Lap tops and card readers
May 14, 2020 14:38:09 #
Rae Zimmerman
Loc: Pine Island, FL
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, aided by my more computer literate son. Found an exciting and affordable candidate, and realized after reviewing the specifications and photos for the nth compulsive time: it doesn't have a card reader! Are they phasing these out now? There are 6 various types of ports, but no card reader! My son advised me I could solve the problem by purchasing a "dongle" for $20 that I could plug into a USB port and thereby get my card read, but still - I'm amazed!! No card reader! (I must add that I'm not a fan of transferring via Bluetooth.)
May 14, 2020 14:45:03 #
stogieboy
Loc: Marlboro, NY
Unfortunately, most external ports are going away. It allows laptop manufactureres to make them thinner/lighter. Your son is right though, a simple USB dongle will solve the problem. There are many out there, I'd suggest Amazon, and let the reviews tell you which ones are better.
May 14, 2020 14:49:14 #
With the advent of many different card formats other than SD, accommodating the space physically is becoming increasingly more difficult. Also, manufacturers have been removing ports of different uses in the last decade. Most prominently CD/DVD. Some of the higher end laptops seems to have additional features that budget builds lack but in general to conserve space and money it's left for the consumer to decide what external device is needed.
I've bought a separate card reader for my laptop and I have a more permanent solution for my PC (Lexar Workflow).
I've bought a separate card reader for my laptop and I have a more permanent solution for my PC (Lexar Workflow).
May 14, 2020 14:58:08 #
Your camera likely has a USB connection, so that's one option (cable). Another option for newer camera is a Bluetooth connection (wireless). I like the card slots, yes, so get a card reader is that's your preferred option too.
May 14, 2020 15:27:41 #
Card slots on a PC or laptop are nice to have. Fortunately for me, I have a multi-card reader from several years ago which I will now hang on to for possible future need.
May 14, 2020 15:59:46 #
Having built in card reader is nice but I don't see built in card reader were ever the norm.
May 14, 2020 16:02:19 #
Rae Zimmerman wrote:
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, ai... (show quote)
I have had two Transcend Multi Card Readers for close to 6 years. Still working perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-USB3-1-Multi-Reader-Black/dp/B07MGHR3M7/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Transcend+Card+Reader&qid=1589486433&sr=8-4
Mark
May 14, 2020 17:20:49 #
Just get an external card reader that plugs into the usb. I have an older Lexar Pro.
Newer ones that read more cards are inexpensive: https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=external+card+reader+for+laptop+lexar&ref=nb_sb_noss
Newer ones that read more cards are inexpensive: https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=external+card+reader+for+laptop+lexar&ref=nb_sb_noss
May 15, 2020 07:40:37 #
Rae Zimmerman wrote:
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, ai... (show quote)
Just use the cable that comes with the camera that goes into a USB slot. Buy nothing and you don't care what size card the camera uses, no pulling out the card and possible bending, etc. ! Keep it simple.
May 15, 2020 07:42:26 #
Rae Zimmerman wrote:
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, ai... (show quote)
I just plug the camera in to the laptop using the cord that comes with the camera (USB). I do this at home also with my desktop. Has always been reliable and one less piece of equipment to go wrong. Years ago I did use a card reader and it was slower and frequently gave error messages. My current laptop has a slot for the card but I do not use it.
May 15, 2020 07:58:10 #
Haydon wrote:
With the advent of many different card formats...
That was my first though. How many slots would they have to include to make everyone happy. Using a cable from the camera will work with any computer.
May 15, 2020 08:32:01 #
Sidwalkastronomy
Loc: New Jersey Shore
Another issue I find is the USB ports are so close together my flash drives are a very tight fit. Had to buy a splitter on one lap top to fit them. I could shave some edges down but would a few more mm be too much to ask for.
May 15, 2020 08:43:56 #
Jaackil
Loc: Massachusetts
Rae Zimmerman wrote:
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, ai... (show quote)
What happens when you upgrade your camera to one that uses QXD? The built in slot becomes useless. A usb card reader is in expensive and allows you to use what ever format card you happen to have. My laptop has a built in card reader which I never use because it is 50% slower than the USB reader I bought. There are right now several different types of cards, how does a manufacturer of laptops guess which one is the right one to sell the most computers? Not everyone that buys a laptop is a photographer. USB ports offer the greatest amount of utility for adding peripherals so actually not adding a card slot makes the most amount of sense. USB card readers are inexpensive and every camera comes with a cable to tether directly and transfer files.
May 15, 2020 09:02:46 #
Rae Zimmerman wrote:
I have been shopping for a new laptop recently, ai... (show quote)
This isn't unusual. I have had several computers - desktop and laptop and none of them have included a card reader. Just get a USB-equipped cardreader.
May 15, 2020 10:38:51 #
I was using a card reader on my old laptop that didn't have a card slot. They're $20 at Walmart and mine worked forever. When I did get a laptop with a build-tin reader, I continued to use the external one.
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