SDHC, Card Reader and Battery ??

[lollipop320]

1. If you purchase an SDHC card, will this take and write photos to the card faster than an SD card?

2. I've seen many card readers available to limit battery use. How do the card readers plug into the computer? The only USB ports I have are on the back of the computer tower and I'm not going to turn the computer around every time to use the card reader. Do all card readers come with a USB cable or how does this work?

3. Are generic Lithium Ion batteries okay to use for your camera? Or do the name brands work better?

Thanks for the responses!

[Visual Reality]

1. Yes and No - depends on the speed of the card.

2. Card readers aren't to limit battery use, they are just to get the data onto your computer. Personally I don't use them as I think its a waste of time...I never remove the card from my camera and that way it never gets damaged or corrupted (seen too many horror stories about card readers corrupting files). The only exception to this is if I actually fill it...but using 4GB cards I don't fill them often.

3. In my experience with Nikon, stick with the real thing...the 3rd party (imitation) batteries are much lower quality and either won't last as long or won't hold as good of a charge.

Hope some of this helps...

[SpecialK]

HC = "High Capacity", not necessarily high speed.

Some readers have a cable, some don't.

Some third party products are better than brand names, but it will vary with the product.

[AlexMonro]

Some card readers are built in to the computer, like a floppy drive. I have one that takes CF, XD, SD & MS cards. I just plug the card in to the front of the PC.

You can also get extension USB cables that reach around the back - some card readers come with these.

There are some cheap generic Li-Ion batteries which are best avoided, but reputable third party manufacturers such as Hahnel and Ansmann are probably OK - I believe they even make the batteries which are rebranded by some of the big camera manufacturers.

[JLV]

2. The only USB ports I have are on the back of the computer tower and I'm not going to turn the computer around every time to use the card reader.


You can buy an USB bridge which will plug into your computer and bring additional (usual 4) USB ports to the front (or where ever) of your computer.

[James DeRuvo DHQ]

I, on the other hand, use a memory card reader exclusively. Most camera pc drivers are crappily written. As such, it's just plain easier to simply plug in the card into a reader and then it's a simple drag and drop onto the PC.

And yes, the faster the card the quicker the right times. This is usually referred to in "Class" types. I.E., a class 6 card is faster than a class 3. But they're also more expensive. So you get the fastest card you can afford.

As for generic liOns, you wanna be careful. There are counterfeit batteries out there which overheat and may even explode. So make sure that you get your batteries from a reputable provider.