USB/SD card reader slots

[JJB45]

I am shopping for an All In One, 27 inch computer.  My current AIO is an HP and it has USB/SD card reader slots located on the back and bottom of the screen.  Neither is easily accessible for thumb drives or camera cards holding photos.  My old Dell did have the slots on the side but they seem to no longer be available on new Dell machines.  Is there a workaround for this issue? I would like to go back to a Dell.

[wideangle]

JJB45

If you google ‘usb extension for card reader’ there are lots of devices around which would solve the problem of inaccessible slots on an AIO. 

Regards

wideangle

[JJB45]

Thanks, that will likely be the answer.  

[jt49]

Did you try a short USB extension cable?

[wideangle]

jt49

That would be ok for the USB connection but he would still need something to deal with his camera memory cards.

Regards

wideangle

[jkb]

connect the camera to the computer via a USB cable.

I never use a card reader & always connect via USB for all my devices

Jill

[jt49]

4 hours ago, wideangle said:

... That would be ok for the USB connection but he would still need something to deal with his camera memory cards ...

I did not miss that point. But JBB seems to have the same problem with various external devices. So he may plug a (short) USB 3 extension cable into the back permanently in order to use it for a card reader, external HDD, thumb drive ... Perhaps not a very elegant solution, but quite a universal one

[wideangle]

12 hours ago, jkb said:

connect the camera to the computer via a USB cable.

I never use a card reader & always connect via USB for all my devices

Jill

Jill

An obvious solution!

I hadn’t thought of that straightforward solution probably because I’m the opposite to you and always connect the sd card rather than the camera or other device. That’s probably because my desktop, my laptop, and my printer all have integrated card readers.

Regards

wideangle

[jkb]

I once had an SD card damaged by a card reader and lost all of the photos on it. Since then I have always connected the camera.

Jill

[rosy]

10 minutes ago, jkb said:

I once had an SD card damaged by a card reader and lost all of the photos on it. Since then I have always connected the camera.

Jill

+1 but never used a card reader as the act of removing the card & re-fitting it into the camera can cause faults. I did buy a card reader when I was into gimbals as the manufacturers wanted to transfer info using one. Just keep it for emergencies now. Have one on my PC & LT but never use them. Rosy.

[Barry Beckham]

My experience is the reverse of yours Jill. From the earliest days of digital cameras I’ve only ever used card readers. That would be about 25 years now and I’ve never connected any of my cameras to my computer to download images.

I’ve not had one failure in all that time, be that a card failure or lost images, but I always format the card in the camera and never allow software to remove images from the card as part of the download process.  I also don’t allow images to build up on a card either, which means the cards are in and out of my camera probably a lot more than most peoples.  I download the images I shoot every day with few exceptions. Then format the card ready for the next day out.

I’m not sure what one persons experience amounts to, but with not one issue in all that time suggests I must be doing something right. I do buy good quality cards, but I have to admit my card reader was a cheap one that I used for many years. Only changed it recently when I needed to download the new type of Compact Flash cards. 

[tom95521]

Some of the newer cameras have wifi transfer and it would avoid physical damage to cards/connectors + location of the card reader on the computer.

Tom

[davegee]

As far as I am aware, you still need a card reader for Camera Firmware Updates?

DG

[Barry Beckham]

Good point

[jkb]

7 hours ago, davegee said:

As far as I am aware, you still need a card reader for Camera Firmware Updates?

DG

never been aware of this.
I have only updated firmware very occasionally, but did it by plugging in a USB cable to the camera

Jill

[davegee]

7 hours ago, jkb said:

never been aware of this.
I have only updated firmware very occasionally, but did it by plugging in a USB cable to the camera

Jill

Perhaps it varies between manufacturers but in my case the instructions for updating firmware SPECIFY the use of a card reader. I am thinking that Warranty issues would apply if something went wrong doing it any other way.

For the record, I am in the same camp as Barry - after many years of using a card reader with zero problems I am happy to continue that way. CF, SD and now XQD cards give no problems. So whether the OP uses an extension lead to plug into a camera or a card reader is going to be a personal choice.

DG

[JJB45]

Like Mr. Beckham, I have been using the card reader in various devices for well over a decade without problems.  I have purchased a short USB extension cable for easy use of thumb drives and will be buying a card reader with a USB plug.   

[JudyKay]

For what it is worth, I have used both methods, card readers and direct connections.  Perhaps about 50/50?  I have had a few corrupted videos and photos, but maybe half a dozen out of 200,000 or so that I have processed in the last few years? The only disaster was the loss of a few hundred wedding photos I once lost on a backup drive--only backed up one place because I was in a hurry.  The client never knew the difference (I had plenty more good images), but to this day, I do! 

I have had cords jerked out while transferring, Pepsi spills, you name it, rain, bitter cold (-50), monsoon rains, desert sandstorms, and my images have pretty well survived them all. I use middle-of-the-road quality cards.