Card reader vs camera direct-connect for downloading image files?

Something funny happened. Showed up to shoot a ball game and another photography smacks his forehead after discovering he left his CF card in the card reader at home.

Honestly, my CF cards RARELY, if ever leave my cameras. I have a direct-connect USB cable permanently plugged into my editing PC. When I want to download files to the computer, I grab the other end, plug it into the camera, select download images and leave for a few minutes. Done.

Other things I've heard about are bent pins inside the camera from incorrectly or not taking proper care when installing and removing CF cards.

Am I the odd-man-out here because I don't use a card reader? If a card would happen to fail, I have others in the bag. Otherwise, why else WOULD I take it out?

dave

Some card readers are faster at downloading files off the camera. When I had my XTi, I had no problem using the cable to connect straight to camera. I dont think you are as alone as you think when it comes to this. However, now that I have a 1Ds MKII, the USB 1.0 technology integrated with the camera is painfully slow, I have to use a card reader unless I plan on waiting 5 to 10 mins for one 2GB card to unload.

I've had trouble with using EOS utility and the USB port since Windows Vista came out. Once Canon stopped making the WIA drivers for EOS utility - it seems to be very undependable. Some users complain the PC can't see the camera. In my case it started crashing while downloading files.

So I started using the card readers built-into my PC and all well ever since.

You'd have to take a poll to confirm but I believe that most people on here use a card reader.

The "you can damage the card by taking it out too often" doesn't work for me because I have multiple cards and am always swapping them when they get filled up. So whats one more time to take the card out and put it in the PC for downloads?

Card readers are much, much more simple.

Just in case I forget the card at home or it corrupts or whatever, I have spare cards EVERYWHERE...one in my laptop backpack, one in each photo backpack, one in the ashtray of my car...and of course now that I have the 1D, I slapped a spare SD card in there too...if all else fails

CF reader for me. I don't have an AC adapter for my camera and would rather not waste battery power by keeping the camera on while transferring files.

I had to give up the EOS utility when I switched to Windows 7...I loved the simple process of renaming & off-loading files in one-easy step. I now use a card reader & filerenamer (software) to store photos...clunky process now.

Camera direct to mac for me. Faster than my old card reader and simpler, then again I have a 16gb card so I rarely need to download more than one card.

mosconiac wrote in post #11687504
I had to give up the EOS utility when I switched to Windows 7...I loved the simple process of renaming & off-loading files in one-easy step. I now use a card reader & filerenamer (software) to store photos...clunky process now.

You should try DIM (alan light) - download and rename in one step

http://www.alanlight.c​om/dim/Dim.htm

Camera--> EOS util --> PC
simple & easy
I do not like to replace CF cards (but i do have backup in the bag - the 7D 8fps can fill the card quickly )

No card reader for me. Direct is the way.

I'd never download from the camera... way too slow. I always use card readers and that takes long enough.

I have three Pelican cases with four 8GB memory cards in each... They all go with me on all day shoots... one is in each of my camera bags/packpacks. Plus there is always another card in each camera.

There are another dozen or so 2GB cards in the bag with my backup cameras, just in case.

I do as many as a dozen or fifteen card changes in a day's shoot, and have never bent a pin yet... knock on wood.

yeah, i find downloading direct from camera too slow, i have a multi card reader from Kingston, and it works a lot faster than direct connect.

that was with my XTi at least.

Camera and EOS Utility for me. Goes right to a subdirectory according to date. New day, new folder.

I take the card out of my 60D, plug it into my Dell laptop with windows 7, 10-20 seconds at most to download to the computer and erase from the card. Take the card out, and pop it right back into the camera. All done. Have extra cards in case of the unexpected.

I can't do direct from camera. My 1D Mk2n only supports FireWire downloading, which I don't have on my laptop. So, CF reader it is.