Card Reader or USB Cable?

Scotto

Just curious really, :scratch

Do you guys use Card Readers or do you simply plug in a USB Cable to the camera.

Personally, I use a card reader, always have done always will

aj986s

My experience has been that the card readers are MUCH faster. Plus, AFAIK, you don't have any "battery going dead" issues with the typical card readers. I use the built-in one on my PC, and keep a small portable one in my camera bag. I cannot ever remember connecting my camera to the PC.

ziggy53

I use card readers exclusively. The drivers are more stable and reliable, transfer speed is faster (IMO and experience) and it saves electronic wear-and-tear on the camera as well as preserving the USB port for those times when you need it. (Every time you power an electronic device it stresses the circuits.)

Scott_Quier

w/ everything Ziggy just said. Let me add, if you have FireWire, the SanDisk Extreme FireWire CompactFlash Card Reader works a real treat - it's just plain fast! For me, having to frequently download anywhere between 6 and 16 4GB cards, it's well worth the premium you pay to acquire it.

But, I'm just as sure that most could easily get by with a $8 SUPER TALENT EXTAI1SILG All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - it may not, but could, be very fast, but for one card - who cares:D

ivar

+1 on the card reader

Scott_Quier wrote:

Let me add, if you have FireWire, the SanDisk Extreme FireWire CompactFlash Card Reader works a real treat - it's just plain fast! For me, having to frequently download anywhere between 6 and 16 4GB cards, it's well worth the premium you pay to acquire it.

this is one of the best accessories I have for my camera. It's great.

Cuong

Card reader definitely, either stand-alone or built-in (on the lcd).

Cuong

Scotto

Scott, is there much difference in speed between the USB2 and your FireWire reader?

A FW reader is something I have considered in the past

ivar

Scotto wrote:

Scott, is there much difference in speed between the USB2 and your FireWire reader

it's much faster for me

Scott_Quier

Scotto wrote:

Scott, is there much difference in speed between the USB2 and your FireWire reader?

A FW reader is something I have considered in the past

Opinions differ. Some say there's little if any difference between USB 2.0 and FW. Others, like me, report huge differences.

It might be that my USB 2.0 reader is sub-standard, but my FW reader is something way faster. Using a full 4GB 300x Transcend CF card (something like 185 RAW images from a Canon 50D), the USB reader was telling me that it would take, IIRC, about 10 minutes to download the card. The FW reader took just a bit more than 3 minutes.

Art Scott

readers are the only way to go.......now I am trying to decide if I want to add one to an empty 5.25 bay on my computer and get rid of the usb stand alone

Ric Grupe

Art Scott wrote:

readers are the only way to go.......now I am trying to decide if I want to add one to an empty 5.25 bay on my computer and get rid of the usb stand alone

The internal readers are not up to snuff. Externals are much faster. Now if SanDisk or Lexar decided to make an internal reader that could change. I suspect...no market...no interest.

Art Scott

Ric Grupe wrote:

The internal readers are not up to snuff. Externals are much faster. Now if SanDisk or Lexar decided to make an internal reader that could change. I suspect...no market...no interest.

Wow I owld have figured the case fit to be the better, how ever you have one great point on the use of name brand readers ( i am presuming an implied the SD / Lexie to be better than say a Stratitec).....may have to try a name brand one to see how it runs when I get all my stuff (mobo, ps, ram (4gb), ram cooler and sata drive ) arrives and gets installed.......I can't process pics unless the windows are open and a fan blowing directly into the case and it has been in the single digits:D.....so waitng on box from tiger direct.........