A620 help needed please

When I d/l my Images from my A620 which method is the best to use & why ?
1-D/l images using the Camera
2- D/l images using the Computer
By Default in either method the images are saved into subfolders according to their Shooting dates. How can I alter this to show the Downloading date ?
I have to use a Hub , because I have only 2 USB ports at the back of the Computer. Realize this makes the process slower but is there any thing else bad envolved ?
Thanks . Storm2

I put my card in a reader (or just connect the camera directly) and then click my computer and then click the camera. Works for me.

Stefan

Shouldn't be any difference, at least I didn't notice.

I am not sure there is such an option, or I haven't found it. Since I always move the files afterwards to other folders by topics and/or location, it does not matter to me. BTW, if you have Windows XP, you don't need to use the Canon utilities to download images. You can just copy them over from the camera to your computer and put them directly into any folder you like.

There is of course also a possibility of using a card reader, but I damaged a couple of cards that way in the past and stick with USB now.

There should not be any effects. Since it is a digital process, it either works or it doesn't. No in-betweens.

If you use a card reader you can use Windows Explorer to create folders and copy the files. You don't have to use Canon's software . I personally use Downloader Pro from Breexze Systems as it lets me attach IPTC information to the files (captions, topics/categories, copyright information) to the photos. That's directly to the photos - it's embedded in the JPEGs or RAWs.

Mere use of a USB hub shouldn't reduce USB data transfer speeds. If you're not using USB 1.1 devices in it, it should provide you with the full 480 Mbps potential, which neither your camera nor your cards in a reader will be able to keep up with. However the card reader is going to be much faster than a direct camera-computer transfer, especially with a large number of photos.

I always use a card reader. It's faster than d/ling direct from the camera; I can review the pictures on the card while I'm transferring them, and I don't run down the camera battery while I'm copying files (which can have a negative effect on your memory card).

I'm running XP, and I use a SanDisk card reader connected through a 4 port USB 2.0 hub, so I don't have to always be plugging/unplugging my cameras. I store my photos in folders on USB flash drives, and have not installed Canon's software on my PC. If I want a certain photo or group of photos, I just pull the appropriate flash drive and go from there. So far, so good!

Thanks for all your helpfull sugestions. According to MS Support I should be able to connect to my XP computer with USB ,tried it but guess I will have to uninstall the Canon software first, because thats what shows up. I will look into getting a Card Reader as it seems the best way to go maybe .
hwyhobo how did you manage to damage the cards in your Reader?
I hate putting those small USB connections together
Really like my A620 & my daughter was very happy to get my old A70.
Storm2

I am clumsy with delicate things. I must have bent them or put them at less than perfect angle, and sure as day after a while first one then another developed intermittent contact problems.

I hate putting those small USB connections together

See, and I never managed to screw up that one. Not yet. I guess USB connectors must be more clumsy-proof.