This Little Gadget Makes Camera Memory Easy to Move to the PC
Written: Feb 29 '08 (Updated May 01 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Convenient way to get information/pictures from a media card to a PC!
Cons: It is a light weight. Needs to be secured.
The Bottom Line: This media card reader is a real time saver. It's able to read many varieties of media so that your PC's built-in readers no longer limit you in camera selection!
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| mongomad1's Full Review: Kingston (FCR-HS215/1) Card Reader |
For trips, we have an old, tiny Sony Laptop Vaio that has a Memory Stick port. We fill up the sticks we have and then download them to the laptop. Then, when we get home, we transfer the files via our home network/workgroup. Everybody is happy.
But what about pictures around and about the house, or a visit to grandma’s or granny’s not too far away? We used to employ the same process because there is apparently no way we can keep up with the cord for the camera to plug it in. We formerly had to follow the above process for this. Everybody was sad.
One day, when he was picking himself up one of his own, granddad, my father-in-law, bought one for us. I was unsure about this little rig. It is incredibly light and easily lost on my computer armoire’s work surface. I try to keep it tidy, but I have limited space.
Set up
OK, take the cord and plug the end that fits in the media card reader, known as USB B, and stick the other end to an available USB port, type A, on you PC. Type A is the universal size for all or at least most PC’s.
Turn on PC or you could do it while it is on. Insert compatible memory format that you have – all are listed below.
How I use it
Based on its size, I took some two sided tape and attached it to my cable mode. Eh, it’s a rental! This makes it stationary so that I do not have to search for it for every use. Also, instead of holding it and slipping in the Sony Memory Stick, I can just slide it in. The device comes with no software nor do you have to plug it in as it draws power via the USB connection, 2.0 and backward compatible to 1.1.
Now, it is a breeze to download pictures directly from our Memory Sticks without searching for that camera cable. Once it is inserted, the device acts as a Flash Drive and prompts on how you would like to open the data. I select folder view, navigate to the pictures and then place them in a folder on my PC by pressing CTRL a in the card reader folder and having another window open with the folder the pictures are destined to live in.
While it is able to support ten different media types, we only use the Memory stick slot. There are only four ports, but they accept multiple types of cards to give you the versatility of being able to buy your camera based on the best one versus the media card it uses.
Be Careful!
If you choose to place pictures in a folder on your PC that already contains photos, they may have the same name if your camera starts over its count every time it is formatted. So, if it says, “This file already exists, would you like to replace it?” Click no and put it in its own folder.
Many cameras give you the option to put in part of the filename, so if you do that and do not repeat the same series, you will be fine. Also, many software products will import them and do the same thing as far as labeling.
How YOU Can Use It
The fifteen formats it accepts are:
.1...............CompactFlash (CF) I and II
.2...............Memory Stick – I can vouch for this one!
.3...............Secure Digital and Secure Digital High
.4...............Capacity (SD) - (SDHC)
.5...............Microdrive
.6...............Memory Stick Pro
.7...............Memory Stick Duo Pro
.8...............Mini SD (special SD adapter included)
.9...............Micro SD (special SD adapter included)
10..............RS-MMC v3.1
11..............MMC Mobile
12..............MMC Plus v4.0
13..............Microdrive CF Types II
It will allow these with an adapter not included:
14..............MMC micro
15..............Smart Media
If there is any type of media card not mentioned that you know exists, would you leave me a comment so I will be informed? Involve your audience I say! I will make sure to list that it specifically does not work with that brand in this review right here.
Final Thoughts
This really is great for those of us with PC’s without card readers and, for the price, we do not have to make a PC purchase with that as a huge factor. It is amazing the convenience this adds rather than finding your camera’s plug, possibly crawling under your desk to plug it in and then downloading to your PC.
I think it is a better solution than the built in models for PC’s for those of us that keep our towers at ground level in a dark place! I have a USB hub so the plug-in is right there on my desktop, literally not software figuratively. If you mount it to something solid, it also is in little danger of being hard to find or getting crushed when you slam down that text book!
Dimensions — 3.46 x 2.19 x .63 (8.78 cm x 5.56 cm x 1.6 cm)
Standardized — complies with USB 2.0 Hi-speed specification standards for up to 480 Mbps data transfer and backwards compatible with USB 1.1 specifications for up to 12 Mbps
Compliant — SD Card Association 1.1 and 2.00
Operating Temperature — 0o to 70o C / 32o to 158o F
Storage Temperature — -10o to 90o C / 50o to 194o F
Weight — 0.108 lbs. (.05g)
Operating System Compatibility — Windows 2000 (SP 3 and above), XP (SP1 and above) and Vista; Mac OS 10.x and above
Portable — convenient small size; no power cable required
Easy — plug and play into any USB 2.0 or 1.1 port
Guaranteed — five-year warranty
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Recommended:
Yes
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mongomad1
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Location: Actionville, FL (Jacksonville)
Reviews written: 58
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About Me:
I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
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