Acquiring RAW image files?

I have a 20D, and I am on a different computer than I usually have. I left all of the software at my house.

What can I download to get the files off of my camera?

I don't think there's any way to get RAW files off other than using a card reader (assuming that you don't have a WFT-E1 wireless network accessory, which is something that is only worthwhile if you have a specialist application for it).

If you have a card reader, Windows Explorer will do.

David

What do you mean? On my main computer I use ZoomBrowser EX.

Do you want to just download them off the card to empty it or do you want to look at and process them? If the former what DavidW says... if the latter, download Rawshooter Essentials from pixmantec website onto the pc you have if the owner doesn't mind.

What exactly do you have with you. Do you have the cable that connects the camera to a PC's USB port? If you do then you need the Canon software.

If you don't you need a standalone card reader. I never use anything else myself. They are cheap and you just plug it into a USB port, insert your memory card and Windows sees it as a 'removable drive'. Get one and put it into your camera bag - you and your photos will never be apart again!

I just need to get the images off of the card, I already have CS2 on this computer.

You'll need a card reader - with a USB cable you can't see the RAW files if you shot RAW + JPEG, and I think you may not be able to see them if you shot RAW.

There's no need for any fancy software - I copy my RAW files using either Windows Explorer or Adobe Bridge depending on what works best for the particular situation I'm in. Adobe Bridge will allow you to view the RAW files pictorally without installing any extra software on top of Photoshop CS2 - the version of Adobe Camera Raw shipped with Photoshop CS2 is sufficient to display 20D RAW files.

David

I don't seem to understand what you mean, I always get my RAW images through the USB cable to my camera. And I use ZoomBrowser to get them. But I dont have it with me, so I'm wondering what other programs do the same thing.

Ok sorry nevermind.

Turns out one of these old HP computers in this house actually had a CF reader on the front panel, so I just stuck it in and acquired the .cr2 files. It's not nearly as fast as USB2.0 but it will do . Thanks

I'd forgotten that ZoomBrowser has a way to retrieve RAW files from the camera using the cable. I don't bother - I just use a card reader instead.

Without ZoomBrowser, your options are limited. I usually shoot RAW plus JPEG, and still have some images on a card. I connected my 20D (2.0.3 firmware) to this Windows XP Professional SP2 machine. Whichever communication mode I set in the menu, I can only get JPEGs. In Normal mode, I don't see the RAW file at all unless I load ZoomBrowser and use CameraWindow to download the images. In PTP mode, I see two JPEGs for each image, and whichever I download, I just get the JPEG (I regard this as a bug, but, if it is possible to fix, Canon have never bothered).

As a test, I set the camera to RAW only and took a picture. In Normal mode, I don't see the image at all. In PTP mode, I can access the RAW file.


As I said, I regard the inability to access RAW files easily via the cable as a bug; I don't see why PTP mode can't show the RAW files when you shoot RAW plus JPEG, and I don't understand why Normal mode only shows JPEGs.

If I remember rightly, Normal mode only works if you have the Canon drivers installed. PTP mode only works with Windows XP (it's the mode really designed for use with a direct printer), but doesn't need special drivers.


As others have said, your best option is to keep a small USB 2.0 card reader in your camera bag. Like many here, I don't bother with the cable.

David

I'm glad you found the card reader - it is the easiest answer.

A USB 2.0 card reader on a USB 2.0 port is, in my experience, faster than the cable on a USB 2.0 port.

David

Another option would have been to just plug the camera into the computer with the provided USB2 cable and drag the files off the camera with Windows Explorer.

Yes - but the whole point is that, outside the specific cases I outlined above, you can't download RAW files from a 20D using the cable.

To get RAW files off with the cable, you either need ZoomBrowser installed, or you need to have shot RAW only, switch the camera to PTP mode, and be using Windows XP (I have no idea if Mac OS X can cope with a camera in PTP mode).


If, like me, you shoot RAW plus JPEG, there's no way to retrieve RAW files with the cable unless you have ZoomBrowser installed.

David

This is why a Sandisk card reader is always in my bag. I think it was $15 and is compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0.