Transfering pictures from a 7D to my laptop?

Just got my 7D, which only takes CF cards (I bought Sandisk Extreme 60MB's 16 GB ones).
Sadly my new i7 Windows 7 laptop only has Sony Duo or SD, SDHC and SDXC inbuilt card readers (which were Ultra fast with the Sony A77's Duo and SD 94 MB/s cards).

Q1. Should I use the Sandisk Imagemate Card reader to transfer my pics; or can one use the cable with the camera to download the photos?; which is faster?
Q2 Is it worth spending more money to get the new USB 3.0 SanDisk cardreader?
NB I think USB 2 can work up to 60 GB per sec. So thats the limit of the card anyway!
(OK in the future I know it makes sense as the 90 MB/s cards will come down in price and I'm limited to 32 GB cards with the old Imagemate)
Q3. I'm assuming the camera isn't limited to 32 Gb when connecting to a Laptop over USB 2?
Is the 7D USB 2 or 3 - I assume it's USB 2?
Any advice welcome as I just keep spending cash on this little project!

Background:-
So I got out my old but unused Sandisc Imagemate 12 in 1 card reader to find it only supports up to 4 GB cards, under USB 2. (New Laptop has USB 3 or USB 2 in same slots). Then I upgraded the driver to support up to 32 GB on the old XP laptop. So all should be well except, I am then told by SanDisk support there is no Windows 7 driver!
I'm thinking it's only a USB drive! So I connected it to Windows 7 and it took a while to find some generic driver; but I can now move pictures to and fro.( Result!)

A card reader is the best option, with the process automated through Downloader Pro from Breeze Systems.

Submariner wrote in post #14582860
Just got my 7D, which only takes CF cards (I bought Sandisk Extreme 60MB's 16 GB ones).
Sadly my new i7 Windows 7 laptop only has Sony Duo or SD, SDHC and SDXC inbuilt card readers (which were Ultra fast with the Sony A77's Duo and SD 94 MB/s cards).

Q1. Should I use the Sandisk Imagemate Card reader to transfer my pics; or can one use the cable with the camera to download the photos?; which is faster?
Q2 Is it worth spending more money to get the new USB 3.0 SanDisk cardreader?
NB I think USB 2 can work up to 60 GB per sec. So thats the limit of the card anyway!
(OK in the future I know it makes sense as the 90 MB/s cards will come down in price and I'm limited to 32 GB cards with the old Imagemate)
Q3. I'm assuming the camera isn't limited to 32 Gb when connecting to a Laptop over USB 2?
Is the 7D USB 2 or 3 - I assume it's USB 2?
Any advice welcome as I just keep spending cash on this little project!

Background:-
So I got out my old but unused Sandisc Imagemate 12 in 1 card reader to find it only supports up to 4 GB cards, under USB 2. (New Laptop has USB 3 or USB 2 in same slots). Then I upgraded the driver to support up to 32 GB on the old XP laptop. So all should be well except, I am then told by SanDisk support there is no Windows 7 driver!
I'm thinking it's only a USB drive! So I connected it to Windows 7 and it took a while to find some generic driver; but I can now move pictures to and fro.( Result!)

Y0ou can always use the Canon Utility from the disk and hook up with a USB cable.

Thank goodness 7D and above do CF. CF cards can be purchased that can do much faster read/write that any SD.

Suggestion: Get a Lexar dual slot USB 3 card reader. They can do either SD or CF. They are updated for UDMA 7 protocol which gives the fastest CF card read/write sessions. Connect the reader to a USB 3 port if you have one. That is much faster than USB 2. If the computer does not have USB 3, it will connect also to USB 2....but can not move files as quickly.

Here is a site that gives a good overview of possible read/write speeds with different cards in a 7D. http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …i_page.asp?cid=​6007-10294

Thanks for the advice

In the last few days there has been at least two threads where people damaged things by removing the card from the camera and using an external reader. In one instance the card apparently damaged the card reader, unknown to the user, and when he reinserted the card into the camera some form of electronic related damage occured to the camera. In spite of all efforts (both batteries replaced, etc.) the camera fails to turn on properly and is destined to go to a repair facility. In the 2nd instance as I recall some pins in the camera body were damaged. Its a rare occurance and the repair is about a $350 repair as I recall.

