 2.0, but not to the extent that would make buying a Firewire card worthwhile.

And Firewire 400 is significantly slower than USB 2.0.

Oct 06, 2008 at 06:49 PM

nsieve
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p.3 #9 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Card Reader all the time. Way faster and it saves the battery life on your camera.

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:18 PM

Rockies Photo
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p.3 #10 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Pre-Face: This is not a pissing match, just providing accurate data.

keithreeder wrote:

Firewire 800 was slightly faster than high-speed USB 2.0, but not to the extent that would make buying a Firewire card worthwhile.

Interesting.... FW800 on my MBP & iMac is more than twice as fast, than USB 2.0 is, when downloading the same card, with the exact same information.

keithreeder wrote:

And Firewire 400 is significantly slower than USB 2.0.

I believe you are mistaken with regard to this statement.

Again, I have simultaneously downloaded twin cards on USB 2.0 & FW400 at the same time, and each time the FW400 completed the task' faster, than USB. USB is rated at 480 Megabits, FW is rated at 400 Megabits. However, FW is constantly streaming the data, whereas, USB is sending the data in blocks of information. I have never actually heard of USB hitting 480/MB...

I used to be a USB 2.0 Faithful user, until, I added a FW400 PCI card to my WinXP desktop. Then I bought the Sandisk FW Reader. Then I started dumping 4 & 8GB cards full of Raw Images, and noticeably saw the difference between USB & FW. Then I bought a Macbook Pro, and truly saw the difference between FW400/1394a & USB 2.0....

Here is a quote from Wikipedia, which is quoted from PC Magazine, TechTV, & other sources: LINK

"Although similar in theoretical maximum transfer rate, FireWire 400 tends to have the performance edge over USB 2.0 Hi-Speed in real-world uses, especially in high-bandwidth use such as external hard-drives.[19][20][21][22] The newer FireWire 800 standard is twice as fast as FireWire 400 and outperforms USB 2.0 Hi-Speed both theoretically and practically."

Stepping down from the Podium.....

To the OP:

I use Card Readers. I have never bent an interface pin in 5+ years of using Digital SLR's & Card Readers. And as has been stated, if you actually bend a pin, just take a small flat head screw driver and bend it back into place.

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:24 PM

joezasada
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p.3 #11 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

I use a Sandisk USB2 fast card reader. It's rocket fast and I keep it in the camera bag... and it does not need any drivers or anything like that (at least on XP or newer)

-you can't do RAW images through windows with your camera plugged in, only through the canon software which is a pain

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:42 PM

deepbluejh
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p.3 #12 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

I find it a little ridiculous people bicker over speeds of card readers. 99% of the time it doesnt matter one hoot whether it takes your card 7 minutes to download or 5 minutes to download. The one exception is if you are shooting on a deadline for a wire service. Otherwise, why spend 3-4 times as much money getting 15% more speed? A cheap USB 2.0 card reader offers plenty of speed for most users and costs almost nothing.

That said, I dont think I've ever used my camera to download pictures from my DSLR.

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:44 PM

Mike1
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p.3 #13 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

A card reader and a good hammer (for the computer & the card reader).

Oct 06, 2008 at 07:53 PM

Tomagado
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p.3 #14 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

I'm not trying to get into a contest either, I just think too many people see the numbers on paper and assume that performance on paper is real world performance.

On my mac laptop, FW800 scales almost to double real world performance of FW400, while USB 2.0 is roughly the same as FW400, if not slower. Performance also depends on the card reader you're using as well as the connection the reader uses. I've had the fastest transfer speeds with Sandisk Extreme FW readers with Extreme IV cards.

As for it being ridiculous to bicker, I agree

Use whatever works best for you, I'll use what works best for me.

Cheers,
Thomas

Oct 06, 2008 at 08:23 PM

Seth Tower
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p.3 #15 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

big country wrote:
how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?
thanks!

Just hold the card up to your monitor.

Oct 06, 2008 at 08:25 PM

invalid2
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p.3 #16 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

stits wrote:
Card reader. Canon, for some unknown reason doesn't set the cards to be viewed as mountable drives.

Gochugogi wrote:
Hmm, maybe that's an OS thing. My Canon formated CF cards always mount as drives on Mac Desktops. You can drag 'n drop, use the Canon download/import app or reformat in the card in Disk Utility.

I use a Firewire card reader. I don't have a USB reader but I'm pretty sure they mount on the desktop as well.

I believe that it is the camera that fails to provide the mass storage interface.

Oct 07, 2008 at 08:00 AM

invalid2
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p.3 #17 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Tomagado wrote:
Perhaps they do not suck, but I'd liken USB2.0 to a cessna and FW800 to a jet.

jerrykur wrote:
Cessna makes the world's fastest private jet, the Citation X.

Please see:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-104_Starfighter#Engine
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-104_Starfighter#Operators

Supersonic, jet powered and flown privately.

Oct 07, 2008 at 08:06 AM

Hotspur
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p.3 #18 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Well, using the cord uses camera battery power, which means more battery recharging, which is a pain. As I posted before, I got my USB card reader on eBay for $5. Well worth it.

Oct 15, 2008 at 10:50 PM

RandomLetterz
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p.3 #19 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

I've always used the included cord and havn't even thought of anything else

I shoot for myself and rarely fill up more than one of my 2G cards with my 5D on raw. The card takes maybe 5 minutes to unload. I waste way more time than that just trying to convince myself to get out of the bed in the morning so I think I can spare it now and again when I download pictures

I can see why you would need somthing faster if you were shooting lots of pictures and need to have them them processed and sent somewhere immediately (sports, etc). For me the cord is good enough

Oct 16, 2008 at 12:06 AM

JustinThyme
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p.3 #20 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Lasse Eriksson wrote:
dhphoto wrote:
Dave Jr wrote:
Card reader, and Breeze Downloader Pro.

+1

David

+2

+4

Firewire reader is preferable.

Oct 16, 2008 at 01:38 AM

Bill Grae
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p.3 #21 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Cardreader and Lightroom 2.0.

I genuinely can't imagine using anything else. Canon's folder structure (at least on the 40D and 20D, the only bodies I've used) otherwise leads to significant hassle - for example, when using Bridge by itself to copy from cards.

Oct 16, 2008 at 01:41 AM

FiveD
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p.3 #22 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Mac user, firewire card reader user. My cards are in and out of my cameras all of the time, I am not even a little bit careful about it, except to never force anything. No bent pins 4 different camera bodies.

Oct 16, 2008 at 01:59 AM

ShadowWalker
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p.3 #23 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Originally I used a Card Reader and Downloader Pro (when I had a PC). Now that I am on a Mac (and love it) , I use a Card Reader and ImageIngester

Oct 16, 2008 at 03:41 PM

ovredal73
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p.3 #24 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Sandisk Extreme USB reader to DPP.

Oct 16, 2008 at 04:03 PM

Jman13
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p.3 #25 · how do canon users transfer their images to the computer?

Internal card reader...it's in one of my 3.5" floppy bays, since I have no use for a floppy drive. Imported and managed with Lightroom 2.

Oct 16, 2008 at 04:12 PM


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