Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

How do you transfer your digital photos?

Oct 25, 2005 4:48AM PDT

How do you transfer your digital photos?

FireWire
FlashPath
Floppy disk
Parallel card reader
PC Card adapter
Serial (RS232)
SCSI card reader
USB from a camera
USB card reader
Other (what do you use?)

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
USB 2.0 card reader
Oct 25, 2005 1:11PM PDT

Can you use a USB 2.0 Card reader to transfer digital photos to a video Ipod 30 gig? If so what would be the transfer speed?

- Collapse -
Photo transfer speed
Oct 27, 2005 7:54AM PDT

Sorry, about video ipod I have no idea, but a full 128 MB memory stick transfers to my PC in very much less than a minute - Meg.

- Collapse -
downloading digital camera
Oct 25, 2005 1:43PM PDT

I have two digital cameras that use a total of three different cards so I usually use my card reader that can read 8 different card types. It is simple and convenient and doesn't use up my batteries so that is the way to go

- Collapse -
Firewire
Oct 25, 2005 1:55PM PDT

Over the past nine years I have been using Digicams I have found that the irewire is the best method, with the batteries holding much more charge than before I download over 600 photos at 8mp size in not much time at all. There is less chance of damaging the flash card by put it in and out all the time.

- Collapse -
Other
Oct 25, 2005 1:56PM PDT

I use a Epson CX4600 scanner/printer with built in card reader. This allows me to print a contact sheet of all images on my card.

- Collapse -
Very slowly
Oct 25, 2005 2:09PM PDT

Oh, it takes months even years to get mine done.I'm past that age where everyone had a computer in school,but my kids were raised on them in the classrooms. I had to have a digital camera, why I had a computer! No more of my trusty 35 mm camera that I just loved, and took about a million pictures where ever we were. And doubles..I ALWAYS had doubles made so I could give out some to the unfortunates at a wedding or party, that hadn't brought their camera. I got the digital. I read, and read that manual until I was blue in the face. I am electronicly challanged you see. So, I wait and wait until one day when my son has about five minutes free to get them out of that little card, and onto a disk. Needless to say, I'll be going back to a 35mm, then when the film is used up, I'll drop it off at the nearest drugstore, ask for one set of prints now, and ask them to yes please, put them on a disk also, so I can try and share my photos. You young ones..consider yourselves so lucky to grow up on all of this. Laugh at us now, who knows what new thing it will be when you grow older, and have to learn over. dpokorny@comcast.net

- Collapse -
Re: Lucky
Oct 25, 2005 2:55PM PDT

I'm 23 and 5-6 years ago I was intrigued and amazed by the whole concept of digital cameras. Take a picture, plug the camera in, or pop a diskette in the slot and see your pictures. If you like, print them, or keep them there to look at. If not, trash em. Then I actually got a digital camera in 2001, and my first reaction to the on-screen image was something like, "What the heck? This image SUCKS!" Once in a great while, I'd get something I decided was fit to print *small.*

Now, though, I shoot 99% film and I love it. I guess you would say the way I download my photos would be through my scanner! I did eventaully get a better digital camera, but I'm just too addicted to real live continuous tone prints.

I guess I am lucky to have grown up in the world of computers. After all, I still need to scan and edit things and work with the occasional 100% digital image. However, I've got enough old school/die hard perfectionist in me to be able to say that film always rocks harder.

- Collapse -
Digital Cameras
Oct 26, 2005 12:02AM PDT

Hey Man, I,m an old 75 year old Fuddy Duddy, but the new
Digital Cameras are the greatest. Wife and I went to Alaska a few years back and I purchased my first Digital just for that trip. Took 938 shots and had trouble culling them out. Had to have over 800 printed. I got into Computers when the first came out in the 70's and learned to build them better than I can use them. I have built all my own. When I was in the Acctg business I had 16 connected to a network and kept them all running. Kinda retired now and enjoy my travels and the Digicamrea
Wiley Jones

- Collapse -
Downloading Pictures
Oct 25, 2005 9:50PM PDT

Don't rely on your son to put your pictures on a disk. Go to Walmart and let the photo people show you how to take your little card out of your camera and put it into their machine. Then all you do is choose the pictures you want printed, have a disk made.....there are several options. Go back to the 35mm and you will be downgrading. The quality of the pictures are great but do you really know what you have taken until you develop it? Sometimes it's better to limp and learn than sit by and let everything new pass you by.

- Collapse -
Mucho Anos
Oct 26, 2005 12:41AM PDT

I share part of your pain. I'm 62 and 2 years ago I could not used the camera in the library--Last month I built a new desktop.
I had my first darkroom when I was 5 and became acquainted with film early.
I still think film makes a better photo--But I LOVE the ease of digital sharing. Through the years I have either given negatives to people to have prints made--never to see negative again, or shelled out money to have photos made--never to see the person who requested them.
Play with the camera--batteries are cheap--there is no film to waste--no processing charge--just experiment--you will learn.

- Collapse -
Compact flash
Oct 25, 2005 2:59PM PDT

...built into my mouse

- Collapse -
FlashPoint "ShareDrive"
Oct 25, 2005 3:00PM PDT

I can download all the digital photos to the FlashPoint to view at my computer via the USB port.

