cf cards ,pins,readers..

[felix21685]

good day guys,

I was at the local walmart and checked out their CF card slot..surely there was about 25% of hte pins pent almost 90 degrees..:)

what do you guys use to get ur pictures to machines that can print them?
do you burn a cd everytime you want to transport them to a public machine?

also.ive read alot about cardreaders. alot of people prefer them.

lets say you only use 1 card mostly.
why not just leave the card in there and then not risk bent pins..

but i realize this only works if u have one card..
is hte camera slower to download them to your computer ?
-Felix

[Skip Souza]

The most gratifying way is to use a computer and print them yourself. That way you only print the ones you are sure you want, as many copies as you want, and you get them NOW. Decent printers are reasonably priced (never mind my wifes $600 printer) and after the initial investment are inexpensive per picture taken. Remember you are only paying for the pictures you print. You also get the satisfaction of adjusting the pictures to your needs.
For me, one of the best things about digital photography is printing them myself.

[tim]

I don't print myself, because I print such a small proportion of my photos it'd work out more expensive, especially since I prefer large prints. I print 6*4 very rarely, I prefer 30*45cm (11*17 inch), or A1 (30*20) for my lounge.

I use online printing services mainly, or occasionally I put my CF card into a machine in the store. If the store's machine's broken, I go elsewhere.

If you have a card reader, just be careful and you'll be fine, if you break it, no biggie, they're cheap. They're faster than plugging into the camera, don't use up camera batteries, and are easier to get working.

The risk of using one card is that if something goes wrong (eg it breaks, or you delete it by mistake) you lose all your pictures. Also large cards (4GB) are very expensive. For a theatre shoot or wedding i'd want 4GB of storage at least, since I shoot RAW.

Hope that helps.

[Jesper]

Printing at home is NOT cheap! Sure, a decent photo printer isn't that expensive, but photo quality paper and ink is very expensive. If you compute the cost per print, you'll find out that having your prints made via an online printing service or at a store like Walmart is cheaper per print than doing it yourself at home.

The major advantage of printing at home is that you have complete control over the whole process and you can make prints at any time you like and immediately have the results. But if cost is a major factor in your decision whether you want to print at home or at some service, printing at home is not the best choice.

About card readers: The major advantages of using a card reader are that you can transfer images faster* and that you don't have to drain the battery of your camera.

* If you get a card reader, make sure you get an USB 2.0 Hi-Speed card reader, and make sure your computer has an USB 2.0 port to connect it to. If the card reader and / or the computer only supports USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 normal speed, it will work really slowly.

How fast you can transfer images from your camera to your computer (with the camera connected to the computer directly) also depends on the camera. The 20D and 350D (Digital Rebel XT) have a USB 2.0 interface, but other cameras have only a slow USB 1.1 interface.

[ron chappel]

I have worked out in detail how much home prints cost me.
The paper is a no brainer-just get canon,there are no great cheap bargains around.
I mostly use 'photo paper plus glossy' in A4 size which costs less than us$1 per print (much less when cut into smaller sizes of course :)

Ink costs a fair bit more. My memory is abit dull but i think canon ink worked out to less than us$2 per A4.

I just got some of those cheap ink refills,that will drop the cost per A4 down to less than a dollar per A4 print ...but so far the colour has been weird and i don't think i can completely correct it :(:(
Canon inks again next time i think!

Interestingly i bought the model with individual ink tanks but they all ran out at exactly the same time!

[PhotosGuy]

what do you guys use to get ur pictures to machines that can print them? A CF card at Wall Mart! Usually they have an adaptor to hold the card to use another input, or they can use their own computer for your cards. You just have to ask for it.

[PacAce]

good day guys,
what do you guys use to get ur pictures to machines that can print them?
do you burn a cd everytime you want to transport them to a public machine?

Burn the files to a CD-R and take that to Walmart or whereever. And if the machine ruins it, you can make another and take it elsewhere. If their equipment fries your card, you'll be out a card and I've heard of that happening to people, too.

[robertwgross]

Printing at home is NOT cheap!

I agree with this in principle, but with gasoline for my car at $3.00 per gallon, it seems expensive to drive off to some automated photo machine to get a couple of prints done.

I like having the full control of the project, from capturing the original image to editing, to composing into a document and printing it myself.

---Bob Gross---

[Bruce Foreman]

Actually a simpler way for Wal*Mart customers who have broadband internet is to upload images to be printed to walmart.com. You open an account online (very easy to do), upload your pix and make your order.

My prints are always ready by the time I drive to the store closest to my home. Of course this is just for "quickie" 4x6's. Anything for a client gets uploaded to a pro-lab and I wait for prints in the mail.

When I think of all the weddings and formal events where I "sweated" the precious ONLY film in the mail or subject to a lab accident....

Bruce Foreman

[fredpb]

I have card readers for all card types. I only use a USB 2.0 one when I have a LOT of pictures on a 1gb card and don't want to take the time to wait.

I don't think card readers should be used on a regular basis for CF cards as they use PINS. In the camera. Pins wear out. It would be expensive to replace that pin area in a camera.

So I usually use the USB connection to download. That socket in the camera can also wear out, but I think would be easier and cheaper to replace if it breaks. If it does break, perhaps then you could use a card reader if you don't want the expense of repair.

Sigh, it would be so nice to have a Bluetooth connection between camera and PC!

[tim]

I don't think a part wearing out is worth considering. The CF card slot is well made, unless something odd goes wrong by the time it fails you'll probably have replaced the camera.

Can anyone share experience with an older D30/D60 and the CF slot - any problems?

[Hellashot]

Printing at home is NOT cheap! Sure, a decent photo printer isn't that expensive, but photo quality paper and ink is very expensive. If you compute the cost per print, you'll find out that having your prints made via an online printing service or at a store like Walmart is cheaper per print than doing it yourself at home.


But when you go to a kiosk, you are stuck with its paper, its quality settings. I can get high quality 4x6 paper for 9 cents a piece.

Actually a simpler way for Wal*Mart customers who have broadband internet is to upload images to be printed to walmart.com. You open an account online (very easy to do), upload your pix and make your order.

My prints are always ready by the time I drive to the store closest to my home. Of course this is just for "quickie" 4x6's. Anything for a client gets uploaded to a pro-lab and I wait for prints in the mail.

When I think of all the weddings and formal events where I "sweated" the precious ONLY film in the mail or subject to a lab accident....

Bruce Foreman

And they probably have a disclaimer that walmart has the right to do whatever they want with the images... nothing like giving photo quality images to someone else!