Customer Reviews

Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (MC531ZM/A)

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This WAS an excellent product. Now, for many of us, it's worthless. In May, I took it with my iPad to the Amazon jungle in Peru and was able to read the CF card from my Canon DSLR using a small CF card reader. It was brilliant. I could review my day's photos and decide where to shoot the next day based on whether or not I was happy with my results.

Then came the updated iOS 4.2 operating system for the iPad right at the beginning of December, and now this kit cannot read a CF card using an external reader. This is because Apple reduced the power to the port that this plugs into specifically to prevent people from plugging useful things into the USB connector. That's why I say to ignore any review before that time. Earlier reviews are talking about a product that actually works as designed. Only reviews after that tell you what it can do if you buy it now.

Still, this might work for some people, depending on your needs. Here's where you stand.

1. You only have SD cards in your cameras. You're probably fine. The SD dongle still reads most of those.

2. You have CF cards and need to read them with an external reader. You are completely out of luck unless you use a powered USB hub. At that point, you're carrying so much junk around, you may as well just take your laptop, and you must be near an electrical outlet for it to work at all.

3. You have CF cards and can attach a USB cable directly to your camera. This is a crap shoot. Some cameras work and some don't. You can either borrow a CCK from someone to see if it works with yours or you can just buy it and hope.

Some may wonder if my one-star is a little too harsh, given that this device still works in some situations. Normally, I would agree, but there's another point at work here. This isn't about a device that never had the capacity to do something you might want it to do. For that you knock it down a star or two. This is a device that worked perfectly when it was released and that the manufacturer has intentionally crippled. Both the iPad and this kit are capable of working, but Apple has removed that functionality in software. When a company breaks their own product on purpose, I think that deserves one star.

The first thing that came to mind with the iPad was "perfect photo device!" so a big selling point of it was the ability to download my photos to the iPad on-location, edit them and upload them - something I usually can't do while out taking photos or on vacation.

In order to do that, you need the iPad Camera Kit (a currently very-hard-to-find item (I waited 4 weeks to receive mine as all the local stores sold out instantly after receiving shipments).

Right off the bat, I love that they give you 2 adapters (1 for SD cards, 1 for USB). I had no use for the SD adapter as all my cameras are compact flash. I would have happily bought a separate CF card reader if one were available, but no luck on that. If your camera uses something other than SD, you need to "tether" it to the iPad (meaning you plug the USB piece from the camera kit into the iPads dock port, plug your USB cable from your camera into your camera and the other end into the USB piece on the iPad). Not the most convenient method, especially when on-the-go, but its workable.

Plugging in my camera (a Canon 40D), the previews started to appear on the iPad. It took 36 seconds to load the first 35 previews (this is using a short USB cable and a high speed CF card (30MB/Sec). A big downside here is that you cant view the photos larger than a thumbnail without importing them, going to your photo albums, finding the folder it went to and then scrolling to find it. Importing photos (10MP RAW Files) took 6 seconds each. After importing you get the option to "Keep" or "Delete" them from the camera - this is a bit scary as if you're click-happy on the popup, you can end up deleting the photos from your camera (not a huge deal as theyre on the iPad, but definitely a bit of a scare). You can either select individual photos or choose to import everything from the card.

Imported photos go into a new folder in you Photos app - "All Imported" - it also creates a secondary folder: "Last Import" - I would have really liked a way to create a specific folder for each import rather than lumping it all into 1 folder.

The USB adapter is a bit picky as far as what it will accept, I hear some USB Card Readers will work with it (eliminating the need to tether your camera), but it's all a matter of trial and error. USB Keyboards work (again, not all - ones with USB ports on them will not work). You can also not import video files if you have something like a Flip HD camera. This was disappointing as the iPad would make a GREAT video playback screen (especially 720p video like the flip) - especially compared to the 1" screen most of these cameras have.

A big plus to apple for including RAW support on imports (instead of just JPEG).

With the many photo editing apps out there, you can easily take some photos on your camera, import them into the iPad, edit them however you'd like and upload them your photo sharing sites from just about anywhere. For that, it's worth it. It has all sorts of problems (no CF, requires tethering, slow import, no video, etc..) but it's the only option you have, and for that I have to recommend it.

While I agree on the outrageousness of the opportunistic pricing by marketplace vendors here at the moment, it does NOT mean this product should get a one star rating.

That being said, the connection kit (if you can get ahold of one) works as described. I've tested it with Nikon RAW NEF files and it works beautifully. It maintains the original untouched NEF through the camera -> iPad -> iPhoto on Mac path without compromising the RAW image - this was a major concern for me.

