iPods and Cameras?

[MacRumors]

News.com reports on comments by Gary Johnson, CEO of PortalPlayer.

PortalPlayer is the company which makes chips for the iPod as well as other hard drive based music players. According to Johnson, we are likely to see music devices that will connect directly to cameras to download photos. They are also working on direct Printer connectivity as well.

True to form, Apple would not comment and Johnson would not comment whether or not Apple will be incorporating this feature into future iPods.... but is a sign of the general direction of upcoming technology.

Belkin, of course, already makes a media reader for the current iPods which allows this basic functionality.

[runninmac]

wow so much new iPod news this is great! but i really dont have a use of something like this right now.

[MILESAR]

Maybe this time we will be able to view the photos imported off of a media reader, not just see the file names

[JTVPRO]

Not sure I need it though!

[Toe]

Does iPod Photo allow for bi-directional copying of photos?

It is my understanding that (without a hack, at least), you can send music to an iPod, but not suck muysic from it into a Mac. Is this the case with photos?

One would think it would have to be bi-directional for this new functionality....

[PlaceofDis]

it would be nice to be able to go directly from your camera to iPod, sure would help boost the iPod Photo sales and larger capacity iPods, i know i would start saving for one then, now we just need Airtunes connectivity put into iPods and they will rock your socks off

[iGary]

A CF slot would be nice, but I don't see it.

Image Tank and a bunch of others have that market covered thoroughly.

[cschilderink]

Obviously its all coming together now:
iPod... PDA... Cell Phones... other small electronic devices... will one day merge into one super iPod.

[Daveway]

Originally Posted by cschilderink

Obviously its all coming together now:
iPod... PDA... Cell Phones... other small electronic devices... will one day merge into one super iPod.

And this is when the ipod craze will die.

[nutmac]

Originally Posted by iGary

A CF slot would be nice, but I don't see it.

Image Tank and a bunch of others have that market covered thoroughly.

USB port would be more ideal. There are just too many flash memory card standards out there: CF (3 variations: CF I, CF II, CF+), Memory Stick (3 variations: Standard, DUO, Pro DUO), SD (2 variations: SD, miniSD), MMC (3 variations: MMC, RS-MMS, DV-RS-MMC), SmartMedia (2 variations: SM, XD), and TransFlash. And I am sure I am forgetting something.

[virividox]

i think it will be useful in the future when most people find that they max out their memory cards. but at the moment at least form most of my friends (those who arent really into photography) they never fill their memory cards to max capacity anyway

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Originally Posted by iGary

A CF slot would be nice, but I don't see it.

Image Tank and a bunch of others have that market covered thoroughly.

Why not just a cable between the iPod and the mini USB you find on most cameras. Woudn't think it's too difficult to do this in as the iPods already supports USB2... A built-in CF-reader would add to the size, and we wouldn't like that, would we...? Doesn't Belkin already have a media reader accessory...?

[AnewMac]

Originally Posted by nutmac

USB port would be more ideal. There are just too many flash memory card standards out there: .....

The USB port would be ideal. I run into the problem of filling my digital camera up everytime on vacation, sure I could spend 70 bucks on a new CF card, but I just look at my half full iPod and cry a little inside

[mcmav37]

Originally Posted by iGary

A CF slot would be nice, but I don't see it.

No, it doesn't have to be a CF slot, but what about being able to connect a cable from the dock connector to the USB slot on the camera instead of having to use the Belkin thing? Or make me use one of the Belkin solutions, but make it faster! Here is the current situation:
- my camera can connect directly to computer and transfer photos at USB2 speeds
- my CF card can download at USB2 or FW speeds via a card reader
- my iPod can upload music and photos at USB2 or FW speeds via the dock connector

- using a Belkin adapter (for memory cards or the camera USB cable) seems to yield transfer speeds ~ USB1 according to everything I have read.

Where is the disconnect here?!?!

I think it would be great to be able to download all my photos while away from my computer and still be able to view them, but I would settle for a way to efficiently transfer my photos to the iPod that won't drain the entire battery of either device and won't keep me from shooting additional photos for an extended time. At least for now, because I do want to be able to view them directly ASAP.

[Yonizzle]

Well, I'm probably going to buy the next iPod rev no matter what, but I'll be especially happy if camera connectivity is built-in. And come to think of it, it seems kinda silly not to have PictBridge.

While I'd jump for joy if the next iPod had a card reader, it does seem unlikely given the gajillion formats that are out there.. Hopefully the direct camera link would use USB 2.0 speeds (though both my cameras are stuck at 1.1..)

