rob_x2004 Posted February 23, 2008 Share #1 Posted February 23, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) A card reader is a card reader is a card reader isnt it? Nothing in particular to look out for? Buy whatever they are selling on the day at the newsagent or the post office or the corner store? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 23, 2008 Posted February 23, 2008 Hi rob_x2004, Take a look here Card Readers.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
philipotto Posted February 23, 2008 Share #2 Posted February 23, 2008 Rob, USB 1.1 vs 2.0 and SDHC support. I purchased the Panasonic BN-SDUSB3U. I liked the small cord-less form factor. It's made in China, but I expect most of them are. I would buy again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephengilbert Posted February 23, 2008 Share #3 Posted February 23, 2008 A dissent: I prefer having a cable; it lets me leave the reader on my desk, attached to my computer. (Like this: Sandisk | Extreme USB 2.0 Card Reader | SDDRX3-3IN1R | B&H Photo) If you're going to use it in a Mac laptop, I'd go for an Expresscard reader. It, too, can be (semi-)permanently attached to the computer. (Like this: Belkin | Multimedia Reader and Writer ExpressCard, | F5U213) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipotto Posted February 23, 2008 Share #4 Posted February 23, 2008 Stephan, I can see a cable design being preferred. I think it depends on how your computer is situated. My PowerMac sits on my desk, and I oft leave the read plugged in to the front port. The cord free also makes for a nice thumb drive. With a 32GB SDHC you could have a small if expensive portable external hard drive of sorts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted February 23, 2008 Share #5 Posted February 23, 2008 I just use one of those freebies, gets a bit hot if you leave it in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgenper Posted February 23, 2008 Share #6 Posted February 23, 2008 A card reader is a card reader is a card reader isnt it? Nothing in particular to look out for?Buy whatever they are selling on the day at the newsagent or the post office or the corner store? Well, in my experience, it isn´t so. I´ve used two Sandisk USB2 readers, one for CF, the other for SD. Couple of weeks ago, I bought a new Sandisk combo reader (still USB2) that could take both, and bought it just for the convenience of not having to swap all the time. The new one was marked as "optimized for Extreme III cards", but I didn´t care much about that aspect; just thought "USB2 is USB2". But, it turned out the new reader works exactly 3 times as fast as did the old ones, with both CF and SD, both Extreme III´s and my older Ultra II´s. And they´re Sandisk readers, not generic stuff. So certainly there are differences... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted February 23, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Well, in my experience, it isn´t so. I´ve used two Sandisk USB2 readers, one for CF, the other for SD. Couple of weeks ago, I bought a new Sandisk combo reader (still USB2) that could take both, and bought it just for the convenience of not having to swap all the time. The new one was marked as "optimized for Extreme III cards", but I didn´t care much about that aspect; just thought "USB2 is USB2". But, it turned out the new reader works exactly 3 times as fast as did the old ones, with both CF and SD, both Extreme III´s and my older Ultra II´s. And they´re Sandisk readers, not generic stuff. So certainly there are differences... Yea I would expect that, with digial advances generally, and I wouldnt be going out of my way to get an old card reader off ebay or something. Whatever is out there, and sandisk is pretty bog standard, I would want CF SD and MiniSD, Apple PC. Transfer speed wouldnt worry me. The rate determining step is getting the card to the computer, not upload time while I make a cup of tea:). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff Posted February 23, 2008 Share #8 Posted February 23, 2008 A card reader is a card reader is a card reader isnt it? Nothing in particular to look out for?Buy whatever they are selling on the day at the newsagent or the post office or the corner store? Rob, Absolutely not. There are some technical and functional differences which one should be educated on when selecting a memory card reader for purchase. However, the quick answer and safe practice is to purchase a Secure Digital memory card reader that clearly and correctly displays the SDHC logo emblem--a requirement of the SD Card Association (SDA) to signify legally binding strict compliance with the latest SD specification 2.0. The SD Card Association is the governing body charged with setting industry-wide standards and ratifying specifications for Secure Digital products including cards and host devices. Adherence to the latest spec insures full backwards compatibility with all Secure Digital memory cards that also were designed to adhere to previously ratified SD specifications. There are three versions of the SD specification: 1.0, 1.1, 2.0. Therefore, if you have a SD card reader based on SD specification 1.0, it will not support either 1.1 or 2.0 specification compliant cards and so forth. Additionally, it has not been uncommon for various manufacturers to bypass, jump-start, ignore and, or creatively bastardize ratified SD specifications and licensing requirements for their own benefit, which generally has not transcended over to benefit the consumer but rather has mainly created an unfortunately common occurrence of incompatibility and consumer confusion. Sadly, some of the biggest culprits have been the most publicly recognized manufacturers. Aside from increased capacity and speed gains, the 2.0 specification requirements are an attempt by the SDA to rein in these types a of renegade practices. So even if only previous types SD memory cards are being used, selecting a 2.0 specification card reader has it’s benefits in insuring more dependable reliability. On a side note, also make sure that the card reader conforms to the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed specifications as opposed to just USB 2.0--another example of consumer misdirection. Standard USB 2.0 is no faster than the original USB 1.1 spec. The difference in throughput is about one to forty. This is very relevant to those, such as event photographers, that both shoot large quantities of images and work up against tight delivery deadlines. It should also be noted that card readers, like the Panasonic BN-SDUSB3U referred to above, can easily be used with a USB extension cable if one desires not to plug the device directly up against the USB port on the computer. Geoff MySpace.com - g e o f f - 101 - Männlich - PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - www.myspace.com/geoffotos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckthual Posted February 23, 2008 Share #9 Posted February 23, 2008 Hi, I have the Sandisk card reader stephengilbert was mentionning, and I'm very happy with it. It reads my Leica DLUX-3' SD and my Canon 5D's compact flash very fast. I used to have a LACIE 3in1 that had many bugs on my iMac and Macbook (lost a few shot because of this), I think it was specific to 2Go SD cards + Mac. I recommend the Sandisk that never caused me any problem. Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gesper Posted February 23, 2008 Share #10 Posted February 23, 2008 I also have the Sandisk Extreme reader. I bought it after my other readers either wouldnt read or kept losing the connection in the middle of downloading DLux 3 files. Much faster on all card, especially great with M8 files. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipotto Posted February 24, 2008 Share #11 Posted February 24, 2008 Geoff, Thanks for the great info. It should also be noted that card readers, like the Panasonic BN-SDUSB3U referred to above, can easily be used with a USB extension cable if one desires not to plug the device directly up against the USB port on the computer. Yes, in fact, my Panasonic came with an extension cable. I forgot about this as I haven't used it. Seems like the best of both worlds. Unless you need CF+SD capability, I can't recommend it enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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