A friend has a DSLR that takes Compact Flash and after a great deal of research was able to find a USB card reader that was compatible with the USB connection adapter so she could view/transfer the images without having to tether the camera over USB! The biggest issue was finding a CF card reader that did not draw too much power from the iPad.

My only gripe, and the reason for the deduction of a star is the performance / ease of quickly reviewing images. I find the highest utility of this device is to quickly review a photo on a much larger screen while on location. When you first put the card in, the Photo app generates thumbnails of the images on the card. These are of a fixed size and to view the image any larger you must fully import the image into the Photo library on-device then view it. There is no way to view a larger image directly from the memory card. This makes the process of reviewing a few images amongst many pretty cumbersome.

For fun, I tried hooking up a USB keyboard to the USB adaptor and can confirm it works like reports elsewhere have said. 3rd party apps don't have access to all of the function keys/control key combinations yet but built in Apple apps do. Maybe in a future OS release?

Worthless! IPad ver. 4.2 will NOT read a photo SD card. I even made sure the p[hotos were put under the DCIM folder and dumbed the images down to the resolution of the ipad. Managing photos on iTunes between 2 computers is a real hassel. People found inventive ways to use the USB and SD adaptor and Apple sunk that with ver. 4.2. Do not get the adaptor. The iPad is of course nice, but I bought my wife a a MacBook and was considering getting another Mac to replace my other laptop and desktop. NOT NOW! I am harshly reminded of the inflexibility of Apple products. I'll stay PC.

The card reader can be used to import media files directly into your iPad, without the need to sync to iTunes.

Extremely handy! Quick! Usable "on-the-go". Great for travel.

There are a few details you need to know to import media files this way.

1). Create a folder on any SD card and name that folder "DCIM".

2). Place media files into the DCIM folder.

3). Important: The media file names have to be exactly 8 characters long (no more, no less), or the iPad will not see them.

Examples: 8letters.mp3, 8numbers.jpg, 8Numbers.mp4, TheBirds.mp4, Img_9001.bmp.

Those are really the main details, but here are a few more:

When you insert the Card Reader (one of two devices in the kit) into the iPad, with an SD card in it, in a moment the iPad screen will show thumbnails of all the media files on the card.

You can import some or all into the iPad. You cannot play media files from the card, you must first import them. To select some media files, just touch them to highlight them and choose "Import". Or, you can select "Import All".

The iPad will ask if you want to Keep or Delete (on the card). Be careful to select Keep (in most cases).

Valid video files need to be in the ".MP4" format, version H.264. Or convert them to that format using almost any conversion program. I chose a size of 640 x 480, and it was perfect for filling up the screen.

NOTE: the media files are imported into the "Photo" section of your iPad. Even the MP3's and Videos. So, to watch a movie, for example, select the Photo icon, not the Video icon on your screen (it won't be in the Video section).

AND, you can delete any media files after playing them. That way, you can, for example, load a movie or two into the iPad, watch, then delete to make room for others.

You can carry an unlimited amount of media files with you, perhaps on a trip. Why not 100 GB or more? Fantastic!

ONE MORE THING [N.B.]:

When I first tried to import the media files, I knew about the DCIM folder (it's the same as your camera would create), but the 8 character requirement I hadn't known. Only one media file showed up.

So I called Apple and spoke to a senior support staff member. I was repeatedly LIED TO. Repeatedly. Which I found infuriating. Apple, or any company, is not required to give me information just because I want it. But lying about it is NOT appropriate.

One of the reasons for their "misstatements" likely is that prospective iPad buyers might not opt for the larger capacity iPads if they knew this information. New iPads like the iPad 2 charge a large premium for the extra memory, and it's very, very profitable for Apple. So be it. But Apple, don't instruct your employees to lie about it, and give them prepared scripts to mislead customers. Harrumph!!!

Remember, there is nothing magical about how your camera puts files on an SD card. The Camera Connection Kit Card Reader doesn't know the difference (there isn't one) and does not care, so long as it meets the requirements listed above.

This does just what you need it to do, and it does it well. A gizmo that allows me to almost instantly review my photos (jpeg and RAW!) and videos while in the field is just what the doctor ordered. The fact that I can then EMAIL them via the field (with 3G models) is miraculous! If I had to be picky, I might agree with reviews which are critical of the fact that you cannot enlarge and inspect the previews before deciding whether or not to import. But like I say, that is being pretty picky. The connection kit is killer.