Anyway, yes. To really deserve the name, the iPod photo needs:

• integrated way to get pics from camera->ipod
• support for displaying photos added "in the field" (as opposed to going home and xfering iPod->iPhoto->iTunes->iPod)
• PictBridge printing

native RAW support, sadly, is probably a pipe dream..

[aafuss1]

These features would benefit PC users with iPod photo's-I suggested the below in another thread:
-Most camera memory cards/card readers commonly appear/ or are recognised by Windows as 'mass storage devices in Explorer. This would mean iPod Photo will sync to other popular photo organising/editing-such as ACDSee, Picasa (a iPhoto clone) and not limted to just Adobe's Photoshop Elements/album software.

Also adding one of the features that a\ PortalPlayer's CEO mentioned would make the iPod even better.

[Fender2112]

I have a feeling that we will soon see micro drives being used as the storage media for still and video cameras. When the iPod mini came out, my first thought was "Man that's small. Sure would be nice to put one in a camera."

With the right cable and software, you could connect an iPod to just about any firewire or USB camera. We might even see a battery powered firewire drive - something simple without all the bells and whistles of an iPod.

It's only a matter of time.

[d.perel]

This would put apple up with olympus' odd box thing that has a camera. I hope that this new iTunes phone line, or model, will come with cameras. iPod mini+phone+camera? cool, if only...

[BryanSeven]

It sounds like a good idea, what format would it copy them over in? raw or jpeg?. I am thinking about switching over to digital and if i already own an iPod it would give me a reason not to spend money on a flash card.

[BigDogg]

What about an iPod with an imbedded megapixel camera! With possible video capture capabilities?

[mcmav37]

Originally Posted by Fender2112

I have a feeling that we will soon see micro drives being used as the storage media for still and video cameras. When the iPod mini came out, my first thought was "Man that's small. Sure would be nice to put one in a camera."

Actually, they can be used for this purpose, especially in the dSLRs. In fact, many people had the exact same thought as you, as I recall, and were trying to buy the iPod mini to remove its 4 GB drive for use in cameras because they could not get 4 GB drives any other way (all stock went to MP3 players).

That said, my understanding is that the CF cards are better because they have no moving parts, so nothing to break down and less battery usage.

[nagromme]

The number of people who fill up their camera before they get back to their computer, AND who are unwilling/unable to buy a large enough flash chip for their camera, seems to be small.

The number of people who therefore need secondary portable storage "in between" the camera and the computer, and who carry no laptop or other suitable device, and who demand that this extra "in between" step have viewing ability because viewing on the camera and/or computer isn't enough, is also small.

That said, some people DO need it, and some who don't need it still WANT it. Hopefully Apple will offer them a more complete solution.

But don't some other photo-capable players already do this? Direct from camera, plus viewing? (Though I doubt they can browse instantly like the iPod Photo: that pre-processing of images as they load from computer to iPod is a real speed benefit.)

In my case, loading from camera to iPod would be needless extra complexity. I want my library in ONE place, my computer, synched to my iPod. Not scattered here and there, with my iPod getting photos from multiple sources. An iPod is a playback tool, not a media management tool or a camera accessory.

But it could become that, and maybe it should.

[Doctor Q]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

...They are also working on direct Printer connectivity as well...

This could be a sign of an increasing market for very small very portable printers.

[Mechcozmo]

Originally Posted by nutmac

USB port would be more ideal. There are just too many flash memory card standards out there: CF (3 variations: CF I, CF II, CF+), Memory Stick (3 variations: Standard, DUO, Pro DUO), SD (2 variations: SD, miniSD), MMC (3 variations: MMC, RS-MMS, DV-RS-MMC), SmartMedia (2 variations: SM, XD), and TransFlash. And I am sure I am forgetting something.

I agree with you here. Wayyyy too many kinds. Yes, CF cards are nice. But face it. Not everyone has one. USB is the best Universal connection.

[jcshas]

I'm still not sure I understand what all of the fuss is about with direct photo integration on the iPod. IMO, this is a "nice to have feature", but not a necessity. Now, before you decide to "flame" me for making that statement, I realize I can't speak for everyone. I'm sure many consumers enjoy using their iPod photo's to upload pictures – leaving the laptop at home. But in my case, even if I can upload photo's to my iPod chances are I am still going to need to bring my laptop along with me for e mail and web surfing. So the ability to connect my digital camera to my iPod seems senseless to me and really becomes just another unnecessary step. I wish/hope Apple puts more effort into a Wi-FI or Bluetooth enabled iPod that will enable you to sync wirelessly with iTunes. After all, the reason I bought an iPod in the first place was to “portablize” my music collection.