Page 1 of 2 As you may have noticed in some of my blog posts, I've pretty much become an iPod junkie. From tunes, to Podcasts, to adding photos from my computer, I'm having a blast. Recently, I've found even more reasons to love my iPod. The iPod Camera Connector for the video iPod.
Figure 1 - A simple accessory opens up a great deal of digital freedom
This little accessory has opened up even more flexibility for my digital photography needs. As long as I have my iPod with me (and enough space on it) I no longer have to worry about switching memory cards in my camera. I just connect the camera's USB cable to the connector, and I can import files directly from the camera to my iPod. It's fast and easy, especially with JPEG files.
But you're not limited to just JPEG files. I shoot most of my work in RAW format. And the iPod will accept those files as well! You can't view them like you would a JPEG file, but at least they are stored.
RAW files are uncompressed and they bypass the camera's onboard image processing settings (or at worst, store those settings as instructions, rather than permanently altering the image file). This gives me maximum flexibility when processing my files in programs such as Adobe Camera Raw, or Lightroom.
From a professional perspective, I do not have to worry about lugging my laptop, or purchasing an external hard drive or for that matter, having extra memory cards on hand. Now, being a professional, I'd probably bring those things along anyway (well, not the external hard drive). From a personal and leisure perspective, this is great news for vacations and trips. I no longer have to pack—or worry about packing any of those things. So long as I have my iPod, the connector and my USB cable, I can continue shooting with virtually no worries.
And it's quite affordable, too. Canadian retail price varies from about $39.00 to $49.00. I lucked out with mine and purchased it for $29 on sale.
The import process is quite straightforward:
Figure 2 - The connector works with any digital camera
that has a USB cable
As the images import, you will see a preview of each image (if the are JPEG files) and a progress bar and counter will tell you the status of the import. You can choose to cancel and save the import at anytime. This means the iPod will finish importing the current file and then stop the import. After the files are imported, you can select Done or Erase card.
Choosing Done brings you to the Photo Import screen, where you can browse your imported images (each import session creates a new roll of images) or import additional images. When you select a particular roll to view, you will see the date of the import, the number of photos and the collective file size of all the images. You can then either browse the roll or delete it entirely. You cannot delete individual images. When browsing you can view the images full screen (it's nice to know the images are really there).
If you haven't recently imported images but want to view them on your iPod, go to Photos > Photo Import and choose the roll number.
Erase Card will wipe your camera memory card clean, so you can start shooting again.
If you prefer to view your new shots on a TV screen, and have the TV connector, you will still have to re-import the images through iTunes before you can play them back on that new wide screen flat panel.
Keywords
digital photos, images, photography, importing images, iPod
