D 50 purchase - card reader??

I am ordering a D 50 from one of the discount houses. Salesman says I need to also buy a card reader. I assumed that other than the memory card, everything else I need comes with the kit from Nikon. What's the story? Thank-you.

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many people use a card reader to download their photos, for instance i do not use the nikon program it messes up many graphic programs like photoshop so I use the card reader and PS file browser

Make sure its USB 2.0 because if its 1.0, you're gonna be waiting a while. Car readers come in handy but you can buy them anywhere so its no big deal if you don't buy it now. It's handy but not a necessity. You can just download your pics using the usb cable that comes with your camera.

I would definitely use a card reader! So much faster!!
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Ed

ramsay said:

I am ordering a D 50 from one of the discount houses. Salesman says
I need to also buy a card reader. I assumed that other than the
memory card, everything else I need comes with the kit from Nikon.
What's the story? Thank-you.

Click to expand...

The camera doesn't come with a card reader. It comes with a cable you can plug into your usb port, BUT if you do that, your battery life is cut in half roughly. I bought a USB 2.0 card reader and have been very glad I did because the usb port on the camera only transfers at usb 1.1 speeds...yuck.

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D70 and photo discussion
D70 custom tone curves @ http://forum.mastersphoto.net

I assume the D50 has USB transfer abilities built in (I have a D70, so I don't know for sure). If that's the case, a card-reader is not required , but I find it more convenient than transering straight from the camera.

Also, they're quite cheap - especially over the internet. For instance, E-Cost has a 12-in-1 reader right now for FREE (after rebate - $16.99 before).

So, you shouldn't need it, but you might want to get one anyway.

Jeff

Would someone please recommend a resonably priced one for the D 50? I don't understand the differences between 12 in 1; 4 in 1, etc. I am not a heavy or frequent shooter, so probably don't need the top of the line. Thanks!

The ?-in-? (12-in-1, 4-in-1, etc) just represents how many different card formats the device can read. For instance, the 12-in-1 I mentioned earlier can read various flavors of CompactFlash, MicroDrive, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, etc...

So, while you only need one that reads the D50 card format (The D70 is CF, but I'm not sure on the D50), other formats might also be handy if you use them in other devices (cameras, etc). Also, even if you don't use other formats now, you might in the future.

I don't really know which ones are better than others, just make sure you get on that supports USB 2.0 and the memory format of the D50.

Here's a link to all the current E-Cost offerings, including a few that are FREE after rebate.

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/search/search.asp?id=111119000&search=Compact%20Flash%20Readers

Jeff

You need an SD card reader for your D50. Readers that work only with SD cards are a bit scarce; they are sometimes still given away free when you buy an SD card. Most of the readers you see will read SD, plus Compact Flash and many other formats. Just make sure you get a USB 2.0 model.

Here's a tip I haven't seen yet. I advise folks who have digital cameras using SD cards, but have no card reader but do have an MP3 player to try that. My son takes the SD card out of his digital camera, inserts it in his MP3 player, which is connected to his computer with the USB cable. The MP3 player appears on his desktop as a hard disk drive, the same as with a card reader. He can transfer files and doesn't need to buy or find space for an extra device.

It's more of a space-saving thing, because $15 card readers are hardly an economic hardship for most.

Your new D50 will transfer at USB 2.0 speeds with the included USB cable (unlike the D70). The only real reason to buy a card reader is to save your D50's battery.

-Ben

Thanks for all the useful replies.

I got a very basic SanDisk ImageMate. It's USB 2.0 and works just fine. If you have another camera that uses Compact Flash, Memory Stick, or another type of memory, then you need to get a card reader that accommodates many types of memory. If you just have the SD memory card, then the one I mentioned is all you need.

Hello,

Just to clarify, from the technical side of the coin, some vendos claim that they have USP 2.0 capabilities when they only support full-speed USB2.0 (which is really USB 1.1), one example is our beloved D70/s.

Mark Nilest said:

Make sure its USB 2.0 because if its 1.0, you're gonna be waiting a
while. Car readers come in handy but you can buy them anywhere so
its no big deal if you don't buy it now. It's handy but not a
necessity. You can just download your pics using the usb cable
that comes with your camera.

Click to expand...

A fundamental problem with deciphering USB lies in the way companies are using USB specs. To make the story short, many of the ways USB is being thrown around as product descriptions are just plain wrong.

USB 2.0 is the most recent revision of USB specifications. It represents the evolution of USB from its introduction years ago from USB 1.0 (1.5Mbps, [Mega-bits-per-secons] now often referred to as low-speed USB) to USB 1.1 (12Mbps, often referred to as full-speed USB) to the Hi-Speed USB of today, which is the most advanced evolution, with a data transfer rate of 480Mbps, up to 40 times faster than previous versions of USB.

USB 2.0 encompasses all three target speeds of USB (480Mbps, 12Mbps, and 1.5Mbps as backward compatibility). You can use a USB device or peripheral in a USB 2.0 port, but your device will not run any faster than it was designed to. So use caution when you see a product described as USB 2.0 Full Speed, Full Speed USB, or USB 2.0, for example.

As you can see, this terminology can be misleading to a consumer whose expectation is that a USB 2.0 product is, by definition, high speed .

Ironically, the speeds associated with USB (480 Mbps, 12 Mbps, and 1.5 Mbps), refer to the theoretical maximum speed of the USB interface on a USB device or USB port and really have nothing to do with the device itself. The actual speed a USB-compliant device achieves is not necessarily the speed of the USB specification reflected in the product descriptions and marketing materials. Real performance of any given product is dependent upon how fast that product can run. The device can only achieve the theoretical speeds if it can keep up with the USB data transfer rate.

Take a look in: http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm

Just wanted to open your eyes..

Have a nice day/weekend

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--- Rbid (D7Ts

how does it mess up other programs like photoshop?

just curious...

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Jeremy C
http://www.urbanimages.org