r 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 computer or smart device (such as an iPhone). Upside: Get files off your camera when you want without tripping over cords.
- You have to buy more hardware.
- Wireless transfer sucks up lots of battery power.
Wireless memory card technology
An Eye-Fi card transfers files from your camera to your computer. Upsides: It’s portable, doesn’t require additional hardware (beyond the memory card), is cool, and it gives you an unlimited amount of storage while you shoot.
- Eye-Fi cards use your camera’s battery to transfer, are slower than the other methods, and require a wireless network.
- You have to install and set up software.
After you’ve decided on a connection type, you choose a download method.
You can use a small computer program that automatically downloads the photos to the location you choose. Some are built into your computer’s operating system. Others are extra software applications that come with your camera (such as Canon EOS Utility) or part of your image editor applications (such as Adobe Bridge or Lightroom). These programs often run in the background. They’re ready to bounce into action the moment they sense a camera or card reader with a memory card has been connected. The programs normally have options for where photos are saved (plus folder names and whether to erase the photos from the card when you’re done).
To choose a method, you must select the program you want to handle things when you insert a memory card into an external card reader or connect your camera to the computer, as shown.
The program you choose opens the next time you connect a memory card to your computer. As the figure shows, the choice of Adobe Bridge opens the Bridge Photo Downloader.
You can download photos yourself.
- Drag the folder from the card reader to your drive and rename it.
- Create folders for photos using your operating system and then select the photos and drag them to the appropriate folder.