- Collapse -
My Casio EX-Z50 uses a
Oct 25, 2005 3:17PM PDT

dock

- Collapse -
Bluetooth
Oct 25, 2005 4:53PM PDT

I mostly use my Sony Ericsson S710a, since its always with me, and then Bluetooth to move them from the camera phone to the computer. 1280x960 is fine for most snaps.

- Collapse -
samsung d600
Oct 25, 2005 7:41PM PDT

I use a my samsung sgh-d600 for pics sometimes on 1600x1200 or 1552x864.or with my cybershot that is 3.2 megapixels. i use my hp all in one.
if you have a reply please email me. at j a d t h e b a d @ g m a i l . c o m remove all the spaces.

- Collapse -
The D600 is a great phone
Jan 10, 2006 10:14PM PST
- Collapse -
Other: HP Photo printers w/ card reader slots
Oct 25, 2005 5:12PM PDT

I have USB card readers, but I usually use the HP Photo printers built-in card readers to download/transfer photos. My wife has a HP1000 connected to her PC, and I have a HP PSC2210 connected to mine. I use the USB card readers when I travel/visit friends/family, they don't always have a card reader.

- Collapse -
Why I use a card reader...
Oct 25, 2005 8:13PM PDT

I keep a USB card reader plugged in my computer for several reasons. We all have different cameras here so anyone in my family can download their pictures. It is just so much easier than constantly plugging in the camera and power. I never d/l my pictures from the camera without plugging in the power. With my luck, the batter will pick that moment to go dead and I have read you can lose your pictures. The readers are only about $20 and I also take it with me when we travel. I can use it on my laptop as well.

- Collapse -
Transferring pictures
Oct 25, 2005 9:23PM PDT

Its so easy, I just plug my Sony DSC-717 into the USB
port on the front on my tower, and presto, they are transferred into my pics folder.

- Collapse -
Transferring from Sony DSC-P32
Oct 25, 2005 11:31PM PDT

Yes, I do the very same thing. It is a painless exercise to plug your USB cord into the camera and transfer all pics. Although, I would prefer the pics were not stored into a directory three layers down.

- Collapse -
WOW 51% use USB cable. READ THIS
Oct 26, 2005 3:31AM PDT

I used the USB cable when I first got Sony DSC-P92. I was a bit dissapointed at the low battery life. I thought that I might get an other 10 or 15 % from the batteries by using a USB card reader.
Was I ever surprised to find that I got 300% more battery life. YES 300% more. I found that uploading pictures to the computer from the camera to the computer via the USB cable consumes 3 times as much of the battery charge as taking the pictures does.

- Collapse -
Buy spare batteries!
Oct 26, 2005 2:04PM PDT

Forget the card reader. You own a charger-make use of it!

- Collapse -
What method to transfer photos? that's easy
Oct 25, 2005 9:50PM PDT

I purchased an SD chip that happend to have a camera around it. That way all my images are on the chip which I can then put into my printer or my PC (desk laptop, pocket. No fuss no muss, no cables to carry around, or forget.

- Collapse -
how I transfer my phoos?
Oct 26, 2005 6:51AM PDT

I think the best way is using a free program: PICASA, thus with capital letters because it is the best way to organize your digital photos

M. Genao

- Collapse -
Combination of two
Oct 25, 2005 9:54PM PDT

Mainly I use a USB from the camera but also a build in card reader on my PC. Never used the reader on the printer but I'm looking forward to the new Wi-Fi camera from Canon. I just hope that it works with my MP390 printer and the Wi-Fi network that I'll be putting in next month.

- Collapse -
Using my digital camera
Oct 25, 2005 9:57PM PDT

I have had two digital cameras. I transfer pictures using the camera. I don't wait until I have 1000 pictures, I usually am only transferring 100 or so at a time, either to my desktop at home or to my laptop on a trip. It is a little slower than I would like, but it is conventient. I would welcome a faster, more conventient method.

- Collapse -
Memory Stick
Oct 26, 2005 12:05AM PDT

I have a Sony digi camera, digi video cam, a Sony VAIO PC and 2 Sony laptops. They all have memory stick slots which makes my life easier. I only have to worry about one type of connection/storage. Love it!

- Collapse -
Card Reader
Oct 26, 2005 12:26AM PDT

I really like the card reader better than reading the card from the camera. On a recent trip to yellowstone I could plug the card into the card reader and download it to my laptop while I popped another card into the camera. That way I could continue shooting not wait for the card to download - a gigbyte card takes awhile to download.

Ed Frank

- Collapse -
Kodak 7630
Oct 26, 2005 2:00AM PDT

I use a Kodak Dock with my Kodak 7630 for eBay pictures and it works great !!

- Collapse -
Transferring Digital Photos - Simple
Oct 26, 2005 2:21AM PDT

I have a Sony Mavica CD350 - and I gotta tell you I just take the mini-cd out of the camera and put it in my computer. Simple, nothing extra to buy, do or worry with. Then I already have the photos on permanent file, no need for back up, another step saved.

I have a minimum of THREE hours battery life, never have run out; can take hundreds of great pics at one time. And NO I don't work for Sony, just absolutely love this camera. Will be forever greatful that I had it recommended to me. Only minor thing is some shutter lag as everyone else mentions for all other cameras. I can even buy all the lenses for macro, telephoto etc. at good prices on ebay, so not much more I would ask for since I'm not a pro.