The Ups and Downs of Downloading
Cathy Reed’s ‘Raindrops’ gained an A Grade Highly Commended award at our Camera Club, who share some tips so you don’t delete those precious photos
By Julie Hartwig, Tin Can Bay Camera Club
When you take photos they are digitally recorded on your camera’s memory card. With current digital technology, memory cards are capable of storing thousands of photos.
Apart from minimising the loss of photos by accidental deletion, memory cards perform better if they have plenty of empty “writing” space, so regularly moving the photos from the card to your computer is a good habit to get into. This procedure is called Downloading.
There are two ways this can be done:
- Card Reader: This requires removing the memory card from the camera and inserting in your computer’s card reader slot. This is the preferred method for downloading because the card connects directly to the computer without photo data being transferred via a cable. It’s also faster.
The big negative is that you can forget to remove the card from the computer and return it to the camera, resulting in a “No Card” error message the next time you use your camera! This is why it’s a good idea to carry a spare card!
My tip for avoiding this – leave the card slot cover open when the card is out. This serves as a reminder to put the card back.
- USB Cable: This requires connecting the camera to a computer with a USB cable. This is an alternative method for downloading and while it is slower because the camera-computer connection is not direct, if you’re forgetful, at least the card remains in the camera!
Happy snapping – more next month!
The Tin Can Bay Camera Club’s next meeting: 1pm, Wednesday March 21 at TCB Library. For more information about club activities and to view members’ images, visit www.tincanbaycameraclub.wix.com/tcb-camera-club.