Keep in mind that the Canon recommended method is to transfer images from the camera with the cable. Yes, it is slower and there is a risk if you catch the camera and pull it off a table, etc. Some people feel the camera connector is not robust enough, although there are far more reports of bent pins than broken USB connectors. Trade that for a much faster download using the card reader.

Obviously your choice...I happen to do the cable transfer with my 60D.

"John from PA"-- I guess if you only ever use a single CF card with a camera- using the mentality that it's safer - well maybe it makes sense to some. But the moment that a person has more than one CF card that they use- well- the playing ground levels out.

I mean, if you use two or more cards- you are pulling them out of the camera and sticking them back in- so the risk of bending a pin is still there. As far as hooking up your camera to USB- that in itself has its own risks and hazards, like tripping over the wire, dropping the camera, static electricity, etc. and the other obvious points are that with larger cards- if they are filled- the card readers tend to be faster to pull the data across- makes a difference if you have, say, 32G cards..


Now, I tend to use a card reader for reading CF cards. However, sometimes, I tether the camera for tethered shooting.. But I use a very long USB cable.

hi to all
i have some SD cards from my ex 60D
and now i want to use them with my 7D
can i use this adapter
http://tctechcrunch201​1.files.wordpress.com/​2009/06/cf_adapters_ra​id0.jpg

Thanks

Using an adapter for an SD card as a CF card in the long run is asking for trouble.

Don't do it, Ahmed... You want the best for your 7d. One of the very best things about the 7d is its speed, and you nullify that by going cheap on the cards.

MCAsan wrote in post #14584314
Suggestion: Get a Lexar dual slot USB 3 card reader. They can do either SD or CF. They are updated for UDMA 7 protocol which gives the fastest CF card read/write sessions. Connect the reader to a USB 3 port if you have one. That is much faster than USB 2. If the computer does not have USB 3, it will connect also to USB 2....but can not move files as quickly.

Seconded. The Lexar reader is excellent.

One of the good things about it is that it has a deep, well-fitting, slot for the CF cards. That means it's almost impossible to insert a card wrong and cause damage. And it has huge advantages over using the USB cable connected to the camera.

For a start, it's faster. On USB3 it's a lot faster, but even on USB2 it's still substantially quicker than downloading direct from the camera.

Another advantage is what happens is something (cat, kid, clumsy owner) snags the USB cable. With the cable attached to the camera you're looking at your pride and joy interacting with gravity (who is, as we all know, a heartless ****) towards a finale that may just result in a bit of a scare, or maybe with a camera in several pieces.

hollis_f wrote in post #14586981
Seconded. The Lexar reader is excellent.

One of the good things about it is that it has a deep, well-fitting, slot for the CF cards. That means it's almost impossible to insert a card wrong and cause damage. And it has huge advantages over using the USB cable connected to the camera.

For a start, it's faster. On USB3 it's a lot faster, but even on USB2 it's still substantially quicker than downloading direct from the camera.

Another advantage is what happens is something (cat, kid, clumsy owner) snags the USB cable. With the cable attached to the camera you're looking at your pride and joy interacting with gravity (who is, as we all know, a heartless ****) towards a finale that may just result in a bit of a scare, or maybe with a camera in several pieces.

Seems a good plan - thanks guys.
Didn't like the idea of constantly plugging into a camera port. When my preference is to fill a card, take it out and put another one in - so it's better to have a card reader to put the full one in.
Get the point on the danger too! When you've got a smashed 7D you'd wish you had spent a few dollars on the reader eh!

PopTarts wrote in post #14586256
Don't do it, Ahmed... You want the best for your 7d. One of the very best things about the 7d is its speed, and you nullify that by going cheap on the cards.

Thanks a lot John