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Dummy digital camera question

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If a camera uses SmartMedia, can I just use a SM reader to grab the phots, rather than installing the bloaty camera software?
 
You should be able to. Depends on the format your camera stores in, but I have yet to hear of a camera the doesn't store in some sort of a standard format.
 
Yes, you can.

Most cameras these days use JPG formats, so you should be able to pull them off without incident.

I use a compact flash reader to get pictures from my Kodak DC3200.

Viper GTS
 
Some cameras now are just USB direct. My Oly 700 has a USB port and I don't even need my SM reader any more.
 
Absolutely! I am on my 5th Olympus digital with S/M, and have NEVER installed any camera software. I just pop the media out of the camera and into my reader/writer. Copy the pictures to whatever and then delete them from the media and start over.

Camera software brings zilch to the party.
 
Camera software brings zilch to the party.
Click to expand...

well, a bit of an overstatement. Some camera software has useful image "fixers" that offer one click adjustment of images for tone and saturation. Sure you cna achieve this with third party image software (Photoshop, Corel etc) but the camera software is already dialled in to the characteristics oif the particular camera, so it can be a LOT faster and easier.
But its often a slow cumbersome way to view / move images from camera to drive - certainly easier to plug a USB lead into the camera and read it as a removable drive or use a card reader.
 
Also using the camera's USB port to download sucks batteries like no one's business. Especially on the AA cameras.
 
Absolutely. If you have rechargeable batteries (which you should anyways) or an AC adapter you could even do what I do. This works on both SM and CF digicams assuming you're using Windows XP as your OS. Plug the USB cable supplied with your camera into the camera and into your PC, then turn the camera on, Windows should prompt you to d/l pictures, you specify where you want the pictures d/l to, you can even select to delete the pictures after they've all been d/l.

I like it because it's quick, easy, simple and fast. Best of all you don't have to install the bloatware camera software crap.

This has worked on my Fuji Finepix 1400, Canon PowerShot S200, Canon PowerShot A40 and my wife's Kodak DX3700.

If you don't have rechargeable batteries for your digicam, PM me your budget and I'll find you a great deal on some excellent batteries.
 
Thanks! I actually got a Fuji FinePix A201 just last week and, yup, it works. Just plug the camera into the USB port and turn it on. Works great, no software required.
 
Originally posted by: dwell
Thanks! I actually got a Fuji FinePix A201 just last week and, yup, it works. Just plug the camera into the USB port and turn it on. Works great, no software required.
Click to expand...

Congrats on your digicam purchase and yep that's the best way to do it.
 
some cameras are powered by the USB port when connected to the computer...my canon a40 is (uses 100ma)

also, the newer cameras coming out don't even require drivers in the latest OSs (mac os x, win98se/2000/xp, and the latest linux kernels i believe)...otherwise, usually u can install only the drivers and not the software....this was an option w/ my canon...so there's no bloat there anyway.
 
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