Larryshuman

I never take the cards out of my 6 Nikon bodies. I plug the camera into the computer with a cable and I reformat in the camera. By taking the card out you run the risk of bending a pin on the camera or reader when reinserting the card. In fact when using a card reader takes just has long because you have to move the images from the card to a folder on the computer. Using a plug in cord Nikon transfer 2 makes the folder for you.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

You do risk bending a CF pin. An SD card - which most of us have - doesn’t have that risk.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

KISS - cable. Try to place them somewhere they will not have to be moved again. More KISS. If you use LR and you know your LR directory structure, create the directory name first and load them there. When you do your import, the new directory will show up in the left panel. Then you only have to ADD the files to the catalog. KISS!

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

I'm with Larry...I almost never remove and reinsert the card in my D5500. You didn't mention whether you have an Apple or PC but either way, the easiest method is to plug the supplied camera cable into the USB and use Finder or Explorer to read the camera like it's a flash or external drive. If you have an Apple and use Photos (iPhotos) it's even easier; just boot up the program and plug in the camera (turn it on). Photos will automatically download the files from the camera without you doing anything.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

Hello
I myself have a SD card reader built into my Laptop Computer. So I have not used any other method to download my images. But I am 99% sure a reputable, Quality external "Card Reader" would work very well. Make sure it has the latest and greatest "Reader Speed" available
for ex., like 3.0 or higher.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I put my SD card into my PC. Very simple.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I always put the SD card into a card reader and upload that way.

"Downloading" means receiving, while "uploading" means sending. You download info from the Internet, and you upload images from a memory card.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The built-in card reader will usually be the fastest. That type of reader can have the most direct connection with the computer motherboard.

An external card reader (accessory like you purchased) is often the 2nd best way. Depending upon the type of connectivity (both the reader and the computer), it can be fast, too.

A USB cable connected to the camera is also limited by the type of connectivity of the camera, the cable itself and the computer.

Plus, using a USB cable to connect the camera.... i.e. treating the camera like a card reader of sorts... comes with some risks. The camera needs to be powered up during the entire data transfer. If the batteries run down and power is interrupted, you may end up with a bunch of corrupted images. Also, if the socket on the camera gets damaged or worn it can be expensive to replace... with some cameras those are part of the main circuit board and the cost of replacing that isn't much less than just buying a new camera. Better to remove the memory card and use a separate card reader. (Yes, the memory card socket can get worn or damaged too. But most of those are designed to handle frequent card removal and in most cameras the memory card sockets are a sub-assembly that's pretty easily accessed to change out, should it ever be necessary.)

I recently did a shoot that resulted in a little over 6000 RAW files on five memory cards... a little under 160GB of data. It took a while, but I used my computer's built in reader to COPY them all into a folder I'd created on the computer to receive them. I just use a drag and drop method (no special software needed). Don't MOVE the files.... COPY them. That way the originals stay on the memory card(s) just in case there's a problem with the transfer. Later when you know all the images have been safely copied over to the computer (and have them securely backed up, I hope), you can simply format the memory card(s) in your camera prior to the next use. That's the safest and best way to "erase" a card and prepare it for use. (An in-camera format is fast and doesn't really erase the old image files... It simply marks them as "okay to overwrite" with new images files. So if you ever accidentally format a card full of new images by accident, then realize your mistake, the images are probably still recoverable so long as you don't save any new images to the card.)

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

Me, too. My desktop Dell and my laptop HP (when on a trip) both have built-in readers.

When removing or replacing the SD cards in the camera be sure the camera is OFF. And, even though newer computers supposedly don't have a problem, I use the "Safely Remove Hardware" function of my computers before removing the card from them.

Angel Star Photography Loc: Tacoma, WA

It's a bit confusing when looking at your title versus what you state in your post as to exactly what you are attempting. Is it 5600 images or images on a Nikon D5600? Regardless, the simplest, best, most commonly practiced approach to transfer images from most cameras to any computer is to remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into a card reader connected to your computer whether that card reader is internal or external.

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

The hoggers are slipping - no comment about a 'paranoid' Dell. So I will take the shot - is the Dell paranoid or is somebody really out to harm it ????? Maybe you could get some aripiprazole !

Sorry - had to do it !

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

I use the card reader port in my Dell laptop - remove the card from camera, stick it in computer, upload files to Lightroom in the computer, remove card, stick card back into camera, format card to clear the uploaded images for the next shoot. Easy peasy.
Always test shoot on my way out the door. I have my camera set so it won't activate the shutter if the card is missing.

srt101fan

I do the same except that I don't format the card until the image files transferred to the computer have been backed up.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

Angel Star Photography Loc: Tacoma, WA

Indeed! I saw the same, planned to comment, and then forgot. Guess I am slipping a bit. The 'paranoid' Dell took me back to an episode in the original TV series, Knight Rider, where KITT was taken over by a malicious engineer seeking revenge.