The Basics of Transferring Digital Photos
Transferring (also known as downloading or uploading) photos and movies to your computer is a pretty simple process. You can transfer several different ways. Each has its pros and cons. Some methods require additional hardware, such as a card reader.
Before you start transferring photos to your computer, you have to make a connection. This connection can be between your camera and a computer or, if you’d rather use a memory card reader, between the card reader and your computer.
Some digital SLRs have built-in Wi-Fi, which allows you to wirelessly upload photos to your computer or a smart device via a dedicated app. So cool, and about time. Upsides: No wires, no readers, no mess.
- Not all cameras have built-in Wi-Fi.
- Those that do may not support file transfer.
- Wi-Fi can be difficult to set up, understand, and accomplish. A Canon dSLR is paired with a computer in this image. This is just one of several involved steps required to get them to connect.
- Wireless transfer uses battery power and may be slow, depending on your connection speed.
Direct USB connection
Directly connecting your camera to your computer is the most straightforward, easy method. Connect your camera using the USB terminal, which is probably on the left side of your camera. Upside: The only thing you need, besides your camera, is the USB cable that came with the camera.
- Your camera has to be on. If your battery is low and you have no backup, recharge the battery a bit so your camera won’t die in the middle of a transfer. Should the camera power off, don’t panic. The files on the camera should still be there. Simply recharge the camera battery and then restart the transfer. While the battery is charging, check the files that were transferred to make sure they are viewable. Delete anything on the computer that didn’t transfer completely. If you were moving files, not simply copying them, you should check the file that was being moved for any damage by trying to view or edit it. The photos on either side of the power outage should be fine on both the camera and the computer.
When you put your camera on a table and connect it to a computer (see the following image) with a cord that can be snagged, tripped on, pulled, or yanked (by you, your kids, your cats, or your dogs), you risk pulling the camera off the table. That will ruin your day.
External USB card reader
External USB card readers take the camera out of the transfer equation. The card reader plugs into your computer. You feed the memory card into it and it handles the transfer. Upsides: You don’t have to use your camera’s battery and you don’t have to worry about running out of juice in the middle of the transfer. You aren’t endangering your camera. Also, if the card reader goes bad or gets broken, you can replace it quickly and cheaply.
- You have to either buy a card reader that handles multiple card types or buy a card reader for each type of memory card you have. (For example, the Sony A77 shown can use either Memory Stick PRO Duo or SD cards, and other cameras may use different types.)
- External readers can litter your desktop. They also tend to fall off, forcing you to get on your hands and knees and look behind the computer to retrieve them.
- If you have multiple computers to transfer files to, you must either buy more card readers or move the one you have back and forth.
Built-in card reader
Some computers and printers have built-in card readers. New iMac desktop computers, and MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops have built-in SD card slots. If you own a Windows computer, it might have come with an internal card reader. If not, you can install one. Upsides: Built-in models aren’t as slippery as portable card readers, and can’t fall off your desk.
Downside: Internal card readers aren’t portable, unless you’re using a portable computer.
Wireless file transfer adapters
For compatible cameras that don’t have Wi-Fi, Canon’s Wireless File Transmitter and Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Adapter let you wirelessly transfer files from your camera to a comp