New iPod

Santa was very good to me this year and brought me a 30GB iPod. The new iPod's have music, photo, and video playback capabilities. Since I had heard that you could only download photos using iTunes I wanted to test and see if I could load images some other way. I had a Belkin Digital Camera Link that I had previously purchased to use with my daugters G4 iPod so I decided to give it a try.

Good news! The Digital Camera Link works perfectly with the new iPod to download image files. Here's a photo of the setup:

I'm using a card reader but it can be connected directly to a digital camera. It took about 21 minutes to download a full Sandisk Ultra II 1GB card. The battery on the iPod was not fully charged and still showed more than half charge afterwards.

Bad news. Images loaded this way cannot be viewed on the LCD screen. Only files loaded using iTunes can be viewed. This is too bad because photos viewed on the 2.5 inch LCD look quite good. On the other hand, it wouldn't be a big issue for me because I only shoot RAW and they wouldn't be viewable anyway.

Bottom line: I would use the iPod on short trips or where traveling light was important. I'm not suggesting that iPod is the way to go if you're looking for storage on trips but if you already own one or are considering buying one it is an option.

just found this link, could be interesting if you want to add videos to your ipod video, you can use the following app(windows based, and links to itunes to add the videos)

http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/articl...ipod_page1.html

/paul

At 21 minutes per gigabyte, it would only take 84 minutes per 4 GB card!

My iPod is full of music. And that's what I use it for.

Larry, Eric and others,

Last May I bought the previous 30GB photo iPod for backing up photos and leaving the laptop behind. Tonight my wife just got the same new model Larry is showing (black, and a LOT thinner than my 6 month old model!) Screen looks fantastic, too!

Larry, importing from your CAMERA (other than RAW files) you should be able to review the photos one at a time on the iPod screen. I found out you can't plug the 3 plug "TV cord" and play a slide show right away after importing images. You have to transfer your images first on to a computer, then re-import them back in to use the slide show function.....Not a big deal for me when traveling.

I have been plugging my Rebel XT cameras directly into my iPod for 6 months. I have made some downloading process accomodations and only shoot Fine / Large JPEG files as well.

I use my Rebel XT's "video out" cord to do a "rough edit" on a boat or hotel room's TV. This way I'm usually only importing about 200 images (and usually less) from any of my three 1GB cards. Takes maybe 10 minutes max while I'm refueling my body or thirst Yeah, you should make sure you haev a charge still on your camera and iPod. But it works!!!

My personal opinion is most shooters save EVERYTHING just because they pushed the shutter release....Even if it's obviously crappola' This is a sure way to be buried under a mountain of mediocre photos making choosing the image(s) for post processing a mind numbing process

In summary, an iPod has worked well for me. RAW shooters will certainly require more time to offload images, but is sure is nice to travel lighter these days

YMMV

dhaas

Oh yeah,

With 30GB of storage and only 700 odd songs I've never dipped below 24GB LEFT on my iPod.

So if I start using it to back up RAW files, it'll still serve me well.

dhaas

It's a tribute to Apple's marketing and product design that people are so devoted to their product that they'll change their photo workflow to accomodate it's PITA foibles.

For photo storage and slideshows there are many better choices, but like Larry said, if someone buys you an iPod...

Cheers

James

Funny thing is, I don't feel I've given up any photo process to use my iPod. I see shooters clicking THOUSANDS of totally crappy, passionless photos and keeping them all.....I did, too way back in the slide film days.

One dive last summer I was on a dive with a guy who shot 625+ images on a single shark dive (!!!!!) Think he has a 4 GB card...He never even looked at any of them before he saved 'em all....

How in the world you can pick one or 10 best ones out of that volume I'll never know....I see a lot of technically super sharp photos that have no soul. Shot by friends, competitors, myself, etc.

The longer I take photographs the more I realize it's a journey searching for something intangible....For lack of a better word your own personal vision of "what" and "how" you see the world. It's hard to do that !!!!

But I sure know saving a bazillion photos just because you can ain't going to make it easy to analyze and improve your vision.....

Hey, what do I know

dhaas

P.S. - Mac is still a better machine All the way around.....

(Tee Hee....)

P.S. - Mac is still a better machine All the way around.....

(Tee Hee....)

That's why I ain't got no laptop these days....G5 chip doesn't look like it'll make it into a Powerbook. And Intel chip Macs are anybody's guess as to performance in future laptop or desktop models.

Having a ton of storage, more speed, etc. CAN help, but growing as a photographer takes more than technology.....As we all frustratingly find out during or after each trip and looking at our images

dhaas

P.S. - Aperture will get better with revisions....Don't know if it'll ever replace CS2, but many shooters of various types are embracing it...Not me, yet....I'm heading down a totally DIFFERENT road