How do you transfer your images?

[snowfalldesigns]

Since purchasing my Canon 7D (upgrading from my Rebel), the slow transfer rate from my camera to my computer has become unbearable. I shoot in RAW so I know the files are huge and that's the difference from the Rebel. I'm just wondering if there is a faster method. I plug my camera into my computer and transfer using Canon EOS Utility. Is it faster to put the card in slot in the computer? Or use a different program? I don't have Lightroom (though I'm leaning toward getting it). I would test it but I'm in the process of transferring images from right now...and have been for the last three hours...

Originally Posted by snowfalldesigns

Since purchasing my Canon 7D (upgrading from my Rebel), the slow transfer rate from my camera to my computer has become unbearable. I shoot in RAW so I know the files are huge and that's the difference from the Rebel. I'm just wondering if there is a faster method. I plug my camera into my computer and transfer using Canon EOS Utility. Is it faster to put the card in slot in the computer? Or use a different program? I don't have Lightroom (though I'm leaning toward getting it). I would test it but I'm in the process of transferring images from right now...and have been for the last three hours...

3 hours!??!?! WTF?!

How many images did you take?!?

Faster memory cards and a card reader. (you can also experiment with just directly downloading from the camera to the computer WITHOUT software and see if it is any faster...)

[snowfalldesigns]

ahh...I knew I should've bought those cards that were more expensive!

Yeah, it was a 4 hour maternity session with my sister! Three locations, three outfits, and about a fourth of the session was with her three and five year old kids...
I have a little over 300 on the card that has been transferring for the last three hours and there are probably more than that on my other card. I'm a little trigger-happy!

[plyingsaucer]

I find it faster if I take the card off and use a card reader to transfer.

[johnske]

Originally Posted by Papa Rotzzi

Faster memory cards and a card reader. (you can also experiment with just directly downloading from the camera to the computer WITHOUT software and see if it is any faster...)

Yep, at 3 hours it sounds like the software's slowing it down (or you've got a really slow computer).

Create a new folder on your desktop, plug your camera in via the USB connection and when the computer popup asks what you want to do select view files, then click the folder till you get to your pics and choose select all and either cut (if you want to delete from your camera) or copy (if you want to leave copies in your camera) and then select and paste to the new folder on your desktop. Should only take a few minutes, not hours.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by snowfalldesigns

I have a little over 300 on the card that has been transferring for the last three hours

Whoa...that's taking WAY too long. I can transfer 300 images in less than 10 minutes. Then again, I'm shooting with an XSi - the RAW images are 12-16MB each, maybe your RAW files are way bigger?

If not, sounds like it may be a computer issue?

[theosus]

I always pull my card out of the camera. It's 8gb and takes nowhere near that long. Sandisk makes a nice little card reader thats not much bigger than the sd card, and plugs right into the USB hole. I think I paid 12 bucks a few years ago, and it came with a 2gb card, which makes it a cheap thumb drive.
You might also want to make sure your USB slot is running at it's fastest speed. Do you ever get the message "this device would work better in a USB 2.0 slot"? It's something a nerd would have to check in the bios probably, but it would double the time to copy anything if it's not set right. In a newer computer this is probably a non issue, but on mine I had to manually set it to the higher speed (there were two choices, high speed and full speed... Cant remember which was which. Why not fast and slow?)
Faster memory cards will make a difference too... But if you already have plenty, try the other things before making a big investment. There may be a bottleneck somewhere. Oh, and turn off your virus scanner before you plug in the card. Mine likes to try and scan memory cards when I plug them in, which of course would slow down anything moving either way. If they only go to your camera and pc and back, why worry about a virus?

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by snowfalldesigns

Since purchasing my Canon 7D (upgrading from my Rebel), the slow transfer rate from my camera to my computer has become unbearable.

Are you using USB 1.1, USB 2 or USB 3 (or how old is your computer and/or what make).

Originally Posted by snowfalldesigns

ahh...I knew I should've bought those cards that were more expensive!

One of the advantage of faster memory card.

[oldwolf]

Check to see if your card is the faster type.
Get a card reader that plugs into your USB 2.0 port.
Take the card out of your camera and plug it into the card reader then transfer it manually.
Do you have a lot of background processes running? That could slow you down as well.