When considering the purchase of my iPad 2, I had two requirements. I needed to take notes for college, and download images directly from my Canon EOS 7D DSLR while in the field. Each task could be achieved, but required purchasing additional tools. The Apple iPad camera connection kit is a necessary accessory for transferring images directly to an iPad 2.

The kit includes two adapters, an SD card and a USB, which plug into the iPad's charging slot. The small white adapters, only available in a kit, should easily fit in practically any camera bag setup.

Being required to purchase both the SD card and USB adapters as a set seems like a waste of money. As a Canon EOS DSLR user, the SD card adapter is useless to me. Fortunately I have a friend who only needed the SD card adapter.

To transfer my images, I connected my Canon EOS DSLR to the adapter using a USB cable. The iPad 2 recognized my camera and opened the photo album to show image thumbnails from my RAW files. I could select to transfer all images, or check certain ones. Once the images I wanted transferred, I was asked if I wanted to delete them from the camera. Images can be downloaded multiple times without overwriting any images on the iPad. Additionally, I could select images to delete from the camera, or opt to delete them all with the click of a button.

If you are looking to transfer images directly from your camera to your iPad, the Apple iPad camera connection kit's USB adapter will get the job done. The SD card reader works just as nicely, making this a worthy purchase. However if you only need one adapter, locate a friend who could use the other adapter to purchase the kit with you.

PROS:
Small and simple to use
Transfer images directly from camera to iPad
Plays well with Canon EOS cameras. (probably other brands too)

CONS:
Adapters only come as a kit

If you are on vacation and want to view or share the pictures on your camera, the iPad Camera Connection Kit makes it very easy to import pictures from your camera, an SD card, or a thumb drive. You get two adapters that plug into the iPad's dock connector. One adapter provides an SD/SDHC card reader for the iPad. You can just take the memory card out of your phone or camera and the iPad can access and import the pictures. You can even delete the images from the camera after importing them into the iPad. It supports JPEG, TIFF, and many RAW formats.

The second adapter provides a USB port for the iPad. This was designed for cameras or phones with a USB cable so that you could access the pictures without taking out the memory card. This adapter has an undocumented benefit of also working with USB keyboards. If you connect a USB keyboard, the iPad will display a message about the device being unsupported, but the keyboard will work anyways.

You can also hook up a "thumb drive" to the USB port. The iPad will be looking for files in a root folder named DCIM and if you have other images or even videos (in formats supported by the iPad), they can be imported in as well. If your camera uses Compact Flash cards or other types of memory, you can plug a USB card reader into the connector and bring the images in that way. You can even connect an iPhone using the standard dock cable to the USB adapter to import pictures taken on the iPhone.

The biggest drawback is that all of the pictures go into a single gallery. It would have been nice if the iPad could let you create or specify another folder for the pictures.

Since posting this review, Apple released iOS 4.2.1 for the iPad. While that update added much needed functionality to the iPad, they cut the power going out to the USB connector. Prior to iOS 4.2.1, the iPad supported devices that could draw up to 100ma of power. This covered thumb drives, Skype headsets, and USB keyboards. With 4.2.1, that power dropped to 20ma. Just enough to read an SD card or connect a digital camera. If you want to hook up a device that needs more power, you would need to get a powered USB hub and connect that to your iPad. That takes some of the functionality out of the adapter.

I found out that the camera connection kit has more uses than just to attach my camera. I use my flash drive to swap files, my USB audio interface to record straight to the iPad, my USB keyboard to type, my sd card to backup files when I am traveling. Money well spent. I live in Jamaica so I can't get access to the apple store so I am subjected to these high prices(Fail). Other than that exellent product to make iPad an even more useful gadget.

I just received my iPad2 and being a photographer I wanted to be able to import photos in to my iPad for viewing and to show customers. I was skeptical at first about purchasing this as the reviews were disappointing to say the least. I am using Nikon D300, D90 and the cards that go with each. Are there any Canon users out there that have had success with these?

However, I now have them and have tried them and here are my results.
1. The SD card worked great in it's assigned device.
2. I was able to use the usb with the camera. I held my breath as I linked it up and turned my camera on. My card had a lot of shots on it. But, they ALL loaded giving me the opportunity to upload the ones I selected.
3. I did try a couple of flash drives and they had the power issue. Still trying to find one that works. Any suggestions? If not you will have to get a powered hub to use it. Not good for mobile shoots.
4. Remember, the card needs to have a folder DCIM with the photos in it to be read by the iPad.

So at this point, I am greatly satisfied that I purchased these regardless of the reviews! Gave it a 5 star rating!